Mai Tai at Oasis on the Beach has house-made orgeat. Daniel Lane photo

Restaurant Closures and Openings

This week, I have a lot of good news and some bad news. Last Tuesday, there was a fire near Chicken in a Barrel in Kapaa. The Star Advertiser reports, “Damage to the structure and its contents, including the restaurant’s refrigeration unit and ice machine, was estimated at $30,000. A neighboring building also sustained some heat damage.” Also, I recently learned that Da Imu Hut, one of the westside restaurants in our Kauai restaurant guidebook, closed due to a death in the family. Our hearts go out to them, and I’m told new owners plan to reopen the restaurant in Eleele, where Toi’s Thai Cuisine used to be. Grove Cafe at Waimea Plantation Cottages is closing also. I’m told it’s going to reopen some time this fall as Kalapaki Joe’s.

The view at Little Greek Town in Kapaa. Daniel Lane photo

Little Greek Town

I am absolutely in love with the organic, locally made falafel plate with organic, locally made pita bread from Little Greek Town. I fell hard when I did the story “Little Greek Town Sprouts In Kapaa” and it’s going in the 2014 edition of our Kauai restaurant guidebook. Now, north shore residents can easily enjoy their food because Little Greek Town is opening a second truck in Kilauea, next to Healthy Hut. “We will be opening sometime between Oct. 1 to Oct. 15,” owner Dan Luciu tells me. “We will have shorter hours our first month 11 a.m. to 3ish, then we’ll open until 8ish, Mon – Sat. Chef George is joining our team and we will be expanding our vegetarian menu in Kilauea. We are also going to have more local and organic items on the menu, so our menu items will be priced accordingly, but we will be offering a kamaaina discounts at our Kilauea truck. Currently, we are working on creating vegetarian gyros. We have had some great specials at the Kapaa truck, such as Lamb Souvlaki and Romanian Beer Sausages, called mititei, that are made with local beef. They have been a hit!” You catch them in Kilauea at Art Walk on the last Saturday of the month.

Jude holding a cluster of rambutan at the market. Daniel Lane photo

Kauai Rambutan and Sugarloaf Pineapple

Hole in the Mountain Farm has a nice, early season crop of rambutan. Farmer and owner Jude Huber will be selling them at the Kauai Culinary Market on Wednesday. If supplies last, she’ll at the Kauai Community Market on Saturday morning. The current harvest of Sugarloaf Pineapple is beginning to ripen and she will be taking orders on the Kauai Sugarloaf website within the week or so.

Eat Local Challenge – Kauai

Hawaii imports up to 90-percent of its food. This makes the state vulnerable to external factors, as any disruption to the state’s import chain would leave Hawaii with a severely limited food supply.
The Eat Local Challenge – Kauai encourages us to break our dependence on imported food by supporting and identifying local farmers. “We can help each other by promoting and showcasing local products and businesses on Kauai that will aid in our success in this challenge!”
Through this exercise, we can get a better idea of what it truly means to eat local and hopefully pick up some better habits along the way. Anytime we can substitute a local product for an imported one we are injecting money into our local economy as well as move towards a more self-sufficient future.
The challenge begins on Sunday, September 29 and ends on Saturday, October 5. If you join the Eat Local Challenge – Kauai Facebook group, you can find excellent resources such as the video below that shows how to make your own coconut milk. You can also follow Malama Kauai’s Keep it Local blog for more recipes.

Susan Yount of Colorado enjoys fresh picked lychee on A Culinary Romp Through Paradise. Marta Lane photo

Kauai Culinary Tours

On October 11, A Culinary Romp Through Paradise will end at Oasis on the Beach with a presentation from Koloa Rum Co. president, Bob Gunter. The local distillery added four drinks to their recipe card (Click Here For Some Amazing Kōloa Rum Drink Recipes!) that feature 12 cocktails made by local bartenders. One drink is made with their new, naturally flavored Kauai Coconut Rum. Since hubby is a photographer, (PonoPhoto.com), he was hired to photograph the drinks. I came along and got to sample! We are excited because two will be featured on our next tour. They are Koloa Coconut Lavender Daiquiri and Dark & Stormy, Koloa Style. Bartender Joel Downs uses fresh juices in his drinks as well as house-made lavender simple syrup and ginger beer. I’ll post the recipes for these drinks next week, so those of you who can’t join us can get some Koloa Rum and mix up a taste of paradise!

