Hawaii

[johnb]

While there, stop in the first Foodland you see (local grocery chain) and belly up to the poke counter.  Buy a variety -- there are usually tables outside the store or nearby where you can chow down.  True Hawaiian bliss. Foodland's poke is pretty much equal to, if not better than, any you'll find anywhere else.

"Best Poke: Foodland" by Quincy Greenheck on kaleo.org

[Ericandblueboy]

I didn't plan every meal, nor did I come prepared for all eventualities.  That's how we stumbled into Golden Palace Seafood in Chinatown, a place with pushcart dim sum on weekdays.  It was uneven, good chicken feet, terrible pork ribs, oversized siu mai, half-ass daikon radish cake, etc,. We did order a plate of stirred fried greens that showcased the firepower of the kitchen's stove.  The so-called empty heart plant was crispy yet tender and infused with garlic flavor.  

Dim sum is everywhere, so if you're looking for dim sum, do some research rather than go just to Golden Palace.  I must say, we weren't alone so this might not have been a bad choice.

Dinner was at The Pig & The Lady, a British gastropub Vietnamese restaurant that some NYC based Chowhound raved about.  I looked at the menu and liked what I see.  I will now rerave about this hip modernized Vietenamese joint.

We only ordered 4 savory dishes, to my utter despair.

KAUA'I SHRIMP 19
tagliatelle, shrimp broth, tomato confit, jalapeno, limu seaweed, tokyo negi. sweet and oceany flavors!

MAITAKE  MUSHROOMS       19
hand cut pasta, braised in aromatic chicken & porcini jus, rosemary,  lemon, young kale. earthy and hearty goodness

Both dishes utilized the same hand made tagliatelle which had great texture.  The seafood was properly cooked and tasted wonderful compared to Alan Wong's, but the sauce did not match the lemongrass/garlic/blackbeans sauce at Alan Wong's.  These were interesting and tasty dishes, but that one dish at Alan Wong was fabulous, like Liberace.

PHO FRENCH DIP AND MANILA CLAMS    (KAUAi, HAWAII)       26
our famous pho french dip banh mi served with braised manila clams & taro stem in yuzu pho broth..... dipping the banh mi in the clam jus is the best!

CHA CA “LA VONG” (HAWAIIAN WATERS)        MP 
inspired from the famous dish from hanoi, local fish marinated in turmeric & galangal, scallions and dill, served with rice vermicelli, peanut, mint, shiso, lemon balm, cilantro and mam tom sauce

Unfortunately, we had an 8 pm reservation (booked 3 weeks in advance, on a weekday no less!) and one of their signature dishes was already sold out (THE WORKS, 16 STEWED BONE MARROW FROM THE PHO POT, OGO PISTOU, GRILLED BREAD).  I had to place an order for the French Dip as we sat down.  This was pretty damn good, fatty brisket or was it pork?! in a crispy Vietnamese baguette  that you dunk into a clam pho broth.  The clams were also delicious, not having been overcooked.

I was worried that cha ca was going to be overpriced but it turned out to be just $28.  It wasn't really any better than Hai Dong or Ricepaper's version but I like this dish and it was fun introducing it to my family members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lion]

Man, I miss Spicy Tuna Poke. 

[reedm]

On 4/29/2016 at 3:06 PM, lion said:

Man, I miss Spicy Tuna Poke. 

Ono Seafood on Kapahulu Ave. It's a hole-in-the wall serving incredible Poke.

[DanCole42]

I didn't see a general Hawaii thread, so I figured I'd start one in my search for advice!

My wife and I are celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary with a week in Kauai at the St Regis Princeville and a week on the Big Island at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. We're packing in lots of activities: hiking, volcano helicopter tour, diving, driving up to Mauna Kea and stargazing, indulging my wife's ukulele hobby, etc.

But my question for DR.com is... where should we eat??? What are the must-haves???

[DonRocks]

18 minutes ago, DanCole42 said:

But my question for DR.com is... where should we eat??? What are the must-haves???

