Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [11]
• Mediterranean Gourmet ( 80 8/826-9875): This “hidden” restaurant, located next door to the Hanalei Colony Resort, nearly at the end of the road, was awarded “Best New Restaurant” on Kauai by a local magazine and is very deserving of the distinction. The oceanfront location is the perfect backdrop for chef/owner Imad Beydoun’s Middle Eastern dishes, which he embellishes with an island twist.
• Mermaids Café ( 80 8/821-2026): This tiny sidewalk cafe, with brisk takeout and a handful of tables on Kapaa’s main drag, serves healthy, organic, home-cooked meals. Mermaids uses kaffir lime, lemon grass, local lemons (Meyers when available), and organic herbs, when possible, to make the sauces and beverages to go with its toothsome dishes.
• Postcards Café ( 80 8/826-1191): The charming plantation-style building that used to be the Hanalei Museum is now Hanalei’s gourmet central. Postcards is known for its use of healthful ingredients, fresh from the island and creatively prepared and presented.
• Roy’s Poipu Bar & Grill ( 80 8/742-5000): This is a loud, lively room with ceiling fans, marble tables, works by local artists, and a menu tailor-made for foodies. The signature touches of Roy Yamaguchi (of Roy’s restaurants in Oahu, Big Island, Maui, Tokyo, New York, and Guam) are abundantly present: an excellent, progressive, and affordable wine selection; fresh local ingredients prepared with a nod to Europe, Asia, and the Pacific.
• Tidepool Restaurant ( 80 8/742-1234): An ultraromantic setting (literally hanging over the water), fabulous creative cuisine, and quick, efficient service with a smile make this restaurant in the Grand Hyatt a standout.
12 The Best Shops & Galleries
• Banana Patch Studio ( 80 8/335-5944): This place has the best prices on the island for anything artsy and cute, such as tropical plates and cups, hand-painted tiles, artwork, handmade soaps, pillows with tropical designs, and jewelry. Plus, they will pack and ship for you anywhere.
• Bambulei ( 80 8/823-8641): Celebrate the charm and style of 1930s and 1940s collectibles in this treasure-trove at the edge of a cane field. Fabulous one-of-a-kind vintage finds—Mandarin dresses with hand-sewn sequins, 1940s pake muumuus in mint condition, Peking lacquerware, and Bakelite jewelry—fill this jewel of a boutique, owned by two women with a passion for the past.
• Koloa Rum Company Tasting Room, Retail Store & Gallery ( 80 8/742-1616): Kauai’s first rum distillery makes white, gold, dark, and, on occasion, specialty flavors rum (like coconut and vanilla). They use high-grade molasses and sugar from Hawaii’s only remaining sugar company (Gay & Robinson) and pure water from Mount Waialeale (one of the wettest spots on Earth). Enjoy a sample in the tasting room, browse the retail store (where the rum and other Kauai-made products are sold), and check out the historical display on the history of rum and sugar cane in Kauai.
• Kong Lung ( 80 8/828-1822): You’ll be surprised by what you find inside this 1922 stone building. It’s a showcase of design, style, and quality, with items ranging from dinnerware, books, jewelry, and clothing to the finest sake and tea sets on the island. Throw in a lacquer bowl or two, a pair of beaded sandals, and a silk dress from the women’s section, and the party’s on at “Gump’s of the Pacific.”
• Ola’s ( 80 8/826-6937): Fine crafts from across the country find their way to this temple of good taste: lamps, vases, blown glass, drumsticks, jewelry, hard-to-find books, and the peerless paintings of award-winning artist Doug Britt.
• Tropical Flowers by Charles ( 80 0/699-7984): Charles is a flower genius who grows a range of tropical blossoms, including some very rare and unusual varieties. Prices are extremely reasonable.
• Yellowfish Trading Company ( 80 8/826-1227): Surprise yourself at Yellowfish Trading Company, where vintage bark cloth and that one-of-a-kind 1940s rattan sofa are among owner Gritt Benton’s short-lived