Koloa Rum Kauai Coffee Challenge

If you’re into cooking competitions, you can win $300 in the Koloa Rum Kauai Coffee Challenge. Entry fees are $15 per entry and there are three categories: Rum & Coffee Drink; Rum & Coffee Entrée; and Rum and Coffee Dessert. The Challenge will begin in November, 2013 and end in March 2014. Proceeds benefit Kauai Habitat for Humanity and Kauai Culinary Institute of the Pacific. For more information, visit the Koloa Rum Kauai Coffee Challenge website.

Bill 2491

I posted earlier this week that Kauai residents reacted strongly to Governor Neil Abercrombie’s announcement, which requests agricultural entities to voluntarily disclose their use of Restricted Use Pesticides. On Monday, Maggie Sergio of Huff Post Hawaii reported in “Corporate Colonialism: Pesticides, GMOs and Kauai Fights Back” that Abercrombie, as well as numerous Hawaii government officials, have accepted $515,775 of GMO money. Besides fighting Big Money for resident’s health and the environment, things are getting pretty absurd. In an article in The Garden Island newspaper called  “Abercrombie Stirs Pesticide Debate” Alicia Maluafiti, says “Pesticides have played a major role in making our lives safer and in protecting our economic well-being.” Really?

Sweet and sour General Tso’s Chicken at KCC’s Fine Dining. Daniel Lane photo

Asian Cuisine at Kauai Community College

As part of the curriculum, culinary students make a filling and affordable lunch for the public in their “learning” dining room. Here is the fall schedule for Asian Cuisine. Fine Dining is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday with two seatings at 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. For Fine Dining reservations, please call Duane Miyasato, culinary instructor, at 808-245-8365. Miyasato also teaches class, so if he doesn’t answer, leave a message and he’ll return your call as soon as possible.

• Week 1: October 29, 30, 31 ~ Chinese Cuisine
• Week 2: November 5, 6, 7 ~ Thailand Cuisine
• Week 3: November 13, 14  ~ Vietnamese Cuisine (November 12, closed)
• Week 4: November 19, 20, 21 ~ Japanese Cuisine
• Week 5: November 26, 27 ~ Pacific Island Cookery (Thanksgiving week)
• Week 6: December 3, 4, 5 ~ Korean Cuisine

Schedule subject to change
EVENTS: 
Saturday, September 28

National Public Lands Day

Kokee State Park, volunteer work
Beautify Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow, and the historic C.C.C Camp by volunteering to work in forest gardens, grounds improvement and painting. If you’ve got a weed whip, bring it – there’s lots of trimming to do in preparation for the Emalani Festival. In a salute to the original “Civilian Conservation Corps” of the 1930s, Hui o Laka will launch “The New C.C.C.,” the “Civilian Conservation Corps of Kokee,” a citizens’ effort that has already begun to transform natural and cultural resources in Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park.
NPLD, supported in part by Toyota, celebrates its 20th anniversary. You’ll be part of the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in America, joining more than 170,000 citizens at over 2100 sites around the country. Reservations required. Call 808-335-9975, Ext 0 or sign up on Kokee Museum’s Facebook page (pronounced ko keh eh). There will be bottled water in the field and chili and rice for lunch. Bring salads, snacks, chips, or desserts to help round out the meal.
October 1, 2 and 3

Fine Dining at Kauai Community College

Continental Cuisine, two seatings: 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Starter

• Hot German Potato Salad
• Spinach Salad
• Manhattan Clam Chowder

Entrée

Entrée selections are served with freshly baked bread and  choice of  starter and dessert

• Salade Nicoise with Fresh Ahi, $17.25
•  Sautéed Pork Loin Robert, braised red cabbage, roesti potatoes, $19.25
• Seafood Newburg, rice pilaf, $19.50
• Roast Duckling a l’orange, glazed sweet potatoes, green beans with roasted peppers and bacon, $19.50
• Navarin of Lamb, garlic mashed potatoes, $17.50

Dessert

• Carrot walnut cake
• Fresh fruit tart

For reservations, call Duane Miyasato at 808-245-8365.
 