I haven't been in a *long* time, but go to Duane's Ono Char Burger for lunch on Kauai, and get a burger with pineapple, cheddar, and teriyaki (really). Don't get anything else on the burger except a double patty (i.e., don't get lettuce, tomato, mayo) - those three things, alone, are the exact flavor combination you want - and the pineapple is soooo good. Go there your first day because you're probably going to want to return.

You'll see tiny little bananas at every store there is - get them, often. The produce in Hawaii is terrific in general; the exact opposite of the Caribbean.

I could swear I've read something in the past month about active volcanic activity on the island of Hawaii.

[porcupine]

There isn't a general Hawaii thread, but there are these two threads:

Maui and Kauai

Oahu

Congratulations on your anniversary.

[Sundae in the Park]

On September 10, 2016 at 8:32 AM, DonRocks said:

I could swear I've read something in the past month about active volcanic activity on the island of Hawaii.

The lava flow from Mt. Kilauea is reaching the ocean again, plus there is a current lava lake!!!

And here's the thread for the Big Island. 

Congrats and have fun!!

[Sundae in the Park]

On January 21, 2013 at 10:14 AM, Sundae in the Park said:

Merriman's Market Cafe in Waikoloa is lovely, with fresh, local ingredients and a variety of lighter options (salads, non-fried fish dishes). We had an ahi burger and fish tacos. The ahi burger had Asian flourishes (pickles) and came with an addictive mustard aoli. The fish tacos were grilled and came with hummus, which is an odd but welcome touch for a person who doesn't care for tartar sauce. It’s in a nice outdoor strip mall, and the service is friendly and efficient.

Island Fish and Chips is in the same shopping center as Merriman’s and is really just a window/booth shop by the man-made lake. Almost everything is fried. The non-fish dishes and fries aren't anything special, but the fish of the day (mahi mahi when we were there) is fresh, coated in a tempura-like batter, and surprisingly great with their industrial tartar sauce. The view is pretty and they will pipe in music to the outdoor-only (there is some shade) seating area when musicians are performing in the shopping center square. This may or may not be a good thing ;-) There was also a teeny farmer’s market on Wednesday morning-afternoon in this shopping center.

Island Gourmet is a grocery/ABC store down the street from Merriman’s in the Queenstown marketplace, which also has some prepared and prepared-to-order foods, including sushi, rice bowls, breakfast, and sandwiches. It’s a decent place to grab drinks, snacks, and souvenirs. They do have li hing mui (salty plum powder-coated things) treats and powder for sale.

We were staying at the Hilton Waikoloa and ate a couple times at the Chinese restaurant, Kirin. 

We ate twice at the Hawaiian Style Café in Waimea. It’s everything as promised – huge portions of plain and simple local dinerish food. I think the clientele is now pretty evenly mixed between locals and tourists. The loco moco is huge and tasty (they use short-grained, stickier rice) and the pancakes are GIANT and fluffy. The lamb ribs are fantastic – grilled to perfection and simply dressed. We sucked those bones as dry as possible. It’s only open until 1:30 PM and there is usually a fairly fast-moving line in the morning.

We stopped in Tex’s Drive-In every time we drove by for the malasadas (Portuguese donuts). Hot and fluffy, dusted with sugar, and filled with fruit or cream toppings, these little pastries are the BOMB! They are amazing when they first come out hot, but hold up throughout the day. If you gorge on these they will carry through hikes to Akaka falls or around Volcanoes national park.

We went back in March and boy, is it a different experience with a kiddo! Not much new to report since we barely went anywhere, but Merriman's Market Cafe and Kirin are gone, and Island Fish and Chips, Island Gourmet, Hawaiian Style Cafe, and Tex's were very similar experiences as last time. At the Hilton, there is now a rather meh (and yet so convenient when you stay on property), casualish Italian place (all we tried was the pizza - bready and oddly sweet, and yet kind of wonderful because we got to eat in our room) in place of Kirin. Our one interesting meal was in Hilo at Puka Puka Kitchen, but they were out of several dishes by early evening and our baby woke up at a weird time so we ended up eating in the car. Still, our curried rice and chicken katsu dishes were lighter and tastier  than expected, especially for an awkward car meal. 

