Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [195]
Café Pesto (882-1071; www.cafepesto.com; Kawaihae Center, Hwy 270; lunch $11-14, pizza $9-20, dinner mains $17-33; 11am-9pm Sun-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat) This fun, stylish restaurant is a well-loved favorite, serving eclectic, innovative cuisine you might call Mediterranean with an Asian twang, or Italian with an island twist. Choose from curries and Greek salads, seafood risotto and smoked salmon alfredo, piping hot calzones and thin-crust gourmet pizza. Walls are crowded with lively art, and the comfy lounge is a perfect cocktail-hour destination.
* * *
TOP PICKS – LIVE MUSIC VENUES
Blue Dragon Musiquarium (below)
Kahilu Theatre (Click here)
Kope Kope Espresso Cafe (Click here)
Palace Theater (Click here)
Bamboo (Click here)
Luke’S Place (Click here)
Huggo’S on the Rocks (Click here)
Queens’ Marketplace (Click here) & Kings’ Shops (Click here)
* * *
Kawaihae Seafood Bar (880-9393; Hwy 270; pupu $9-16, mains $15-27; 11am-11:30pm) Upstairs from the Kawaihae Harbor Grill, this spot draws a rowdier crowd for drinks, and upscale bar food like poke burger and ginger steamed clams.
Kawaihae Harbor Grill (882-1368; Hwy 270; breakfast $9-16, dinner $27-33; 7am-9:30pm) The Grill has developed a loyal following for its reliably prepared fresh seafood, pastas and steaks, and for its family-friendly atmosphere. It also serves a full diner-style breakfast.
Kawaihae Center (Hwy 270) For simple groceries and sandwiches, this place has a small market and deli.
Blue Dragon Musiquarium (882-7771; www.bluedragonhawaii.com; 61-3616 Kawaihae Rd; mains $15-36; 5-10pm, bar till 11pm Wed-Sun) Glowing blue, this roofless restaurant under towering palms books live jazz music almost nightly – as well as local slack key favorites like John Keawe – creating a mood so upbeat and friendly that (aided by potent specialty cocktails) even the shyest couples can’t resist the scallop of a dance floor. Food is sourced locally and well-prepared into an eclectic mix of stir-fries and curries, rib-eye steaks and teriyaki. Service is casual (and a bit distracted). Music ends at 10pm, but the bar goes as long as you do.
Return to beginning of chapter
NORTH KOHALA
Slow-paced, attractive North Kohala has a distinct flavor all its own – a charming, successful mix of rural farmers and local artists, of Native Hawaiians and haole transplants, of tidy suburban homes, plantation-era storefronts, green valleys and ancient temples. Few visitors, and indeed few Big Island residents, make the detour off the Hawai′i Belt Rd to experience it, which irks locals, who feel North Kohala is unfairly overlooked.
Geologically the oldest part of the Big Island, the North Kohala Coast is rich in ancient history, including the birthplace of King Kamehameha I. In modern times, North Kohala was sugar country until the Kohala Sugar Company closed in 1975. Today, the small historic towns of Hawi and Kapa′au contain smart galleries and boutiques, creative eateries and enough eccentrics to keep things interesting.
Rounding the peninsula’S thumb on Hwy 270, you leave the Kohala Mountain’S rain shadow, and the land shifts steadily from bone dry to lushly tropical. By the time you reach road’S end, the wet landscape has been carved into ever more dramatic contours, culminating in the Pololu Valley, the jewel of North Kohala.
Return to beginning of chapter
AKONI PULE HIGHWAY
The land along the Akoni Pule Hwy (Hwy 270) remains largely undeveloped, affording spectacular coastal views that make Maui seem but a short swim away.
Pua Mau Place
Who takes 15 acres of the driest land on the island to prove it can support a flowering, eco-friendly botanic garden (882-0888; www.puamau.org; Ala Kahua Dr; admission adult/child 6-16 $15/5; 9am-4pm)? Virgil Place, that’S who, and his vision has largely been realized in this blooming, heartfelt oasis. Live peacocks and oversized animal and insect sculptures add fun, and the visitor center affords tremendous