Kauai Beer Company brewers (from left) Eric Burda, Jim Guerber, Justin Guerber and Nate Yahnke. Daniel Lane photo

Kauai Beer Club

6:30 p.m., Kauai Beer Company, free
Kauai home brewing enthusiasts now have an outlet. Join the Kauai Brew Club for their first meeting at the Kauai Beer Company. Every Wednesday, from noon to 6 p.m., the brewery offers beer tasting. So, if you get there before 6 p.m., you can try some.
“For this meeting we’ll discuss what everyone knows (and doesn’t know) about brewing,” says Kauai Beer Company brewer Eric Burda. “This is an opportunity to get to know other home brewing beer enthusiasts on Kauai. We will discuss future meeting schedules and create plans for the direction of the Kauai Brew Club. What do you want to get out of the Brew Club? What do you want to learn? How do you get equipment? Please bring your thoughts, ideas, knowledge and  desire for knowledge with you. You can follow the Kauai Brew Club blog and read all of the meeting notes, ideas and plans for the future. Kauai Brew Club’s Twitter handle is @KauaiBrewClub and Kauai Beer Company is on Facebook.

The cacao tree is where chocolate comes from. Daniel Lane photo

23rd Annual Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Conference and the California Rare Fruit Growers Fall Festival of Fruit

Members of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers will hold an eight-day on Oahu, Maui and Kauai. While on the GArden Island, there will be a Kauai Coffee tour with Greg Williams and NTBG/Allerton Garden tour with Scott Sloan and Diane Ragone. There will be lunch, and exotic fruit tasting and free time at the park. Kauai member will meet and presentations include hands on grafting with Joe Sabol; Fruit Tours around the World with Roger Meyer; and Jujubes with Roger and Shirley; Florida fruit with Chris Rollins; Fruits of Ecuador with Jim West and Fruit from Australia with Rick Yessayian. To become a member of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers. Grower Membership is $35 per year, and is for back yard growers and hobbyists whose total sales are less than $1,000 per year. General Membership is $100 per year and is for those who sell over $1,000 per year. For more information, visit the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers website.
Friday, October 11

Breezy and beautiful gourmet lunch and cooking demonstration at the Kauai Marriott Resort. Daniel Lane photo

A Culinary Romp Through Paradise

Various locations in Kapaa, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., $140
Tasting Kauai’s Culinary Tour offers an intimate glimpse into the Garden Island’s culinary scene. We start with a farm tour and learn about exotic fruit grown on Kauai. At the Kauai Marriott Resort, we join executive chef Guy Higa for an outdoor cooking demonstration and gourmet, four-course lunch made with Kauai grown ingredients. Our last stop is at Oasis on the Beach where we imbibe in handcrafted cocktails made with Koloa Rum.
You can visit our Kauai Culinary Tours page or our Facebook photo album to see how much fun the tour is. Chef Higa donates proceeds from his portion of the tour to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen and Tasting Kauai donates proceeds to the Kauai Branch of the Hawaii Food Bank. For a complete list of tour dates, check out our Kauai Culinary Tours Calendar. Call 808-635-0257 to make a reservation.
Saturday, October 12

Car Shines for Kauai Grinds

Kauai Veteran’s Center, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., free
The King’s Chapel, Kauai church will host a car, truck and bike show to benefit the Hawaii Foodbank. Entry fees are $5 donation or five cans of food. There will be live entertainment, free popcorn and shave ice, kids activities and a special appearance from Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr. To honor veterans, each entry will display the American flag and a Veterans Choice category will be judged by veterans.  For more information, call Edward Batara at 808-645-1888.

Stacy Sproat-Beck makes poi the traditional way during a taro tasting. Daniel Lane photo

A Taste of Kauai, Yesterday and Today

Waipa, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., $115
Tasting Kauai’s north shore tour is part agritourism and part ecotourism. We visit Waipa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians, which remains undeveloped. This one-of-a-kind experience was designed by Tasting Kauai and the Waipa Foundation especially for those who wish to learn about traditional agriculture systems, endangered wildlife, and enjoy real Hawaiian food while saturated in Kauai’s rugged beauty.
Waipa is nestled in the Hanalei Valley which is a National Wildlife Refuge and endangered birds flourish here. We explore a vast loi (taro garden) fed by auwai, or irrigation system, that supplies water from mountain streams and learn about significant foods, food plants, growing methods, and overall Hawaiian agricultural and land management concepts, approaches, and complexes in ancient times and their transition to today.
At the “Poi Garage”, guests sample cooked taro corms, poi and kulolo, a traditional dessert made with coconut.
Lunch, prepared by Waipa’s chef, changes seasonally and is made with vegetables grown in on site gardens, locally sourced meat or fish, and mamaki tea with lemongrass and mint. Guests eat ohana (family) style while enjoying the beauty and breezes of Hanalei Bay. Proceeds from this tour go to restore native plants and to preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian culture through education. For more information, visit A Taste of  Kauai, Yesterday and Today, or visit check out our Facebook photo album. To make reservations, call 808-635-0257.
Friday, October 25