[silentbob]

On September 10, 2016 at 11:21 AM, DanCole42 said:

My wife and I are celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary with a week in Kauai at the St Regis Princeville

Congratulations!  We stayed there for a few years ago.  Nothing in the Princeville area really rises to must-have levels.  The closest would be the kalua pork tacos at the Pat's Taqueria truck in Hanalei and the ice cream at Lappert's.  The kalua pork pizza at Hanalei Pizza was good too.  The burgers at the North Shore General Store, a few minutes from the St. Regis, are decent as far as what's most convenient.

[Simul Parikh]

Heading there for a wedding this weekend, to Oahu. Have Fri, Sat, and then Sunday for wedding/reception. Any idea for what to do from about 9a to 6p on Saturday? Wanted to head up to North Shore, Turtle Bay, hopefully a hike, maybe ride some waves, and a shrimp truck? And Friday dinner probably in Waikiki, where I'm staying.

[lizzie]

I agree on the Island Gourmet grocery store mentioned above for quick lunches to take as a picnic. Also, take the Old Mamalahoa Highway scenic drive and stop at What's Shakin' smoothie shack. Possibly the best smoothie I have ever enjoyed and it is a scenic drive. Donkey Balls chocolate factory is fun, well, just because. There is at least one farmer's market in Kona too. When you drive up to Mauna Kea for the star gazing, take warm clothing - highly recommend a hat and gloves. It gets cold when the sun sets (and get there before the sun sets as it can be stunning being above the clouds for it. Make sure you have enough gas for that and when you drive to the volcano - the drive back is long and very dark if later in the day. My daughter and I were coasting on fumes at one point. And go on a zodiac boat snorkeling tour - much better than the bigger boats. Several leave from Kona. 

[Simul Parikh]

Satellite Will got married this weekend in Hawaii, and had a fair amount of time to check out the scene. Day 1, got there and went for a run in Waikiki. Man, I am not a fan of that main strip. So busy/crowded/trafficky... figured I'd have this pretty run, and it was just exhaust fumes and noise. Went to meet the groom and bride for lunch, and a few other friends for lunch at Nakamura Ramen. Place was packed, all Asian (mostly Japanese) customers. Got the spicy ramen, and boy it was good. Better than anything I've had here in DC. Gyoza was great, people enjoyed the Shoyu and even the vegan one was tasty. We shared a Yakisoba, as well, and that was tasty. For dinner, ended up just meeting people at Duke's Beach Bar and ate fish tacos. I thought they were fresh and hit the spot. 

The next day, I organized an excursion to see the windward side of the island and explore the north shore a bit. This part of Oahu was much more to my liking. For lunch, we went Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on Kamehameha Hwy. Soooo good. I got the spicy plate, other people got the scampi (original). Fresh shrimp, spiced well, and the rice was even good. After watching some surfers, we went to Haleiwa town and got shave ice*** at Matsumoto's. Big line. Here is what you order there: shave ice with condensed milk and ice cream, don't get the beans or mochi because they are dumb, and pick green tea as your flavor. I promise you will be very happy. Got back to the hell hole of downtown Waikiki (I really, really didn't like that whole area...) and got ready for the rehearsal dinner. We went to Little Village Noodle House in Chinatown. Chinatown Honolulu is very cool, and I wish I had more time to explore it. We had very typical Chinese and Chinese American dishes, I think the roast duck was very good, and the rest of the stuff was sort of eh. 

The day of the wedding, I finally got to Marukame Udon. This place is amazing. Noodles made right in front of you, and they divvy the work up so you can see each person doing one step. I got the Bukkake Udon served hot, fried chicken, a salman musubi, and a Coke for less than $10. Fan-freaking-tastic. I love this place. Nobody else was awake, and I ended up having to go alone here, they were all so jealous. Late lunch was at Fresh Catch. We had poke there. Ono was closed, so our Uber driver suggested this place. It was alright. I had poke twice on the Big Island last year and both were much, much better. 

