Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [101]
Dining on Kauai begins with views and decor. Resort areas will feast your eyes with romantic settings and panoramic ocean views. In Poipu, the Beach House and the restaurants at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa offer spectacular settings right on the beach that will linger in your memory long after you return home. In Hanalei, the restaurants at Princeville Resort look out onto an awe-inspiring vista of Hanalei Bay with cloud-shrouded, majestic peaks in the background.
Next on Kauai’s sensuous dining experiences are the enticing aromas, especially at ethnic restaurants. Even if the cuisine is unfamiliar to you, your taste buds will be standing up to applaud at just the wonderful scents wafting out from the kitchen. Kauai offers a rainbow of different ethnic cuisines, from Asian and Polynesian to Mexican/Central American, European, and eclectic mixes.
Dining also means soothing sounds, from the strumming of a ukulele to the gentle rhythm of tumbling waves in the sand. In our reviews we note which restaurants feature live music, which is so important not only to the digestion, but also to the relaxing atmosphere that seems to calm the soul and makes the entire dining experience a banquet for the senses.
Best of all, dining on Kauai is a divine experience in tasting. Taste the familiar, the new, the exotic, and even the adventurous. I urge you to try at least one restaurant featuring cuisine you are totally unfamiliar with. Who knows, you may become enamored with it.
Don’t pass up the small mom-and-pop places, the takeouts, the hole-in-the-wall eateries; some very fine food at very budget-pleasing prices comes out of these tiny places.
On your jaunt across the island, you’ll find affordable choices in every town, from hamburger joints to saimin stands (selling noodles in broth topped with scrambled eggs, onions, and sometimes pork) to busy neighborhood diners. As long as you don’t expect filet mignon on a fish-and-chips budget, it shouldn’t be difficult to please both your palate and your pocketbook. But if you’re looking for lobster, rack of lamb, or risotto to write home about, you’ll find those pleasures, too.
For condo dwellers preparing your own meals, chapter 9 features a variety of markets and shops around Kauai—including some wonderful green markets and fruit stands—where you can pick up the island’s best foodstuffs.
Restaurants listed in this chapter do not require reservations unless otherwise noted.
1 Lihue & Environs
You’ll find the restaurants in this section on the “Where to Dine in Lihue” map.
EXPENSIVE
Gaylord’s CONTINENTAL/PACIFIC RIM One of Kauai’s most splendid examples of kamaaina architecture, Gaylord’s is the anchor of a 1930s plantation manager’s estate on a 1,700-acre sugar plantation. You’ll enter a complex of shops, galleries, and a living room of Hawaiian artifacts and period furniture. The private dining room has a lavish table, always elegantly set as if Queen Liliuokalani were expected at any minute; another room accommodates private parties. The main dining room, which winds around a flagstone courtyard overlooking rolling lawns and purple mountains, serves American classics (New York strip steak, rack of lamb, prime rib) along with pasta, fresh seafood, and lavish desserts. The ambience, historic surroundings, and soothing views from the terrace make Gaylord’s a special spot for lunch—salads, soups, fresh fish, Oliver Shagnasty’s signature baby back ribs, burgers, sandwiches, and lighter fare predominate. Daily specials include international dishes such as kalua pork and Mexican fajitas, and fresh island fish in various cross-cultural preparations.
At Kilohana, 3–2087 Kaumualii Hwy., Lihue. 80 8/245-9593.www.gaylordskauai.com. Reservations recommended. Main courses $9–$14 lunch, $19–$42 dinner, Sunday brunch $25. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 11am–2pm; daily 5:30–9pm; Sun 7:45am–2:30pm (brunch).
JJ’s Broiler AMERICAN