On Location: Eating In on Kauai Island

Cooking away from home is a real treat to me. Eating out is a great way to take in the culture and traditions but something about shopping at local markets and preparing a home cooked meal feels like the most truly authentic experience.

Between the ample fresh fish markets and daily farmer's markets, Kauai is an ideal springboard upon which to do some seriously delicious at-home cooking. As we were staying on the North Shore, the markets we frequented were in Hanalei but truly there is great, fresh fish and fruit to be had the island over. 

The avocados are the size of your face and run between $1-2. It truly is paradise!


Among some of our favorite meals...

Ahi Belly tacos. You've heard of pork belly but have you ever heard of ahi belly? We hadn't so of course we had to try it. Again lightly seared on a high heat grill draws the excess fat out of this cut and makes for an incredible fish taco fish. We also ate the seared ahi belly over brown rice which was equally great.

Sushi grade striped marlin, lightly seared. Raw kale salad with peanut chile pepper dressing and corn on the cob, both grown within miles of where we were staying. This meal made our Christmas Eve dinner deliciously non-traditional.

Macadamia nut pancakes with ginger syrup and poached eggs provided the perfect Christmas breakfast.

Rainbow chard frittata was delightful but the strange, unidentified root vegetable we paired it with was less than stellar. Physically, the tuber looked more like a yam but tasted more like a parsnip or turnip. Not our favorite.

I could not speak highly enough about the bananas in Kauai. If Butter Date were to have a sister site in Kauai, it would be named 'Apple Banana' because these bananas were out of this world. Completely unlike anything you'd find on the mainland they are half the size and twice as flavorful with a slight apple crispness to them. Yum!

On Location: Kayaking Kauai's Hanalei River, New Years Day

One year ago, DH and I awoke at dawn on New Years Day (a first for us both!) and drove ourselves and all our worldly possessions up Interstate 5 to our new home in Oakland.
It was a ceremonious way to start the year and over the year we have fallen in love with our home, our community and the Bay Area as a whole. How could we ever top last year's festive New Year's start?

Our answer was to go for a kayak ride up the Hanalei river. It is more common to kayak the Wialua river up to the Wialua Falls, which both are gorgeous, but the beauty of kayaking Hanalei is that there are no boats allowed along this small river, only kayaks and paddle boards and when you are alone, there is almost no sound at all.

At some points the river is pure glass, creating a mirror-like quality of the surrounding bamboo, taro fields and turtle families surrounding the river.
Near the end of the river is a nice little stretch of beach where kayakers can take a break and enjoy a picnic. It was New Year's after all so in addition to some homemade egg salad on locally baked rye bread, we popped a bottle of bubbly to keep things festive.
It is the most serene, peaceful thing we've done all vacation and was the perfect way to celebrate the new year.
***word to the wise***
Because the rental fees for kayaks are available only in 24 hr. periods and because you will not be towing it to your rental car, DH and I both believe it best to begin your rental mid day, say noon or 1. That gives you more than enough time to kayak the entire river, have a picnic and even kayak out to where the river meets the ocean. If you are the ambitious type, you will then be able to return early the next morning to finish your 24 hr. rental. Of course if you are like us, you will probably opt to get in more beach and bakery time! C'est la vie.

On Location: Kauai's Waimea Canyon & Barking Sands Beach

The two hour time difference hasn't set in yet so we've been waking up quite early each morning. We decided to take advantage of the early morning hour by driving to the other side of the island on Monday.

The North shore of Kauai is wet, lush and resembling a rainforest environment while the South and West end of the island is very dry and desert like. In fact, Waimea Canyon resembles Arizona's Grand Canyon but is distinctly Hawaiian.

We drove the entire 18 mile access road along the canyon's edge to arrive at Kalalau lookout. From there we hiked yet another muddy, precarious trail out to the Pihea vista.

This is one of the more beautiful, magical trails we've encountered. Yeah, yeah, I was waxing lyrical about the last hike as well but seriously, folks, this one feels as if you are at the edge of the world. Over 4200 feet above sea level with no guardrails, this one is not for those who fear heights but since the trail itself is mostly flat, the Pihea trail is a more multi-level hike.

Upon finishing, we drove into the town of Waimea where my father had insisted we try the poke at the local Japanese market. Poke is ahi sashimi chopped into 1/2" cubes and lightly marinated in sea salt, soy sauce, sesame oil and scallions. Often it is mixed with sushi rice and garden greens to create a poke bowl, one powerhouse of a meal. On the mainland it is one of my most favorite dishes but on this island, it is truly beyond words. Fish has never tasted so good!