Hawaii is so cool, love the Asian options in Honolulu, but I would probably stay much further away from Waikiki. I also bookended the trip with stops in Portland each way (to break up the trip and to see my besties; I suggest doing that through Alaska Airlines DCA -> PDX -> Hawaii -> PDX -> DCA), so will mention that I got to go to Whiskey Soda Lounge (Andy Ricker from Pok Pok's Thai street food place). Definitely get the fried chicken if available. Delicious. Even if he is a white dude

-S

***Oh, and it really should be "shaved ice". I really don't get this. Must be some pidgin thing. 

[DanCole42]

I thought I'd respond to my own post with some recommendations and general observations from my own experience.

I did not have any exceptional resort dining experiences (and at least one of our hotels was a St Regis). The standouts were all roadside stands and dives. What I've listed below are the places I would absolutely eat at again.

Anywhere

• Tropical Dreams Ice Cream - Available lots of places. Just... really darn good ice cream.

Kauai

• Hawaiian Blizzard. Shave ice. This is a teeny tiny stand out in front of a grocery store hidden away in the back of a parking lot. The guy who works there has been doing this for 30+ years and still provides most of the syrups that other shave ice places use. He was extremely personable, telling us stories about the biz, and insisting that he take our photo in front of his stand. The syrups were outstanding and he offered some obscure local flavors like li hing mui. Definitely the most unique and authentic shave ice experiences we had. $3 for a giant serving (and he'd add syrup as we ate!).
• Sushi Girl. Sushi. Awesome roadside establishment at the far end of the North Shore. It's so tiny that there are signs asking customers to eat the food elsewhere due to limited parking. The SUSHI BURRITO (ahi sashimi, avocado, beans, corn, mixed greens with yum yum sauce - $15) was outstanding.
• Kilauea Bakery. Pizza. After ordering, we were told that the wait would be 30 minutes, but that we could run to the liquor store next to the church and bring back some beers to enjoy while we waited. They had games and lots of fliers for local activities. Everyone behind the counter was friendly and loved hearing about where we were from and sharing stories about the island. The pizza crust had a thick, cracker-like, almost crumbly texture, and the standout was definitely the toppings. ISLAND STYLIN'
  Smoked ham, fresh pineapple, chipotle peppers, garlic and mozzarella cheese. $31 for a large.
• Duane's Ono Char Burger - I went with Don's suggestion (teriyaki and pineapple). This was an awesome burger, sweet and salty and greasy. My only complaint is that it could use just a touch more beef. If you can, order a double.

Big Island

• Hilo Burger Joint. A really nice pub-style place masquerading as a dive (their bar had Laphroaig). Seriously good burgers in lots of varieties.
• Da Poke Shack. Data scientists at Yelp determined that this place has the best food in America. It's stupid good and probably the best seafood we had in Hawaii.
• Merriman's. The only place on this list that has table service. If you're staying on the Big Island, this place is worthy of a special journey. The wok-charred ahi is my all time favorite fish dish.

Honorable Mentions

• JoJo's Shave Ice - Tastier, but less authentic, than Hawaiian Blizzard (they cheated and added ice cream, which was delicious and plenty of locals do it, but I have to give the nod to the original real deal!).

[DIShGo]

I have been to Merriman's several times, and it is always good. I have friends who live in Hilo, and it is their favorite place to go when they visit the other side of the island, braving Saddle Road to get there! It is a drive from the Hapuna Prince, as well, but Waimea is a beautiful part of the island to visit, and the restaurant is well worth the drive.  

[Pat]

On 12/30/2013 at 3:26 PM, Mark Dedrick said:

Monkeypod Kitchen "“ Unlike the two previous spots, this is not a resort. And most of the menu comes in at lower than resort prices. It's a casual spot, and was perhaps the only place we went to that was really hopping while we were there. Service was attentive and good. The cocktail list reads better than it delivers, but the drinks were still solid (although my Hazerac variation should not have been shaken). The specials are a bit out of line price-wise with the rest of the menu, and actually approach resort dining prices ($33 for the ahi loin with wasabi mashed potatoes and stir-fried vegetables). Food was good, not great, but overall a pleasant dining experience, and I'd definitely recommend it.

