Anuenue Cafe in Poipu
Keanu Reeves Eggs Benedict ($16): one veggie and one with kalua pork; seasonal fruit plate ($6) and a cup of Pakala blend coffee. Daniel Lane photo.
Anuenue Cafe is a family-owned breakfast spot that opened in the Poipu Shopping Village last September. Michelle Hastings manages, her husband, John Adams, is a chef, and their daughter, Kendall, is a waitress who also takes photographs. You can see Kendall’s work lining the walls as you order at the take-out counter. Wait outside at one of the covered picnic tables and Kendall will bring your meal, loaded with fresh ingredients.
“When I was a private chef on Oahu, we had a lot of killer fish markets,” explains John, who has been a chef for 28 years. “I got used to using local, fresh ingredients and made things like lilikoi-chardonnay butter-sauce served over opah.”
Place your order at the takeout counter, sit outside and Kendall will bring your order. Daniel Lane photo.
At the cafe, you’ll find items such as the Haupia Mac Nut French Toast ($7), made with thick chunks of cinnamon-spiked Hawaiian sweetbread. A chilled cube of house-made haupia sits on top, under a pad of melting butter. It’s delightful as it is, but the crushed toffee-colored macadamia nuts make it a terrific treat.
Eggs Benedict ($16) are served two ways and come with herb roasted potatoes. The Duck Dive is vegetarian and includes spinach, tomato and two friend eggs. The Riptide has piles of salty kalua pork. Both are draped in a thick Meyer lemon hollandaise sauce. If you can’t decide, ask for Keanu Reeves, and you’ll get one of each.
“We have a Meyer lemon tree in our yard,” explains John. “I clarify my own butter and make the hollandaise fresh every morning. For the kalua, we sprinkle pork shoulder with Hawaiian sea salt, wrap it in banana leaves and cook it for 22 hours.”
Risotto Moco is an upscale twist on the local favorite, Loco Moco. Daniel Lane photo
Risotto Moco ($15) is an upscale twist on the local favorite, Loco Moco. John chars a patty made from Makaweli Meat Company’s grass-fed ground beef. It’s mixed it into the risotto with a flavorful gravy. Caramelized Lawai Valley oyster mushrooms are placed on two fried eggs and the whole thing is covered with more gravy.
The Belly Flop ($7) is Michelle’s recipe. She makes giant, super-moist coconut macaroons that are studded with lime zest and served with a generous scoop of vanilla bean Papalani Gelato.
“We like to share what this island has to offer and support small family businesses,” says Michelle. “Plus, we’ve found that when people come here, they want to taste Kauai.”
John flexes his creative muscles during monthly four-course tasting dinners, which have included Niihau Ranch grilled lamb chops with a baked potato and local thyme torte, watercress and tzaziki sauce. And that’s just one course!
Anuenue Cafe
Poipu Shopping Village
2360 Kiahuna Plantation Drive, Poipu
No phone number
www.AnuenueCafe.com
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