This market had an impressive array of different poke, from ginger to red chile pepper and even tako (octopus) poke. We got 2 lb. between the two of us and headed out to Barking Sands beach. 

This is the western most beach on Kauai and at over 12 miles long it is also Hawaii's biggest beach. After finishing every last bite of our poke and rice, we dove into the ocean together. All in all, it was a simply perfect day.

The sun began its descent as we dried off and took it all in. DH and I began waxing lyrical about our adventures together and I mentioned our misadventures too. "Things don't always go our way but it never feels impossible with you" I said, explaining what I meant by misadventure. And that's when he popped the question. "How 'bout joining me for one more misadventure?"

I said yes.

Christmas Breakfast; Kauai Style

For as long as I can remember and probably long before that, my parents have hosted Christmas morning breakfast. Being a nuclear family of three, it was a big shift having the 9 McFadden's up to the house. The festivities have only grown over the years as spouses and children have come into the mix. Somehow though, there's always enough space and food to go around. It is, and long has been, my favorite Christmas tradition. A very close second being Christmas pajamas!

Being the food obsessed lunatic I am, I've been controlling the menu for the last six years. I've managed to drive just about everyone crazy with my elaborate baked eggs, stratas and egg sandwiches.

This year though, DH and I decided to go out of town for the holiday, but that doesn't mean the tradition would die. I was relieved to hear my cousin Maggie would take the reigns at home. As for us, after an idyllic sunrise dip in the Pacific, we whipped up some macadamia nut pancakes and poached eggs. Since we didn't have any real maple syrup and since buying any on this island would cost more than my car payment, I decided to make a syrup!

Instead of maple though, I opted for a ginger infused simple syrup. 
Dee-licous! 

DH is and old pro at the poaching station so the eggs were perfetto too!

Hope the family is managing without me...mele kilikimaka everyone!

On Location: Hiking Kauai's Kalalau Trail

It is estimated that as much as 3/4 of Kauai is inaccessible. The Robinson family owns the majority of the northwest, including the breathtaking Napali Coast.

The solutions to seeing these stunning, steep cliffs is to:

1. take a helicopter tour of the island

2. take a 16 mile kayak tour to the all but uninhabited Kalalau Beach

or

3. Hike the 11 mile Kalalau Trail to Kalalau Beach.

We set out on the Kalalau Trail beginning at Ke'e beach but planned to hike only the first 2 miles to the Hanakapi'ai Beach. We packed only a few snacks and some water assuming we'd be back before lunchtime.

so steep and so muddy!

slippery switchbacks

By no uncertain terms is this 8 mile (roundtrip)hike like any other hike either of us had seen before. This hike is NOT for the faint of heart. Steep, stair-like boulders along the first 1/2 mile give way to a muddy, slippery trail. Intermittent rains and strong head winds add to the adversity...and that's just the first 2 miles!

But if you can hack it physically, its 1000% worth it. 

The views of the Napali Coast boggle the mind with their dramatic natural beauty. The Hanakapi'ai beach below is equally majestic both from a distance and up close.

Upon first discovering the beach, 2/3 into the trying hike, DH and I both (silently) envisioned jumping directly into the water. Not 100 yards later, this sobering sign forced us to reconsider!

Oh well, the beach made a pretty idyllic picnic spot all the same. DH even found a feline friend to bribe with a little cheese. There are a strange amount of cats on the sands of Kauai!

Taking in the dazzling sands and waves of Hanakapi'ai, we decided to trek onward toward the Falls. 

Whoa. Compared to the second 2 miles, the first 2 miles were like a walk on the beach (somewhere other than Kauai, of course).

Wild mushrooms and orchids cheered us up along the way.

No amount of descriptors could have prepared us for the amount of red dirt mud that we would encounter on the Hanakapi'ai Falls trail. The first mile is a mud bath, slogging through thick, slimy mud. The second mile is a water bath, with river crossings up to my waist...and I'm on the tall end of things! 

No amount of pictures could define the agony of this trail nor the ecstasy of finishing at the face of the waterfall. Hungry, tired, wet and muddy, I'd still do it again tomorrow...or maybe tomorrow's tomorrow! 

***a very important wardrobe note***

Foolishly, the guidebook advised wearing long pants the ideal attire would be lightweight, waterproof(ish) shorts, tank, a top layer (jacket, button-front shirt or large cotton scarf) for the rains and a one piece swimsuit underneath. DO NOT wear ANYTHING you couldn't stand to ruin as the red dirt seems to stain irrevocably. We both wore hiking boots but I'd even consider something like...I can't believe I'm saying these words...Tevas. There, I said it. Now let's all pretend this part never happened!