My husband was in Maui late last month and enjoyed the meal he had at Monkeypod.  Since he made a special point of noting it, I thought I'd pass that along. He had lobster deviled eggs and pork saimin, with a Hawaiian pilsner (Kohola Lokahi) to drink, for a little over $40 before tip.

[Simul Parikh]

Went to Hawaii for the third time in last 3 years, and island hopped this time. Had only done one island at a time the last few times (Big Island and Oahu).

So... there is now a direct to Oahu from Dulles and it takes 10 hours. Gets you in at about 1pm. HNL is quite a dumpy airport and infrastructure is not good. Do not rent a car from Advantage. The line is 2 hours or so mid-day peak season. I actually had to waste the reservation I had, and walked over to (the lineless) National to get a car. Was worth it not to have to wait. 

We were starving, and went to Ahi Assassins for lunch. We got two types of poke - wasabi and lunatic, as well as a plate lunch with marlin tonkotsu. There isn't anywhere to sit, so we took it to the hotel and ate pool side (at The Modern, nice place). The poke was fresh and delish. They catch it that morning. If they don't catch anything, they don't serve it. I liked the tonkotsu, but gf did not like it, felt it to be a bit chicken nuggety. 

For dinner, had a reservation at Sushi ii, which is in a Korean strip mall. Table wasn't ready so had a drink at the karaoke bar close by, and then went back to the restaurant. We did the omekase there, which is not priced out - you just eat til you're done and then they price it a la carte. It was the best sushi I've ever had. We got monkfish liver, halibut, Japanese striped jack fish, Goldeneye snapper, black throat sea pearch, steelhead trout, snow crab with sauce from innards, scallops with sea salt, slightly seared salmon belly, new zealand langostine, i think salmon roe, boston bluefish chutoro (medium fatty), and then said uncle. They finish you with miso soup with the langostine dish. Fantastic. So fresh. Every piece was my favorite, but the last one especially so. Chef is fantastic, from LA, and this place just rocks overall.

Jet lagged, so went to bed early and then went to a place I've been craving since I went last year - Marukame Udon. What an unbelievable place, hand pulled noodles, delicious broth. You could charge 3x this in DC and it would still have lines. I got bukake with egg and she got the curry noodle with beef with an egg, we also got tempura. I think total was less than $15. I want this place again today. And for breakfast at least once a week. I love it so much.

Then, started on a North Shore tour and after snorkeling we were hungry again, so stopped at a shrimp plate truck - Aloha Shrimp. Very cute 10 year old in the truck taking our order. Quite professional, as well. His face lit up when I asked for it spicy. This was a solid shrimp plate, I'd say equivalent to Giovanni's, but it's hard to say without them next to each other. When you're on the North Shore, gotta go to Matsumoto's for shave ice (why isn't it shaved ice?? really rattles me). I bungled my order, and it ended up soupy. I think it's because I added the red beans in addition to the condensed milk and ice cream. 

Dinner was at a very neighborhood/locals joint, Side Street Inn, the new one by the zoo, not the original one downtown (kind of dumpy). The plates of food are humungous here, we got the roast pork which was too fatty for my taste, and the fried rice with chinese sausage. Delicious, but wasted half of it, you can't get smaller orders. Now that is fried rice as it was meant to be.

We next were going to Kauai, and before we went to the airport, went to an empty cafe for Acai bowl at Blue Tree Cafe. Damn good. Pefect way to start the day. Took the quick ride to Kauai, and after seeing some waterfalls and what not, stopped at Tiki Tacos. They are huge. One is enough, but I got two for some reason. Fish ones are fantastic, chicken great, too. Not mexican style, just sort of Hawaiian style. 

Did more touristy things, stopped by the famous Tahiti Nui bar at the top of the island, and then went over to the St. Regis in Princeville. Here, I did the thing with the ring, and we weren't so hungry afterwards, just sort of giddy, but we got the crab cake with ginger and the grilled Romaine hearts. Don't remember what it tasted like, but they did also give us a complimentary glass of sparkling Rose and didn't even charge for Valet. We drove back to our airbnb in Poipu and then realized we were starving, so we got some nachos at Keoki's Paradise. Not great.

