Special Edition

The Living Salad at Blue Dragon Restaurant is as close to live food as you can get. Daniel Lane photo The Living Salad at Blue Dragon Restaurant is served in a mini wood planter. Green and purple baby lettuces spill from the top along with a few wispy fennel fronds. Gilded gold scissors with ornate…

(From left) Noah Hester, Nate Hayward and Leo Woods. Daniel Lane photo Nate Hayward navigates a 15 passenger van along a rutted farm road in North Kohala. A steady drizzle of warm rain splats across the windshield. Eight foodies huddle in the van’s bucket seats, wrapped in plastic parkas, bouncing in unison. Thick dreadlocks are…

Beans in the cacao pod are soft, sweet, and a little tart. Daniel Lane photo The Big Island Chocolate Festival is in its fifth year, and the gala’s theme is Lavalicious-A Chocolate Salute to the 100th Birthday of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Indulge in both savory and sweet temptations prepared by top chefs and chocolatiers while watching award-winning…

Award winning craft beer and locally sourced pupus at Big Island Brewhaus. Daniel Lane photo Tom Kerns, owner of Big Island Brewhaus, sits across from me at a picnic table on the bar’s lanai. His wife, Jayne, and their cook, Dan Leishman, sit on either side of him. Inside, boisterous conversation punctuated by laughter pour…

Copper Bar’s panoramic views of Kaunaoa Bay. Daniel Lane photo We stopped by Copper Bar at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the way back from Kailua-Kona. It was a picturesque day: balmy, breezy and beautiful. Our car was full of gifts, including chocolate from the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, as well as chocolate covered coffee…

Coast Grille Nicoise ($17) with a one-minute fried egg, garden arugula, Big Island tomatoes, Molokai black salt, seared ahi, Molokai sweet potatoes, cucumber, haricot vert, Kalamata olives and wild lilikoi vinaigrette. Daniel Lane photo Coast Grille, Westin Hapuna Beach Resort’s signature restaurant, offers a view of Mount Hualalai and Hapuna Beach along the Kohala Coast on…

The main entrance at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort. Photo by Daniel Lane. It’s easy to see why U.S. News & World Report awarded The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort the “Best Hotels in Hawaii and The Big Island” in 2011 through 2014. The main entrance is flanked by towering royal palm trees. A swath of…

Kaunaoa Bay at Mauna Kea Resort. Daniel Lane photo After more than six years with our nose to the tropical grindstone, Dan and I were graced with travel for fun! But it’s hard for me to separate work and play, so I’m starting Special Edition blog posts. Every Saturday, I’ll let you know about our…