Hawaii (State of) Restaurant Tips by BlueCollar

Restaurant Name: Waimea Brewing Company

On the Island of Kaua‘i.

The food here is your typical American-type offering the standard fare with a few localized dishes. None of the food was really outstandingly great nor was anything terribly horrible. It's just a good, regular restaurant.

Favorite Dish: Where they do excel is in the ales they brew right behind the bar. If you sit at the bar, you will have a great view through the window to the brewroom with its huge vats and assocciated piping.

They have several different brews. I only tasted three: Wai‘ale‘ale Ale, Na Pali Pale Ale, and Lilikoi Light Ale.

All three tasted good but I was really stuck on their Lilikoi Light Ale, which they do not even list on their website. Its texture reminded me of Corona, which is a very light bodied lager. However, the difference is that the Lilikoi Light Ale is just that - an ALE. Ales are usually heavy in body and bolder in taste because they are brewed at room temperature.

As the name suggests, this brew is flavored with lilikoi (that's Hawai‘ian for passion fruit). Combined with the light body, this subtle flavor addition makes the perfect touch in reminding you that you are on a warm-weathered island in paradise.

My first impression was that it was a lager poured by mistake. So I questioned the bartender and he reassured me that it was what I ordered. He then went on to explain the proccess used by their brewmaster to create such a wonderful brew.

I complimented their effort and ordered another.


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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Website: http://www.waimeabrewing.com/waimea/brewery-beer.htm

Restaurant Name: Dave's Hawaiian Ice Cream

On the Island of Moloka‘i.

They have a huge selection of locally made ice cream. But I only ordered the same two flavors both times we stopped here because these two combined tasted soooo good.

I had one scoop of haupia (coconut pudding) ice cream with one scoop of lychee sherbet. This mix just screams PARADISE at you!

The haupia was very smooth and creamy without coconut shavings, which I found especially pleasing. It was just smooth, creamy, coconut ice cream. What a treat!

The sherbet was sweet and slightly tangy with very small chunks of lychee included. This was very intriguing because lychee are a very sweet fruit to begin with. Typically, sour, tart, or very tangy fruits are used to make sherbets. Somehow they managed to capture the true essence of this sweet fruit. However they did it, I commend their effort.

If my body could have afforded any greater calorie consumption without any bulging side effects, I would have eaten more during our short stay on this island. If you ever make it to Moloka‘i, you must stop here for a real treat!

I inquired as to whether they Fed-Ex any of their products like that other ice cream maker on Maui does. They said no.

That's too bad because I would order some.


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Theme: Dessert
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: In downtown Kaunakakai

On the Island of Maui in the little town of Hâna.

How many times have you read that there are few affordable restaurant choices in Hāna? Well, it's true.

This is why you should pack your lunch if you're doing "The Road to Hāna". Pick up some drinks, sandwiches, and a cooler with ice in Kahului before heading out.

But, if you forgot to do this, you still have a few options. And this one is best, IMHO.

Just after Hāna on the main highway you will pass through a stretch of Cook pines lining the roadway. Keep an eye out for the signs by the road (see pictures). This guy is not always open. But if he is, you must try his offerings. He opens at 10am and cooks until everything is gone. He says that usually happens around 2 or 3pm.

Since we were staying in Hāna for three nights and we really liked his food, we picked up an extra plate a couple of times to microwave for dinner. Even reheated it tasted good.

Favorite Dish: Prices were reasonable (as of Oct. '06). Shoyu Chicken: $8. Shoyu Beef: $9. Shoyu Pork: $8. Grilled Mahi: $10. BBQ ribs: $12. Other items are available from time to time. He says the menu varies and depends on what he feels like buying and cooking.

We liked all of the listed items above.

Along with the meat, you get two scoops of white rice, one scoop macaroni salad, and sauted veggies. It's a standard Hawai‘ian plate lunch.

Keep in mind that his servings are large. One order was enough for both my wife and I to share. While I consider myself a big eater and my wife is on the lighter side, there was plenty on just one plate lunch.

