Cocktails are for girls

Whenever Thatboy and I vacation, we tend to pick a "local" drink and stick with it. When we vacationed in Puerto Vallarta, we drank Palomas day in and day out. When we're in Hawaii, we tend to drink Mai Tais (except for the fateful trip when Thatdad decided to make Pina Coladas with 151 Rum - but that's a story for another time).

This trip, Thatboy decided he was going to try all the mai tais on the island to determine who served the best one. Each night we would rank his drink to see where it fell on the scale. Now that we're back, I've asked him to post his review for the good of humankind. I beg your indulgence here, because he very unwillingly agreed. First, he's shy. So I expect you all to be uncommonly kind. Second, he's expressed to me that he didn't want to write a review of mai tais because "cocktails are for girls." So if you could leave him a comment about how masculine and manly and muscular he is, I'm sure he would feel better about himself. And now, without further ado, I give you the man of the hour, Thatboy:

Thatboy here with the superduper drinking trooper Mai Tai review. Now I know I might catch some flack from my boys for writing this review, because "Cocktails are for Girls," but Scotch at all times would get boring, especially when you're on vacation somewhere known for a particular drink. So here goes the Kauai Mai Tia Countdown (at least for the places we drank):

6. Bar Acuda's - Mai Tais are good for their kick, but best if you can't taste the kick too much. Here you knew what was coming a little too much.

5. Beach House - Beautiful experience eating and looking out the window, but even though a little better than Bar Acuda's, the Mai Tai experience wasn't tasty enough.

4. Hyatt - Here your Mai Tai comes in a hurricane glass rather than a rocks glass, and the flavor is an improvement over 5 and 6, but the price prevents you from getting more bang for your buck.

3. Hanalei Dolphin - Tasty Mai Tia in yet another beautiful setting, and here they have a better understanding of the balancing act between punch and flavor.

2. Westin Resort Nanae Restaurant - Convenient (for us 'cause that's where we stayed), tasty, and for some reason this Mai Tai in particular gave a significant kick.

And, drumroll please.....

1. Keoki's Paradise - The Mai Tai at Keoki's not only delivers with both great taste, especially if you like sweets, and plenty of kick, but they are served with the island style that makes visiting a place like Kauai all that it is supposed to be. When you get your Mai Tai at Keoki's you feel like you've stepped into a far off jungle paradise complete with your tiki-man glass in hand.



Standing ovation for Thatboy's review!!! Now let's check out his modeling skills. I'll do a quick review of THE MOST important aspect of our trip - the shave ice. Shave ice is one of my all time favorite things. As soon as we landed I started scoping out where the nearest shave ice was. It was my goal to eat shave ice every day - I didn't quite make it. I did get to try three different shave ice places and here's my review of those three. Thatboy had a shave ice in Koloa which he described as "alright, nothing special" and Thatmom had one in Kapa'a and it was even less impressive. So it's my thought that these are the top three shave ices in Kauai - but there must always be a winner. In Highlander speak "There can be only one."

3. Wishing Well Shave Ice - We hit up this truck on our way back from surfing in Hanalei. Thatboy was very impressed with the fact that he could get condensed milk and coconut on top of his three flavors. I thought the ice was too hard - not fine enough, which made me feel more like I was eating a snow cone and not a shave ice.

2. Jo Jo's Shave Ice - Everyone got to try this one on our way back from Waimea. Have you ever seen Thatmom so happy? How about Thatbrother or Thatboy looking so confused? That's what you get when you have a crazy stalker sister waiting outside to snap your picture as you exit. Thatmom, who usually sticks with one flavor (grape) went all out and got three flavors. We loved the fact that it came in different sizes for those with differing appetites. Thatboy went with one of their specialties which had coconut shave ice, coconut, condensed milk, azuki beans, jellies, and other stuff I couldn't begin to tell you.