We had to get more Acai bowl, so went to a cute outdoor place in Poipu called Little Fish, shared a bowl and a bagel breakfast sandwich. Tasty. We had a hike to attend to, but for some reason, with the heat decision making lapsed and ended up getting a fried chicken plate lunch from the grocery store. At the top of the mountain after a rigorous hike, it actually hit the spot. Made it back, and wanted to try to cook, but the fish market in Poipu was kind of lame, so ended up getting Italian at La Spezia. Cheese plate was great, and she loved the tomato soup and her Veal Scallopini. My bucatini Amatriciana was good, nice thick hunks of pork but a over sauced.  

Woke up and found a pop up juice bar, Anake's, that had ... acai bowls! This one was probably the best one we had. After doing more outdoor things, we had lunch at the famous Puka Dog. The veggie dog was cardboard-esque (as veg dogs are wont to be), but her beef-pork Italian sausage was better. They put too much sauce and the bun overwhelms it. Did one of those sunset sails with Holo Holo Charters, and that was really nice. They had a so-so dinner buffet - including teriyaki chicken, furikake rice, and haupia pie. Not bad. Not great. Had second dinner over near Puka Dog at a Thai place, Bangkok Bowl (Colorado chain at some ski resorts) and the green curry with chicken was mediocre, and extra spicy was mild-medium at best.

Woke up a little hungover on our way to Maui, so headed to this diner / cafe with no seats near the airport. Hanalima bakery - it hit the spot. She got loco moco, and I got a kim chi omelette. Then, a blueberry biscuit that was so so. Hopped over to Maui, and then wanted to go right to the beach. We found some spam musubi at a convenience store and took it over to the beach, ate, and snorkeled. We had a great Fish Market near us, so the next two dinners were fresh fish (Uku one night and Ahi the next). Delicious. Dessert was at Maui Brewing, they had a coffee ice cream that is worth the calories. 

Made breakfast at the airbnb, and after outdoors things, we went back to the fish market to get a plate lunch (Kalua pork plate and a shrimp taco). This place is fantastic, and could have had most of our meals there, since there isn't much but overpriced crap on the Lahaina side of Maui. Cooked the Ahi for dinner. She's really getting to be quite a cook  There was a Friday street festival, and made a mistake by going to "one last bar" where we ended up becoming friends with the owner and did way too many shots celebrating us. 

That morning, we needed gentle food, so got another loco moco for her and kung pao chicken at Ono Kau Kau. I'm not proud of what we had just eaten, but it was necessary and there are days when you gotta do what you gotta do. Went on another snorkel tour - The Malolo - do not utilize this company, it is lame. We ended with our last meal as we started - poke from Tamura Liquors - a wine and liquor store chain that has fresh poke. Had the Ninja and the spicy ahi. Fan freaking tastic. 

A great trip!

[Keithstg]

1 hour ago, Simul Parikh said:

Did more touristy things, stopped by the famous Tahiti Nui bar at the top of the island, and then went over to the St. Regis in Princeville. Here, I did the thing with the ring, and we weren't so hungry afterwards, just sort of giddy, but we got the crab cake with ginger and the grilled Romaine hearts. Don't remember what it tasted like, but they did also give us a complimentary glass of sparkling Rose and didn't even charge for Valet. We drove back to our airbnb in Poipu and then realized we were starving, so we got some nachos at Keoki's Paradise. Not great.

Congratulations and best wishes!

[dracisk]

Yes, congrats! I love how you had someone (a stranger, I assume) film it from afar. Very sweet!

[lion]

12 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

Here, I did the thing with the ring, and we weren't so hungry afterwards, just sort of giddy, but we got the crab cake with ginger and the grilled Romaine hearts. 

Congratulations and all the best!

[Simul Parikh]

Really nice work - Eater's Hawaii Guide. 

