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Pau Hana Friday for July 25

By on July 25, 2014 in Uncategorized

Tasting Kauai

Helen Lacono opens the doors to Hanapepe Cafe only during Hanapepe Art Night. Daniel Lane Photo

Helen Lacono opens the doors to Hanapepe Cafe only during Hanapepe Art Night. Daniel Lane Photo

Today in The Garden Island, we head to the Hanapepe Cafe to visit chef Helen Lacono and her family in “Evening Delight” as she returns to cooking on just Friday nights during Hanapepe Art Night.

If you’ve ever had noni, you’ll likely never forget the taste. In last week’s On the Farm column, we examined why you may want to make the pungent fruit a regular part of your diet. The benefits of noni include that it’s 75 percent as effective at killing pain as morphine, and not at all addictive. Here’s a little insight from organic noni farmer Steve Frailey into why it’s better to drink unfermented noni juice and how to make your own.

We’ve had folks inquire about where to find us online. We’re on Twitter at @TastingKauai and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TastingKauai. Be sure to check Tasting Kauai’s Pinterest page!

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Pau Hana Friday for Dec. 7

By on December 7, 2012 in Pau Hana Friday

NEWS:

Tasting Kauai

Koloa Rumtini at Kilohana Plantation. Click image for recipe. Daniel Lane photo

Koloa Rumtini at Kilohana Plantation. Click image for recipe. Daniel Lane photo

This week, I started posting holiday menus for many of Kauai’s restaurants that will include Kauai Grill, Makana Terrace, Ilima Terrace, Nanea, RumFire, Dondero’s, Merriman’s and Roy’s Poipu. An easy way to see them all at a glance (instead of paging through all the blog posts), is to select “Christmas Menu” in Categories on the right hand side bar. Or, click here.

If you have a chance, consider attending our Dec. 14 Kauai Culinary Tour (the details are listed under events). It will be the last of its kind as we are redesigning the day. Normally, we begin the day with a tour of the home garden of the Kauai Marriott Resort’s executive chef. Most people really enjoy this part because they get to speak with the chef in an intimate setting and ask questions, and the chef usually shares interesting tips. On a previous tour, as we walked the gardens, chef pulled a ti leaf from a nearby plant and showed everyone how to do the wrapping for laulau, a traditional Hawaiian dish of pork wrapped in taro leaves and again in ti leaves.

After that, we usually go to a 26-acre exotic fruit farm that sustainably grows more than 80 varieties of fruit. We sample what’s in season, and walk the farm. The tour guide is very knowledgeable and weaves Hawaiian history and lore into his stories about fruit. They also have a food forest, full of highly nutritious plants that thrive in Kauai’s environment.

We are excited to announce that Tasting Kauai was awarded a grant from the Hawaii Tourism Authority. This means we have to operate within certain guidelines, and have to redesign the first part of the tour. The Jan. 11 tour will still happen, but it will be different. I’m still negotiating with a local farm, and details will be forthcoming. Continue Reading →

Pau Hana Friday for Nov. 30

By on November 30, 2012 in Pau Hana Friday

NEWS:

The Rumpress made with Koloa Dark Rum. Daniel Lane photo

The Rumpress made with Koloa Dark Rum. Daniel Lane photo

Holiday Menus

Over the next several weeks, I will be posting the holiday menus for many of Kauai’s restaurants including Kauai Grill, Makana Terrace, Ilima Terrace, Nanea, RumFire, Dondero’s, and Roy’s Poipu. If you’ll be here for Christmas and won’t be making a holiday dinner, visit Tasting Kauai often. These restaurants are making delicious meals for Christmas, and the hardest part will be choosing where to go!

I’ll also be reviewing the Splash of Aloha cookbook. If you’ve ever wondered about Hawaii’s fish, their names, what they taste like, and how to cook it, this is the book. For the holidays, Watermark Publishing is offering a series of gift sets that include the cookbook, a custom dishrag and something extra, In the case of The Hawaiian Book of Rice, you’ll get a rice paddle and dishrag.

Healthy Hut

Healthy Hut is a natural foods grocery store in Kilauea that North Shore residents have been frequenting for years. The store was always cramped, but last week they just moved to a new location. It’s still in Kilauea, but is now just off the highway, makai side, on Hookui Road. We stopped in the other day and the store is a delight to walk into. Air-conditioning, spaciousness, shining hard wood floors, upbeat music and loads of Kauai Made products and local produce make it an exciting place to be. I expect the store will become very popular very soon. Look for the upcoming story in MidWeek Kauai.  Continue Reading →

Collecting Produce for the Garden Island Range & Food Festival

By on November 15, 2012 in Events

GIRFFThe Garden Island Range & Food Festival (GIRFF) is this Sunday at Kilohana Plantation. It’s the ultimate locavore paina (party) in which the restaurants, ranchers and farmers of Kauai donate their time and product for a family friendly community event.

According to Wikipedia, “A locavore is a person interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market. One often cited, but not universal, definition of “local” food is food grown within 100 miles of its point of purchase or consumption.”

The food at GIRFF is hyper-local because nothing comes from more than 34 miles away. This year, we have had the pleasure to be on the committee, me as farm chairperson, and Dan as treasurer. We have been donating our time and talents since January to the non profit event that benefits students in the Culinary Arts Program at the Kauai Community College. Continue Reading →

Pau Hana Friday for October 19

By on October 19, 2012 in Pau Hana Friday

NEWS:

Hukilau Lanai

Island Orchid at Hukilau Lanai. Daniel Lane photo

Island Orchid at Hukilau Lanai. Daniel Lane photo

 

One of the best fine-dining deals you can find on Kauai, is the Food and Wine Tasting Menu at the Hukilau Lanai. The five-course dinner ($40 for food and wine, $28, food only) is available from 5 to 5:45 p.m., and can be ordered gluten-free. Recently the Tasting Menu changed to:

  • Island Gazpacho with koloa Rum Pineapple Basil Sorbet, St. Gabriel Riesling Auslese, Mosel, Germany
  • Candied Ahi with Coconut Chipotle Sauce, Gazela Vinho Verde, Portugal
  • Sausage and Warabi with char-grilled house-made longanisa and tomatoes, Torres “Las Mulas” Rose, Central Valley Chile
  • Fresh Catch served on quinoa with Kauai-grown kale salad and preserved lemon vinaigrette, Poggio Anima Sangiovese, Toscana, Italy
  • Choice of Artesian Cheese Duo or Big Island Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, R.L. Buller & Son Muscat, Victoria, Australia

Owners Ron and Krissi Miller feel a responsibility to source local and sustainable ingredients. On their website, the Hukilau Lanai menu is interactive. If you hover over an ingredient, it will show you what farm it comes from. If you click on the ingredient, you can get even more details. Continue Reading →

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