1. Hihimanu - This was my favorite shave ice on the island, and lucky for me it was also the one closest to us, which meant I got to have it a lot. It's also right beside Lapperts, which meant everytime Thatmom got a craving, I likewise got to indulge. Thatboy liked Jo Jo's better because Hihimanu does not have coconut shavings, but since I don't care too much about coconut shavings that isn't a detriment for me. I love the finely shaved ice, the flavor selection, and the ginormous size.

Last Bites

Our flight home from Kauai left at 8:40 at night, which gave us one last day. We spent the entire day enjoying the break in rain and laid out by the pool all day.

One of the best parts of staying at the Westin was the proximity to the Princeville Center. The Princeville Center has a Foodland (great for emergency supermarket trips), a Shave Ice stand (more on that tomorrow), Lapperts, and a gas station that has some fantastic grub. A gas station? Yes sir - and I'm not talking about 7-11 kind of food with those rolling hot dogs that have probably been rolling for years. I'm talking about a brick oven for pizza, and a honest to goodness grill for burgers.

So on our last day, Thatboy and I went to return our shave ice cones (they recycle) and picked up a mouthwatering burger to split.

Thatboy's favorite burgers are BBQ burgers with cheese and an onion ring, so that's what we grabbed. It was SO good! Definitely the best burger on the island. Made with local Princeville ranch beef, and dripping in a tangy sweet bbq sauce.

They threw in some onion rings on the side too, and I have to say they're the best I've ever had. Not that I've had a lot of onion rings - but of the few I've tried, these were my favorite.

We spent more time pooling it, and then packed it up and headed down toward the airport. We stopped off for a little more shopping - we needed some more books for the plane trip home (between the two of us, Thatmom and I read 6 books this trip), and some gifts for people back home. We also grabbed a quick dinner, since we knew there wouldn't be much waiting for us at the airport.

Thatmom had asked if there was any place to grab a good sandwich on the island, and I found the Deli and Bread Connection.

Upon entering, Thatmom was reminded of another sandwich place I had taken her to. She was very happy with the choice for dinner, especially when she found out she could get a half sandwich.

You can take the girl out of New York....I saw a reuben on the menu and decided it would be the perfect dinner. The spicy reuben sauce made it even better!

Thatmom loved that she could pick her favorite meat, cheese, and veggies to make her own sandwich. She had a turkey and cheese with tomato and bean sprouts.



Thatboy had the T.O.P.P.S. sandwich with turkey, olives, provolone, pepperchinis, and sprouts. He LOVED it.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, which was perfect since yours truly got singled out for some extra searching. They are THO-ROUGH! Thatbrother felt that the TSA officer should have bought me dinner at least before starting. Since it was a red-eye, Thatboy, Thatmom, UDubb, and I all popped a sleeping pill before takeoff and before we knew it, we were back on the mainland.

Tomorrow I'll review the most important part of the trip - the shave ice, and I'm going to try to talk Thatboy into doing his own Mai Tai review!

Chasing Waterfalls

Before you read this, you may want to take a quick bathroom break - there's going to be lots of running water ahead.

We decided to spend a whole day visiting some of Kauai's waterfalls. Now, usually, the problem with traveling in August is that it's the dry season and the waterfalls aren't running at full throttle. But you remember me mentioning how wet and rainy it had been? Well the waterfalls were as full as they ever could get. Fuller than ma ny of the pictures I had seen in my research and guide book! Unfortunately, the rain also meant that the path to some of the waterfalls was a little muddier and slipperier than some members of our party would have liked.

As we hiked down to Ho'opi'i Falls, Thatmom continued to repeat her mantra - "I am not an outdoorsy girl." She didn't love the fact that we were hiking through the muddy woods, but the trooper that she is, she came along anyway. She was overjoyed when we reached our first stop and there was a rock bench for her to sit on while the rest of us scrambled around the top of the waterfall and across the river.

