The Bistro - Kilauea, Kauai, HI

As generic as the name would imply, they leave nothing to the imagination.

And if the Steamed Seafood is any indication, they don't have much of an imagination either. This is a bowl of what-you-do-with-seafood-at-the-end-of-its-shelf-life. The fish has the texture of rubber, the prawns taste like they've been set out to dry, and it all stews in an old oil that tastes like basil and sludge.

The Buttermilk Fried Mussels are a considerable improvement. The breading does have that sweeter milky highlight, and the mussels stay tender underneath. 

You can’t go wrong with a Beet Salad...or so we thought. Beets and goat cheese are basic, and a lilikoi dressing sounds like a sure thing. But I can't taste any of the dressing, and the beets are slimy like slices of a slug.

The Risotto is edible, it's rice in a cheese bath, fondue in a bowl. The parmesan is mild, and the butter is abundant, and the jumbo shrimp are perfectly cooked. I just wish we had more than four of them

I'm officially afraid of fine dining thanks to The Bistro. The building is quite pretty, and the service is friendly and sweet, but the dining is traumatic. It was the first and last time we did more formal dining on the island, and it was the most regrettable experience of the trip!

Goofy Cafe and Dine - Waikiki, Honolulu, HI

You don’t enter a place named Goofy with a lot of expectations. And on the outside, Goofy’s doesn’t look like much; just a casual, shopping-center cafe.

Sit down inside and you immediately feel at home. It’s a welcoming, cozy, bustling breakfast bar, and there isn’t a single thing I tried that wasn’t absolutely exceptional. 

I’m still full from an incredible dinner buffet so I’m looking for something light and full of fiber. Their Açaí Bowl gets the job done. The açaí itself is incredible, and their fresh local fruits are in a league of their own. The pineapple is so sweet and barely has any acid, and the papaya is silky-smooth. 

There’s more where that came from. More pineapple and papaya crowd around fluffy slices of Big Island Honey French Toast.

The bread is fluffy, eggy with just the right breath of fresh bread. The Dark Chocolate Lava iteration is rich with banana and cocao. 

It gets heavier. The Big Island Beef Loco Moco...wow! It’s the most delicious brick of tender beef and runny egg on rice, and the gravy is divine!

The food doesn’t get any better than this. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and at Goofy’s, it’s the best meal of the day, the week, and maybe even the year. I’m especially impressed at them accommodating our party of nine in a very reasonable amount of time. Plus the service is good, and the food is amazing. When in Hawaii, Goofy’s is a meal you don’t want to miss!