Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [40]
* * *
The Hawai′i Beer Book (Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi) is a nifty primer on the major eight microbreweries across the islands. Aficionados won’t need the ‘Beer Appreciation 101’ chapter but might appreciate the tasty pupu (appetizer) recipes.
* * *
Beer
In Hawaii, beer is the everyman, everyday drink. National brands such as Coors are popular but once-novel microbreweries are now firmly established across the islands. Brewmasters claim that the high mineral content and purity of Hawaii’s water makes for excellent-tasting beer. Another hallmark of local microbeer is the addition of a tropical hint, such as Kona coffee, honey or liliko′i.
The biggest companies also run lively brewpubs, where you should try the following picks: Pipeline Porter by Kona Brewing Company (Click here) on the Big Island, Coconut Porter by Maui Brewing Company (Click here), Kaka′ako Cream Ale by Sam Choy’s Big Aloha Brewery (Click here) on O′ahu and Liliko′i Ale by Waimea Brewing Company (Click here) on Kaua′i.
Wine
Among mainland transplants and the upper-income, professional crowd, wine is growing in popularity. Wine-tasting parties and clubs are proliferating, wine sales have skyrocketed and wine bars have opened in Honolulu. As for locally made wine, head to Maui for pineapple wine at Tedeschi Vineyards (Click here) and to the Big Island for the imaginative guava or macadamia-honey concoctions of Volcano Winery (Click here).
* * *
Did you know? Hawaii is the only US state commercially growing coffee and chocolate. Since the early 2000s, it’s been one of only two states cultivating tea (the other is South Carolina).
* * *
Return to beginning of chapter
CELEBRATIONS
* * *
TOP PICKS – PLATE LUNCH
Big Island Grill (Hawai′i the Big Island; Click here)
Ishihara Market (Kaua′i; Click here)
Pono Market (Kaua′i; Click here)
Aloha Mixed Plate (Maui; Click here)
Kualapu′u Cookhouse (Moloka′i; Click here)
Me BBQ (O′ahu; Click here)
Poke Stop (O′ahu; Click here)
* * *
To celebrate is to feast. Whether it’s a 300-guest wedding or an intimate birthday party, a massive spread is mandatory. If not, why bother? Most gatherings are informal, held at parks, beaches or homes, featuring a potluck buffet of homemade dishes. On major American holidays, mainstream foods appear (eg Easter eggs and Thanksgiving turkey) alongside local fare such as rice (instead of mashed potatoes), sweet-potato tempura (instead of yams) and hibachi-grilled teriyaki beef (instead of roast beef).
* * *
Top Picks – Poke
Suisan Fish Market (Hawai′i the Big Island; Click here)
Koloa Fish Market (Kaua′i; Click here)
Eskimo Candy (Maui; Click here)
Ono Seafood (O′ahu; Click here)
* * *
Luau
In ancient Hawaii, a luau commemorated auspicious occasions, such as births, war victories or successful harvests. In modern times, the ‘commercial luau’ arose in the 1970s and ’80s on the four largest islands. Today, only such commercial shows (at $75 to $100 per person) offer the elaborate Hawaiian feast and Polynesian dancing that folks expect. Bear in mind, the all-you-can-eat buffet of luau standards is toned down for the Western palate, eg poi, kalua pig, steamed mahimahi, teriyaki chicken and haupia (coconut custard).
Alas, most commercial luau are overpriced and overly touristy, but two stand out: the Old Lahaina Luau (Maui, Click here) and the Kona Village luau (Hawai′i the Big Island, Click here). On Kaua′i, try Kilohana Plantation’s theatrical Luau Kalamaku (Click here), or for nostalgia’s sake, the show at Smith’s Tropical Paradise (Click here).
Private luau celebrations, typically for weddings or first birthdays, are often large banquet-hall gatherings. The menu might be more daring (and include raw ′a′ama (black crab) and ′opihi (limpet) and the entertainment more low-key (no fire eaters).
Learn about the luau’s cultural significance