There is a second falls along this trail, but as a compromise to Thatmom, we headed back after this first falls. After all, there would be plenty more waterfalls to see throughout the day and we didn't want Ms. Notoutdoorsy to burn out too early.

Before we hit the next falls, which I knew would have another hike Thatmom wouldn't like, we decided to stop and bribe her with food. Thatmom could have noodle soup every day, and I had heard fantastic things about Hamura's Saimin - a bowl of broth, noodles, and all sorts of other add-ons. UDubb backed me up with her description of saimin and avowal we wouldn't get anything like it outside of Hawaii.

Hamura's has counter seating only and quite a line when we entered, so Thatboy decided we should take this show on the road! Saimin picnic anyone?

Thatbrother and UDubb had the regular saimin, which just had the broth, ham, fishcakes, and noodles. Thatmom and Thatboy added pork wontons to theirs. I had the special which had all that and pieces of bbq pork. It was salty, warm, and delicious. Even Thatmom LOVED it - which is a big step since she's not very adventurous when it comes to food.

Thatboy and I also split a piece of Lilioki Chiffon Pie. I'm great to split desserts with since I don't want more that a bite or two. The pie was so light and perfect! Good way to end the meal if you like salty and sweet!

Our next stop was really for Thatbrother, UDubb, and Thatboy. We were off to Kipu Falls. To get to Kipu, we had to go through another trail that weaved it's way through sugar cane fields. Thatmom decided a movie should be made about the "children of the sugar cane" starring her as the victim killed by someone jumping out of the sugar cane. She didn't do much better when the sugar cane cleared and we got to cross the rocks to get to the waterfall.

For the rest of us, this site was worth the trip.

Kipu might not be the tallest waterfall on the island, but it was definitely tall enough. Especially because to get into the pool below, you had to jump from the top of the falls. (See why this wasn't for me?) Thatmom and I sat and watched the others jump off and swim in the pool below. Kipu had one other attribute that Thatboy fell in love with.



The rope swing. Thatboy spent almost the entire time at the falls swinging and jumping. He loved it.

By the time we hiked back to the car, Thatmom was definitely done with hiking for the day. Good thing our next waterfalls didn't require walking!

Our next waterfall was Wailua which was putting on its best show for us. Wailua Falls is taller than Niagra Falls and I've decided it's the coolest waterfall I've ever seen. Tall, full, and surrounded by gorgeous greenery. Apparently in ancient times, men would jump off the top. As we stood and looked at it, we couldn't figure out who could be that stupid.

We ended our waterfall tour at 'Opaeka'a Falls. Not as full as Wailua, it was still beautiful to see the twin falls and the rain made 'Opaeka'a fuller than it usually is.

Across from 'Opeaka'a Falls was a gorgeous view of Waileau River. We were able to watch a kayaking party wind its way down the river. Thatboy and I vowed to do that next time. Thatboy decided we'd have to share a kayak, because left on my own, I would surely get left behind or run aground.



We were a little early for our dinner at Kintaro - a sushi and teppanyaki restaurant. We parked our car in the lot, and went to check out some neighboring stores, when a woman in front of the restaurant waved us over. She was a local, and told us that we should get in line to eat now, because as soon as the restaurant opened, the line would stretch into the parking lot - this was apparently a VERY popular restaurant. So we took our seats in line, and moments later it seemed like the rest of the island joined us.

Thanks to our new friend, we were quickly sat when the restaurant opened, leaving us to peruse the menu and figure out what we were going to eat.

Thatmom and I began with salads. Mine had crab, shrimp, cucumber, lettuce, and tomato. Thatmom had the same without the shrimp and crab.

Thatbrother and UDubb ordered several sushi rolls and nigiri. They thought the sushi here was FAR better than at Hanalei Dolphin and both were really impressed with the selection and the taste.

Thatboy and I each had a miso soup - which is when I started realizing today was quickly becoming the "Thatgirl eats soup all day" day.

