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cream-filled chocolate éclairs (yum!), blackberry–white chocolate scones, and other fine baked goods. The breads go well with the soups and hot lunch specials, and the pastries with the new full-service espresso bar, which serves not only the best of the bean, but also blended frozen drinks and such up-to-the-minute beverages as iced chai and Mexican chocolate smoothies (with cinnamon). We also love the breakfast Stromboli with eggs, potatoes, and cheese, and the scampi pizza with tiger prawns, roasted garlic, capers, and cheeses. Their latest menu additions are homemade soups, to the tune of four different homemade soups per day, like coconut Thai curry vegetable and rich, cream of porcini mushroom). The Picketts have added a small dining room, a covered area in the courtyard, and the few outdoor picnic tables under umbrellas are as inviting as ever. The macadamia-nut butter cookies and lilikoi-fruit Danishes are sublime.

In Kong Lung Center, Kilauea Rd. (off Hwy. 56 on the way to the Kilauea Lighthouse), Kilauea. 80 8/828-2020. Pizzas $11–$30; sandwiches under $8. MC, V. Daily 6am–9pm.

Mediterranean Gourmet MIDDLE EASTERN 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 it 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. He married a local Hanalei girl, Yarrow, and the two of them (plus their kids) roll out the best Mediterranean food you will find in Hawaii. People on Kauai have been eating Beydoun’s cooking through his packaged products (hummus, baba ghanouj, falafels, and tabbouleh) sold at the local farmer’s market. When his family opened the restaurant, they already had a following. The menu has traditional Middle Eastern cuisine (stuffed grape leaves, hand-rolled fatayer, hummus, grilled kafta, Greek salads, and various kabobs) as well as more familiar dishes like chicken quesadillas, rack of lamb, New York strip steak, and fresh fish. Do not leave until you have had Chef Beydoun’s homemade baklava and a cup of Turkish coffee. Go on Thursday to catch a belly dancing performance. There’s live music Monday through Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 6:30pm, and a luau on Tuesday nights at 6pm.

Hanalei Bay Colony Resort, 5-7132 Kuhio Hwy., Hanalei. 80 8/826-9875. Lunch entrees $11–$22; dinner entrees $30–$40. MC, V. Mon–Sat 11am–9pm, Sun 11am–3pm.

Postcards Cafe GOURMET SEAFOOD/NATURAL FOODS 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. It’s dinner only at this quaint eatery but a memorable experience. My picks from the changing menu are the wasabi-crusted ahi or the sombrero (puff pastry filled with organic cheeses, green chiles, onions, mushrooms, and garlic) or the Shanghai (tofu with veggies and roasted cashews in a tamarind ginger sauce). Save room for the chocolate silk (a chocolate pie in a crust of graham crackers, dried cherries, and crusted cashews)—yum-yum. In the front yard, an immense, mossy, hollowed-out stone serves as a freestanding lily pond and roadside landmark. Great menu, presentation, and ambience—a winner.

On Kuhio Hwy. (at the entrance to Hanalei town). 80 8/826-1191. Reservations highly recommended for dinner. Main courses $15–$28. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Daily 6–9pm.

INEXPENSIVE

Bubba Burgers AMERICAN Green picnic tables and umbrellas thatched with coconut leaves stand out against the yellow walls of Bubba’s, the burger joint with attitude. The burgers are as flamboyant as the exterior. This North Shore version of the Kapaa fixture has the same menu, same ownership, and same high-quality, all-beef burgers that have made the original such a smashing success.

In Hanalei Center (on the town’s main road), Hanalei. 80 8/826-7839. All items less than $9. MC, V. Daily