[weezy]

Congratulations and best wishes!

[silentbob]

On 2/21/2008 at 10:06 PM, laniloa said:

Leonard's for malasadas

Anyone know if there's a place in Kauai or Maui that makes malasadas as good as Leonard's?  We're not going to Oahu this time.

[DonRocks]

14 minutes ago, silentbob said:

Anyone know if there's a place in Kauai or Maui that makes malasadas as good as Leonard's?  We're not going to Oahu this time.

Well, as you probably know, malasadas are Portuguese, so that's a good place to begin your quest.

[Note: After an inspection, I decided to merge all four Hawaii threads (Hawaii the state, Oahu, Kona, and Kawai-Maui) into one - I can always re-split them later into individual islands (I could even make a Hawaii Forum if there were enough posts, organizing the Dining Guide the way I do for New York City), but right now the number of posts is very manageable for one thread. Also, this way, interested travelers can "Search" (upper-right) for restaurants, Island names, or other keywords, and everything in this thread will be searched (our Search algorithm is *awful*, but for limited things such as this, it can be very effective.)]

[silentbob]

On 4/28/2016 at 3:51 PM, johnb said:

While there, stop in the first Foodland you see (local grocery chain) and belly up to the poke counter.  Buy a variety -- there are usually tables outside the store or nearby where you can chow down.  True Hawaiian bliss. Foodland's poke is pretty much equal to, if not better than, any you'll find anywhere else.

"Best Poke: Foodland" by Quincy Greenheck on kaleo.org

So true.  We've been in Kauai for five days, and with Foodland a mile away, I've eaten poke for over half of our meals so far.  And it's only $9.99/pound if you buy two or more pounds, which hasn't been hard for us to finish!

Our only meal out has been Puka Dog because polish sausages in a sweet roll are more appealing to a five year-old than raw fish.  It was sad to see a blown-up picture of Anthony Bourdain ("as seen on the Travel Channel," from his No Reservations days) at the ordering counter.

As for shave ice, we've liked Wishing Well the best by far.  Great ice fluff consistency and creatively natural flavors.

[Dr. Delicious]

Headed to the islands of Maui (staying in Lahina) and Oahu (staying in Halekoa). I know nothing about these places. All recs (food, sights, whatever) welcome!

[John William G]

In Maui I have had several excellent meals at Mama’s Fish House in Kuau Cove.  Not only is the food good, but views around the restaurant are beautiful.

[John William G]

Here is a photo of he last meal I had at Mama's Fish House:

 

[KeithA]

Recently returned from a great vacation in Hawaii. We managed to find some good eats at the following:

Maui

Leoda's Pie Shop, south of Lahaina. This popular road side stop has great small pies (we loved the banana cream and also liked the very rich chocolate mac nut which also has salty caramel in it) and really good sandwiches on fresh made bread. There is a line out the door almost always but it moves fast and worth the wait. Not worth the wait is the long line at the colorful school bus a few doors down for fresh juice smoothies (nothing special and simply slow staff accounting for a long line).

Honu Pizza and Seafood, in North Lahaina, pricey (even a bit high for pricey hawaii) but really excellent seafood with some interesting twists. I had the unusual but delicious combo of seared ahi tuna with a mushroom beurre blanc and super creamy mashed potatoes. Also good was the ahi tuna soba salad. Kids liked the keiki menu. Airy restaurant right next to the water.

Star Noodle in North Lahaina (basically next to Honu) - very tough to get food from this place. Very limited reservations or carryout options. We finally got lucky and showed up without a res and got a table. Food took awhile because apparently they only have one wok - probably why they have other food issues. Nevertheless, really good pan-Asian food. Miso-grilled salmon was super good. Housemade udon noodle soup also delish. We also had good pad thai and garlic noodles and very good cocktails. Lovely outdoor but shaded seating by the water.

Cheeseburger Cheeseburger in South Lahaina. Really good burgers and fries at this small place with a great second floor view of the water (it has a first floor too but better view above). Long wait for table but they text you so you can wander among the shops while you wait.