Since Thatmom doesn't eat sushi, she was thrilled to see choices on the menu like the teppanyaki filet mignon with veggies.

Thatboy doesn't mess around with rice, so he had a plate of sashmi yellowtail. Always contrary, he actually liked the sashimi better at the Hanalei Dolphin.

Continuing on with the soup theme, I had the beef sukiyaki for dinner. OMG was this good. The broth itself was so sweet, the meat was sweet and tender, and there were more noodles! I loved the flavor the broth gave to the tofu and veggies.

After all his sashimi, Thatboy decided we needed another order of the sushi eaters' favorite roll. I can't remember what it was called, but it had tuna, avocado, and salmon in it and everyone (other than Thatmom and me) loved it.

Poor Thatmom was exhausted by the end of dinner. Those kids of hers had run her ragged. Luckily, her fantastic kids knew the quickest way to her heart is ice cream, so we made sure we ended the day with another trip to Lapperts before crashing for the night.

sleeps in the canyons

There really is not trip to Kauai without including a trip to Waimea Canyon. The "grand canyon of the pacific" is a gorgeous deep gorge full of blues, greens, and reds.

We arose early to catch the best light, and to grab a bite to eat. Thatmom had been begging to go to a specific coffee shop during our trip, and it was quite a ways away. It was, however, on the way to Waimea, so we grabbed breakfast at the Kaleheo Cafe.

Thatmom and Thatdad loved the Kaleheo cafe, and we were quick to join the bandwagon. Thatboy thought it was the best coffee he's ever had. The food wasn't so bad either!

I had the Bonzo burrito, stuffed with ham, peppers, mushrooms, onions olives, scrambled eggs, cheddar and Monterey jack. I didn't come near to finishing it and was full for the entire day!



Thatmom had her typical breakfast out - scrambled egg whites and fruit.


Thatbrother (and his finger) made his own omelet with Portuguese sausage, mushrooms, and red peppers.


UDubb had the Farmer's Omelet.


Thatboy has been won over by me ordering eggs benedict, so he did it on his own this time - the twist? It's a bagel benny! Bagel topped with ham, egg, and hollandaise.

Then we headed up the road to Waimea. There's not much to say about it, except it is SO BEAUTIFULLY AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS.

The west shore of Kauai (where Waimea is) is notoriously dry. Or at least it's supposed to be dry. This was definitely the rainiest day of our trip, so much so that it actually rained at dry Waimea.

The rain and the clouds made certain lookouts obscured, but in other places, the clouds lifted and parted like a curtain giving us what felt like a magical view.

The canyon is deep and red, not surprising since Kauai is know as the red dirt capital of the road. Most of it must be here in Waimea.

After our early morning, and long day on the road, in the car, we decided to just take it easy and have dinner at the hotel. Lucky for us, we had a pretty fantastic restaurant at the hotel - Nanea.

Thatmom and I split a green salad to start - and yes, there is goat cheese in there!

For dinner, Thatmom had a seafood pasta - shrimp, scallops, and fish.

I was tempted to get the duck, but Thatboy thought I should branch out and try something I hadn't had this week. Thatbrother had the duck instead. I thought the duck was better at the Beachhouse, but Thatbrother was very impressed with this.

I went with the greek pasta - which was declared the winner of the table with Thatmom and Thatboy. Filled with peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, and feta - salty but fantastic.

UDubb had the tofu which she raved about. It was a suggestion of the server she was glad to have taken.

Thatboy had bland bland bland chicken puttanesca. I know from experience that puttanesca sauce is brilliantly salty due to the olives, anchovies, and capers. We couldn't find even the hintiest hint of olives or capers in this.

Waimea is a definite "not to be missed" portion of Kauai. I just wish the weather was better and we could have spent more time hiking around. Although it was very cool to see some interesting waterfalls. It whetted our appetite for the next day - our tour of Kauai's waterfalls!