Restaurant Guidebook Signing

Talk Story Bookstore, 5:30 to 9 p.m., free
Join Tasting Kauai at Talk Story Bookstore during Hanapepe Art Night. After hubby and I enjoy some fresh made pizza from Midnight Bear Breads, and maybe a slice of pie from The Right Slice, we’ll sign copies of our new book, Tasting Kauai: Restaurants. Come, enjoy a delightful evening of food, music and art, and talk story with us. We’d love to meet you!
ONGOING:

Fresh kumquats from the Kapaa farmers market.

Farmers Market Class

Wednesdays, 3 to 4 p.m., $30
Meet local farmers, learn how to select perfect produce as well as when it’s in season and how to cook with it during Tasting Kauai’s one-hour farmers market class. I saw friends at the farmers market who were visiting from Colorado. As we hugged and said hello, I saw a table full of near-rotten mangos. It was still snowing in Denver and my friends were excited about the big, beautiful tomatoes they just bought. Their faces fell when I told them they were not grown on Kauai. I felt bad for them, and was inspired to offer this class.
Farmers markets are an affordable way to immerse yourself in local culture and the best place to buy produce that’s so fresh, it was harvested that morning. But buying at the farmers market doesn’t always insure that it was grown on Kauai. It happens all over the world. In Hawaii, customers want mangos year-round. In Colorado, they want tomatoes in May. To make that sale, vendors buy imported mangoes or tomatoes and sell them as their own. Customers unfamiliar with the seasons can insure their dollars are spent on local products by learning how to identify locally grown produce.
There’s a whole world of delicious produce that many people never try. Let’s face it, some of it looks like it came from another planet. Once unfamiliar produce is demystified and cooking tips are shared, it may become a regular at dinner table. Many factors can make exotic produce expensive and the last thing you want to do is buy a pineapple that isn’t at peak perfection. This class will also teach you how to tell when produce is ripe as well as how to store it for best results. For reservations, call 808-635-0257.

Hanapepe Friday Night Festival and Art Walk

Hanapepe Town, 6 to 9 p.m.
Every Friday evening, Old Town Hanapepe bustles with people. A dozen art galleries stay open late, local crafters sell their wares, and there’s stilt walkers, classics cars, live music and entertainment. Two of our favorite food artisans are there. The Right Slice sells fresh-baked pie by the slice and whole and Midnight Bear Breads makes pizza fresh from a wood-burinig oven. parking is tricky. Call 808-335-6469 for more information.

Kapaa Art Walk in Old Town Kapaa. Daniel Lane photo

Kapaa Art Walk

Old Town Kapaa, 5 to 9 p.m.
On the first Saturday of the month hundreds of people party in Old Town Kapaa. The street is filled with the sounds of laughter and music, smells of delicious local food, and the work of Kauai artists. In front of the Dragon Building, Anni Caporuscio (owner of Small Town Coffee and Blue House Booksellers) sings to a three-piece band which includes a guitar player, drummer and washboard player. Art Cafe Hemingway and Java Kai open a new exhibit and serve food late. The Buttery hosts jewelers and other Kauai Made jewelry is available throughout.

Second Saturday at the Shops at Kukuiula

The Shops at Kukuiula, 6 to 9 p.m.
Meet local artists on the second Saturday of each month. Six art galleries are featured and previously, an electric violin was played while an artist completed a painting; jazz was played outside of Halelea Gallery where local artist Robin McCoy was featured. Restaurants pair with artists and provide food inspired by their work.

Kilauea Art Walk

Stone Building, 5 to 8 p.m.
Join more than 20 artisans on the last Saturday of the month at the Stone Building in Kilauea Town. There’s live music, original art, hand-made apparel, jewelry, photography, custom slippers, painted glass bottles, ice cream and unique creations. Face painting henna tattoos. Stop by Kilauea Fish Market for dinner.