Dole Whip in Lahaina - busy but good place in South Lahaina that has Dole Whip, Dole Whip float (with pineapple juice) Dole Whip with added fresh pineapple plus regular/tropical ice cream and shaved ice. The trifecta of Hawaiian frozen desserts.

Food Truck plaza outside of Aston Kaanapli Shores (10-15 min drive north of Lahaina) - 5-6 trucks with a good variety. Only open at night for dinner. Very good and quick from the roast chicken prime rib truck with good garlic mashed potatos. Also good but slower food from the seafood truck with ahi poke and fish tacos. (fish tacos with pineapple salsa was better). it is very bare bone with a dusty lot with picnic tables and some string lights, but good for eating out with a variety of choices.

Ululani Shaved Ice - local chain of great shaved ice where the ice is extra fine from machines so it is fluffy like a cloud and the syrups are made in house. Definitely go with the tropical flavors. Also skip the really long line in Lahaina unless that is your only option as the other storefronts around Maui have much shorter lines.

Surfing Goat Dairy - we went to the actual goat farm and tasting patio in Kula but I would recommend these goat cheeses anywhere. Lots of bold flavors mixed into the chevre. Goat tour is fun too.

MauiWine - we already had had their #1 seller, Hula O Maui, sparkling pineapple wine (like a great floral, sweet champagne) in DC (and you can buy it at Cleveland Park liquors among other local stores) so it was fun to drive Upcountry to the old farm estate to do a tasting at the winery. Bit of an out of the way drive but lovely views and they have nice tastings of sparkling, dry and sweet pineapple wines (what we did) plus 3 other grape wines to sample.

Haimaile General Store  - also a bit upcountry and rather well known place for a bit more upscale dining but still in casual Hawaiian environment. Unfortunately service was rather slow and we were rushing to the winery reservation so that hampered our enjoyment some. The hoisin peking-style duck steam buns though were outstanding. The Kona pineapple cider went well with them too.

Sugar Beach Bake Shop - great small place in North Kihei (also has an Ululani's shaved ice next door). They have lots of goodies but the best are the malasadas donuts. The cream filled with passionfruit lillikoi was my favorite. Go early as they sell out quick. We got the last few around 10 on a weekday.

We also ate some at the Aston Kaanapali Shores hotel restaurant which was pretty good food too but nothing to seek out.

Other Maui snacks: Wowee Maui chocolate bars (best was the toasted coconut) - chocolate had good flavor but weird bendy textures, Tropical taffy (very good for long car trips), almost anything with lillikoi (hawaiian passionfruit)-I became obsessed. 

Big Island

Miyo's Izakaya - great Japanese food in Hilo, close to airport. Large portions with lots of non-sushi options. We liked the udon soup, tempura, broiled mackerel, and chicken katsu. It is in this little industrial looking strip mall, but worth visiting for friendly service and good food.

Volcano House - besides the amazing view of Kilauea crater out the window, the food was surprisingly good, but be prepare for a wait for food to arrive. We had breakfast and dinner here. Breakfast was good pancakes with mac nut topping and dinner was really good fish dishes. I wish we could have stayed at the hotel too, maybe next time.

Fairmont Orchid restaurants - we stayed here and there is nothing much around except other resorts unless you want to drive a bit so we ended eating here more than I would have liked.

- Binchotan - not great robatoyaki with smallish portions that were rather expensive. Skip it.

- Hale Kai - ok pool side/beach side place. No reason to go here unless staying at hotel. The sandwiches and tacos were some of the better choices with good fries.

- Brown's Beach House - their higher end restaurant with sunset views (same view literally next door at the Hale Kai). Expensive but surprisingly worth it. I really enjoyed my Maui Onion Soup (french onion except the gruyere cheese was in fried gyoza skins that stayed melty when cut into) and my duck breast entree. My wife got a rather large filet mignon with good wasabi creme fraiche. Dessert was a mac nut brittle with chocolate mousse accompanied by a cherry sauce and lillikoi foam - very good. Kids liked the keiki menu and chocolate ice cream.  Good wines by the glass to match too.