NEWS:

Kauai Island Brewery and Grill

Kalapaki Joe’s Lavender Crush with fresh pineapple, coconut vodka, house-made lavender “essence” and African blue basil. Daniel Lane photo.

Port Allen has a new restaurant and brewery. The Kauai Island Brewery and Grill opened on July 9, and features nine beers that are made in-house!

• Leilani Light – Light, golden with a touch of hops, 4.3 percent
• Lilikoi Ale – A light, golden ale with passion fruit, 4 percent
• Waialeale Ale – Light bodied, and moderately hoppy, 4.8 percent
• Na Pali Ale – More body, color and hop character than Waialeale Ale, 5.4 percent
• Captain Cook’s IPA – Super hoppy and a heady 5.8 percent
• Pakala Porter – Full bodied with a chocolate flavor, 4.3 percent
• South Pacific Brown – Moderately malty and low in hop bitterness, 3.8 percent
• Cane Fire Red – Distinctive malty character, smooth clean, yet bitter finish, 6.3 percent
• Westside Wheat – Light-bodied ale, refreshing, clean flavor, 4.7 percent

The menu features steakhouse American and Hawaiian food such as barbecue, burgers, and seafood.

Kauai Grill

Kauai Grill’s winter hamachi with avocado, watermelon radish, ginger, chives, soy sauce and yuzu. Daniel Lane photo

When we can afford to indulge, it’s at the Kauai Grill. And summertime just got better because Kauai Grill has new menu additions:

• Big Island Hamachi, Buttermilk Vinaigrette, Local Herbs
• Local Watermelon and Kunana Goat Cheese Salad
• Chilled Cucumber-Yogurt Soup, Fresh Summer Berries
• Grilled Onaga with Charred Corn, Chanterelles and Silky Carrot Puree
• Kona Lobster, Sugar Snap Peas, Potatoes, Lemon and Lightly Smoked Butter
• Grilled Wagyu Beef Tenderloin, Creamed Basil, Chili-Lime Syrup
• Cream Fraiche Cheese Cake with Blueberry Sorbet

Merriman’s Fish House, Poipu

Merriman’s Poipu executive chef Mark Arriola. Daniel Lane photo

“We are doing something different and special,” says Stanson Chung of Merriman’s Poipu. “We offer a special fish duo, and feature a 3-ounce wild caught Hawaii fish, combined with a 3-ounce locally farmed fish. Reducing the portion of wild fish on your plate, increases the health of Hawaii’s wild fish stocks. We love Hawaii’s fish, that’s why we are serving less. By featuring this special fish duo, Merriman’s is proud to support Conservation International’s Hawaii Fish Trust Program.”

Sounds good to me! Next time, I’ll remember to dine at the Kamaaina Bar, and get 25 percent off my food. The again, Friday nights are Wine Night, so I can get 50% off bottles of wine. Humm, maybe I should combine the two . . .

The happy half hour is from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m., and you can get $3 margaritas, $3 draft beers, $4 house wines, and $5 Mai Tais.

Poi Dog Catering

Our friends Carla and Eric Wilkerson of Poi Dog Catering are so busy, that their mobile kitchen Poi Dog’s Bare Bottom Cafe in Hanalei has to be parked for a short time. Right now, they are providing a gourmet lunch service for tour companies, catering weddings and cooking for 20 days for a family at the beautiful Teak Room in Haena.

I don’t know about you, but I will choose a tour based on the food. So, if you book a tour with Kayak Kauai (North Shore Tours and Wailua Sacred Falls Tours) or Napali Kayak (Hanalei) your lunch will be yummy! I’ve gone on tours before, and nothing is worse than paddling two miles up river, unwrapping their lunch at a secluded waterfall, and biting into a dry, stale sandwich.

Poi Dog Catering makes five sandwiches for the tours. Their signature is a Mediterranean grilled veggie with zucchini, roasted peppers, arugula, sun-dried tomato hummus and provolone cheese. Meat lovers can choose between pan roasted turkey with Havarti cheese; roast beef with Tillamook Cheddar; black forest ham with Jarlsberg; or salame with any of the above cheeses. All are accompanied by island grown tomato and romaine lettuce, and served on a fresh-baked La Brea ciabatta style roll.

Lunch also includes chips, fresh pineapple, and homemade chocolate chip cookies with coconut and mac nuts, or white chocolate chip mac nut cookies.

For more information email carlaj.wilkerson@gmail.com.

Kauai Kunana Dairy

Ryan and Sarah Wooton at the new Restore Kauai Farmers Market in Kapaa. Daniel Lane photo.

Whenever we see Kauai Kunana Dairy (the only commercial dairy on the island) at the farmers market, we stop. Their goat and feta cheese is super fresh, plus it’s creamy and flavorful. Besides goats, their certified organic farm also has bees, vegetables and fruit trees. With an on-site commercial kitchen, they turn their farm fresh goodies into pestos, sauces, salsa, baked goods and body products made with beeswax. When they come to market, they come a packin’!