And for the squeamish among you who are affraid of eating anything from a roadside vendor like this: The food was very tasty and we were never sickened by any of it.

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Theme: Street Vendor
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: On the Hāna Highway just past Hāna. When you start driving through the Cook pine-lined stretch of road, keep an eye out for his signs.

These are our favorites for their dining area's view of the sunset. The food is good, too.

We encountered the best dinner-time view of the sunset on Maui at Kimo's in Lahaina. Our table by the railing on their open-deck dining area provided an unobstructed view of the harbor with a great view of the sun settling into the ocean between Lana‘i and Moloka‘i. Unfortunately, we didn't take a picture.

On Moloka‘i, we really enjoyed the view (picture at left) from Hotel Moloka‘i's Oceanfront Restaurant.

The sunset views, cool ocean breezes, and the sound of gentle waves lapping the shoreline made the dining experience extremely memorable.

Just as an FYI: If you love sushi, you'll love the Islands.

From the fancy Japanese restaurants in Waikiki to the deli counter in just about every grocery store on every island, sushi is everywhere. Even at 7-11. Lulu's in Kona serves a great seared tuna appetizer. And for great sushi take-out in large portions at a very reasonable cost, you have to go to Hayashi's Sushi Take Out in the Kona Marketplace Shopping Center in — you guessed it — Kona. It's on Ali‘i Drive between Likana and Sarona Lanes. Everytime I went there he was busy with a line out the door — mostly locals.

Sushi lovers will be in heaven here. I know I was. :)

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Return to my main Hawai`i page.

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Theme: Other

Website: http://www.kimosmaui.com
Other Contact: http://www.hotelmolokai.com/

Restaurant Name: Kona Brewing Company Brewery & Pub

Describe the food? Well, it has all the local influences. But we came here for one thing and one thing only – to tour their brewery and try some fresh, handcrafted brew. Back home in Florida we buy their Longboard Lager, Fire Rock Ale, and Wailua Wheat Ale all the time. And since we were going to be in Kona, we just had to see where this fantastic brew started.

The Kona Brewery and Pub is just that. They brew all of the draught they sell here and even sell to competitive pubs as well. They also have a store/pub in Waikîkî (yes, on O‘ahu). All of the draught beer sold in the Islands comes from the Kona plant, where they produce several thousand barrels of product per year. The bottled product sold at various retail outlets throughout Hawai‘i and back on the mainland comes from Widmer Brewing in Washington State (that’s why it is so expensive to buy the bottles in Hawai‘i – heck, it’s cheaper for us to buy a 6-pk in Florida than Hawai‘i).

My wife and I went on their brewery tour. It’s free – all you have to do is show up before the twice-daily tour and sign up. It’s not much of a tour as the place is very small. In the attached photos, you’ll see the two large grain silos at their pub’s entrance. Those are fully functional silos.

After the tour was over, we were give four different pitchers of beer to try. We had the Wailua Wheat (my favorite), Castaway India Pale Ale (it was good), Pipeline Porter (the Kona coffee flavor was interesting), and the Black Sand Porter (it was rich and smooth). The 14 of us that were on the tour polished off the pitchers! And do you know that saying about how cheap is good, but free is better? Well, it’s true. We proved it with this little experiment. :) Anyway, there are plenty more flavors available (there were ten we saw on their list) than we were able to try in one sitting.

Like I already mentioned, the Wailua Wheat, with its liliko‘i (passion fruit) flavoring, was my favorite. Since we are lucky enough to have it available back home in Florida, every time we want a little aloha in our day, we just pop open a bottle of this brew and we are instantly transported back to Hawai‘i. BTW, if you live in the Eastern US, check with your local Anheuser-Busch distributor for availability.

 hui hou aku!


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Theme: Pub/Brewery
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Directions: Off of Kuakini Hwy near the intersection of Palani Rd in the heart of Kailua-Kona.
Website: www.konabrewingco.com