I'm taking a pause on all of the activities we did in Hawaii to devote an entire post to what we ate while we were there. Because really, that's one of the big reasons why we love to travel, and some of this food ended up being very high on our highlights list. I'm sure you don't care about a full and complete food recap (cereal for breakfast isn't that interesting), so let's see if I can fit in all our favorites in a top ten list, starting with:
1. Hale'iwa Bowls
This place was recommended to us by Mike's brother. We went there right after a paddle boarding excursion (which I will talk about it in a future post). It was located in a small food shack and offered a variety of smoothie-type bowls made of granola, fresh fruit, frozen puree, almond milk, nuts, etc. The big boys had been giving Clark a hard time about not ever finishing food that he ordered, but he downed his bowl, no problem. We all did. It was so fresh and so good, and even now, I can go back and remember what that first bite was like.
2. Ted's Bakery
Known for their pies, especially chocolate haupia, we ate lunch here before indulging in dessert. I failed to get any decent photos of the pie or pineapple macadamia cheesecake (yum), but the fish sandwiches were also excellent, as was the macaroni salad.
3. Monkey Pod
This was the fanciest, most expensive place we went to with the kids, but it was worth it in my opinion. Really lovely atmosphere where we could take our time, relax, and enjoy eating. Most people ordered fish in some form, and the mango smoothie deserves special mention.
4. Deli at the grocery store
Our paddle boarding guide recommended the salt and vinegar wings from the deli, and some of my friends recommended the poke bowls (and pro tip, if you go after 7:00pm, the price is reduced). Not fancy or glamorous, but truly some of the best food we ate on the trip. And eaten on the balcony looking out at the ocean, the location couldn't be better either.
5. Island Snow
We tried three different shave ice places while we were on the island. One was truly horrible (Beachside), one was pretty good (Ululani's), and one blew our minds (Island Snow). I have never seen Mike enjoy shave ice before, but he took one bite of his passion fruit and pineapple one, and he closed his eyes in surprise happiness. It seems like anyone you talk to has a favorite shave ice place, and this one turned out to be ours.
6. Hukilau Marketplace by the Polynesian Cultural Center
If you want options, this is the place! Featuring a variety of food trucks and stalls with everything from crepes to meat pies to ice cream, there was something for everyone. The quality was a little hit and miss (this was where the awful shave ice was from), but I can for sure vouch for the crepes and the ice cream.
7. Hanuula BBQ
This Korean bbq place looked a little sus, as the kids say, but honestly, it was so great. The couple who owns it were so nice and accommodating. They kept checking in with us and wanted to make sure everything was just as we wanted it. My only advice is to make sure you're hungry because the portions are huge. Even our teenage boys couldn't make it all the way through.
8. Kalapawei Market
Casual but good. By this point in the trip, fish and chips had been ordered many times, but the breading was different here--more like what you would find on a corndog--so it gets points for being unique. I ordered the poke bowl, and the kimchi was a nice addition. (This is also the place where Clark's obsession with Dr. Pepper started.)
9. McDonald's
It feels funny to put a fast food chain place on this list. And really, it was pretty much just your average McDonald's with a couple of more local choices. But I'm including it here because it was fun to go there with Aaron, our resident McDonald's connoisseur. He wanted to go the entire trip, and we finally made it happen on our last morning. He ordered for all of us because he's a whiz on the app and knows what all the best deals are, and he was happy to scoop up all the points to use for himself at a later date. The food was about as mediocre as you might expect, but the experience was memorable.
10. Haleiwa Joe's
Maybe the best food of the entire trip, or maybe that was just because we got to savor every bite. Mike and I got pizza for the kids and then went out to eat at a beautiful restaurant set on a hill and overlooking a quiet pond. The fish and asparagus were cooked to perfection. We thought we were too full for dessert, but we ordered it anyway and had no regrets.
Over the years of traveling and eating, our kids have honed a lot of skills that I hope will serve them well: they know how to look through a menu and decide what to order; they're game to try new things, even if it means they get something they don't love; they ask the waiter questions and order what they want; and they sit around the table and wait for their food while having a conversation with each other. When they all were small, it felt easier to just feed them goldfish crackers in the car, but I'm grateful we decided to take the opportunities over the years to create memories around food.
No comments:
Post a Comment