Wednesday’s Culinary Market at The Shops at Kukuiula took a big hit this week when they lost these guys. The Kauai Kunana Dairy Facebook page says, “Due to ‘politics’ we will no longer be going back to the Kukuiula Market. The stores at the shopping center complained about us having ‘competing’ products. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to fight for ourselves at this market. I am still trying to figure out how our little stand, where we sell two tables full of our wonderful farm products, for a whole two hours out of one week, can really hurt these stores, but apparently they are unwilling to let us have our stand anymore.”

Later, they made a clarification. “I need to clarify, we are allowed the stand at Kukuiula, we just can’t sell about 50 percent of our products we offer, which hurts our income. Sorry for the mis-write, but we are SO excited to see where the new Restore Kauai Market takes us!”

The good news, especially for those of us on the East Side, is that Kunana has a stall at the new Restore Kauai Farmers Market. I spoke with Sarah Wooton yesterday, and she said they are aging some cheese that should be ready in about a month. We can look forward to aged cheddar, blue, chèvre sec, and crottin!

Crottin de Chavignol is the most famous goat cheese produced in France’s Loire Valley. The flavor is subtle and slightly nutty. Young, it’s solid and compact, and the rind is white. As it ripens, the cheese becomes crumbly and a mold on the rind matures into a bluish color; this is a sought after characteristic of the cheese.

Chèvre sec is an unripened, dry cheese similar to Romano. The flavor is mild, and depending on how long it’s aged, the cheese can be creamy or crumbly.

The Market at Common Ground

The Market at Common Ground. Daniel Lane photo

Earlier this month, Common Ground in Kilauea opened The Market. It’s loaded with produce harvested that morning from the on-site garden. Plus, market manager Patricia Vittoria makes canned preserves, pickles, sauces, and chutneys.

Behind the counter, there is a cooler with lettuce, edible flowers, and soon, eggs from the farm! Vittoria also makes baked goods that are gluten-free, vegan, and raw. But she also makes some for those of us who love butter, flour and eggs. When I was there, she had chocolate chip coconut cookies, energy bars, gluten-free oatmeal cookies, apple banana-blueberry muffins, pumpkin bread and kale chips

EVENTS:

Friday, July 20

Koloa Plantation Days

The 13th Annual Koloa Plantation Days is a 10-day festival honoring paniolo (cowboy) culture, food and local style rodeo. Get yer boots on and check out Roping and America West Barrel Roping, as well as a Paniolo Cookout sponsored by Kalapaki Joe’s. Most events are free, and the food promises to be authentic.

Free events includes guided walks through historical parts of Koloa, movie night, Polynesian review, and traditional Hawaiian games.

For more information, and a list of events visit the Koloa Plantation Days website.

Tuesday, July 31

Hukilau Lanai and Koloa Rum Dinner

Hukilau Lanai’s croquette with chunks of Kaua’i Shrimp,and house-smoked Kaneshiro pork belly in a creamy sauce spiced with jalapeno peppers. Daniel Lane photo

Hukilau Lanai‘s owner and executive chef Ron Miller, along with his talented staff, created an enticing menu of locally grown food, steeped in rum made by the Koloa Rum Company. If you come to this website often, you know we are big fans of the Hukilau Lanai, and the Koloa Rum Company. So we’re looking forward to this fresh and creative four-course dinner.

First Course

T.L.C Daiquiri. Fresh squeezed Tahitian lime juice, Koloa White Rum and a powdered coconut rim. Served up, and chilled to perfection.

Pineapple Tomato Gazpacho with White Rum Pineapple Sorbet.

Second Course

Kauai Shrimp Smoked with Rum-soaked Wood and Corn Flan with Koloa Spice Rum. Kailani Farms Arugula, and Koloa Dark Rum vinaigrette.

White wine paring

Third Course

Fresh Island Catch with local carrot, ginger and Koloa Spice Rum puree. Kaneshiro Farms pork tenderloin with Koloa White Rum and lemongrass demi-glace.

Red wine paring

Fourth Course

Dessert Trio

• Spice: Rum cake, banana compote, and Hawaiian sea salt
• White: Rum Raspberry Coconut Tiramisu
• Dark: Rum and Chocolate Mousse Tartlet with Toasted Mac nuts

Cha Cha Chocolate with chipotle infused Koloa Dark Rum and a hint of chocolate.

The cost is $68 and includes tax and gratuity. Call Hukilau Lanai at 808-822-0600 to make prepaid reservations.

ONGOING:

Friday, July 13 through Saturday July, 28

2012 Kauai Bon Dance Festival

For more than 500 years, Japanese bon dance festivals have honored the spirit’s of family members that have passed away. The festivals serve as both a ceremony of spiritual remembrance and a celebration of cultural heritage and community. According to tradition, it is believed the summer months are when ancestral spirits return to visit family and friends.

The dance is held at night and differs slightly depending on the Buddhist Mission, but generally involves people circling a high wooden yagura. The appropriate way to welcome the ancestors soul’s is to play happy music and create a feeling of happiness.

The festivals are also known for their array of Japanese foods for sale- andagi (sweet fried dough), grilled teriyaki beef, chicken skewers, musubi (rice balls wrapped in dried seaweed), and stir-fried noodles. Everyone is welcome regardless of religious background, ethnicity, or dancing abilities. Call 808-338-1847 for details.