Kilauea Bakery & Pizza - Kilauea, HI

If their breakfast is any indication, we should have had every meal here. 

The Breakfast Stromboli is an American burrito in a fluffy Italian loaf-crust. The bread is soft and chewy, packed densely with a peppers-bacon-and-egg scramble. 

For sweeter options, try their Macadamia Nut Sticky Bun, a crunchier shell encasing a firmly fluffy swirl of dough. The glaze is a translucent sugar, and it gives the pearly-white mac nuts a glow. It's a little lighter and a different kind of nutty compared to the classic pecans, but every bite is equally delicious.  

There's a sweet n' tangy Lilikoi Lemon Bar if you're looking for a little more fruit. The crust is packed nicely, and the filling is a thin enough layer to be not overwhelming. I guess I have a passion for passionfruit because this bar is my favorite thing in this bakery.

The creamy, milk-fluffy Mango Custard Tart is a very close second. Light chunks of mango embedded in an airy cheesecake-without-the-cheese cream is a cross between a very light custard and a not-so-processed cool whip. 

Try it, you won't regret it. Actually, just try everything at Kilauea Bakery & Pizza - you won't regret a thing!

Day 5 - Trilogy Coffee - Kilauea, Kauai, HI

The day doesn't start without a cup of coffee, and we're just not in the mood to brew a pot ourselves. Cappuccino is a gentler eye-opener, and the people at Trilogy can foam a fantastic cup. 

They don't have much/any indoor seating, but the outside plaza has plenty of tables and benches. They also have snacks if you're grabbing on the go. Whatever you end up doing with the rest of your day, you'll do it a lot better with a Trilogy cup in one hand!

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!

Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge & Kauapea Beach - Kilauea, Kauai, HI

Even in the pouring rain, the lighthouse is breathtaking. A stately silhouette during the day, a beacon through the night. 

It looks pretty cool up close. 

And check out these shades of green - they're too beautiful to be real!

Zoom in on this photo of the cliffs, and you'll see that they're dotted with white albatrosses. An endangered species, they roost in peace within this wildlife preserve. 

Watch me whip, watch me nene.

The Hawaiian goose is an island treasure, and they are stunning. They move like Canadian geese, but their coloring and patterns are more like giant mallards. 

A few miles down the road we park in a muddy lot. The jeep is four wheel drive, and we need it. Kauai's Secret Beach isn't much of a secret anymore, but it's deserted thanks to the rain. The hike is short, but the path is slick. 

Too cold for swimming, and the waves are crashing. I love the light foam that hits the black rocks. The contrast of water and volcanic rock will stop you in your tracks. 

It rains a lot on the north shore, but the best beaches and views are here. Invest in a raincoat and get your hike on!

Day 4 - Trucking Delicious - Hanalei, Kauai, HI

How can we NOT visit a food truck named Trucking Delicious? 

The menu varies by the day, and they make a diverse range of island fare. Try all the classics on the Hawaiian Plate. There's a decent kalua pork over shredded cabbage, and this fresh wasabi ahi poke is an indulgence. I can't find much salmon in the lomi lomi, but the tomatoes are still refreshing.  

Have a few slices of kimchee or a sip of Dragonfruit Lemonade between bites. The acid cuts through all the meat.

I liked the staples sampler, but my fingers were feeling too clean at the end. Try their Kauai Garlic Shrimp, the best kind of hot mess. Jumbo local shrimp in a serious secret sauce, oil with lemon and so much smushed garlic. You'll burn your fingers if you peel too soon, and the spines will stab them through if you're not careful, but it's worth every wound. Stack your shells separately - you'll want to save the sauce to pour over your rice. Take a break from peeling and get some bites of a spicy taro salad. It's like potato salad but earthier and with more substance, one of the best things I’ve eaten this trip. 

This truck speaks the truth - it is undoubtedly  delicious, and it makes the first of many portable eateries I experienced on the Garden Isle. I love the laid-back climate they create, this come-what-may, we-live-in-freaking-paradise attitude of the island. Trucking Delicious is one of the better parts of the island experience. Go there between the bouts of rain and get a couple boxes to go - it makes one heck of a picnic lunch!

Foodland - Princeville, Kauai, HI

We arrive at our Leilani Loft Airbnb, thrown our stuff down, and immediately endeavor to eat. The pre-takeoff meal was terrible, and we just need something to sleep on. 

Groceries are the way to go because Foodland isn't just your local Ralph's. For starters, they make the best poke on the island. The Shoyu Poke has a great balance of sauce with tender tuna and ripe avocado. We picked some up at the end of the day so the sauce has soaked in deep.

The Spicy Poke is still my favorite, creamy mayo with masago, each bite biting back. 

Musubi goes with everything, and theirs stay under a warmer so they're rainy-day comfort food all day. 

Salt and Vinegar Chicaron is made in-house, and it's the most indulgent snack. Goes great with Netflix on a rainy day, and it rained every damn day.

Lumpia needs a toaster oven, but the cabbage and carrot filling is just fine when it's hot.

Lots of fun sweets, and they turn my favorites into something even better. I'll eat sour Gummy Watermelon any day, especially if you add sweet n' sour Li-Hing to the equation. It's the Hawaiian interpretation of Tajin, and it's awesome.

I hate that they tell you the calorie count. This Guava Bread is fruity-sugar fabulous at breakfast, but I do wish I hadn't consumed at least 500 calories in a single sitting.  

Chi Chi Mochi will snow all over your sweater, but the texture is soft, and there's just a touch of sugar so it's dessert without the sweetness overload. 

Two words: BUTTER. MOCHI. Basically the best thing I've ever discovered. I found an easy recipe online, and I will be attempting this soon. I think we spent more on butter mochi that on any other food combined this trip.

It was a rough transition between the islands. The weather changed from sunny skies to rain all around, and the food went from plenty to hard to find, from shaved snow to sno cones. I'm glad we found this Foodland - it's the best food on the island, and I wish I'd eaten every meal here! 

Stinger Ray's Tropical Bar and Grill - Honolulu, HI

The evening is a brief flight to Kauai, one of few I deeply regret. I didn't love Honolulu the first time, but I gained a new appreciation this time around. There are endless hikes, and the island has a mix of mountains and sea, with all sorts of delectable and affordable eats.

I thought that Kauai would be more of the same, so we didn't linger in Honolulu long. I do deeply regret not taking more time to explore the island, and I feel like I left a lot of poke bowls un-turned. 

The transition does NOT start well. This late lunch/early dinner at Stinger Ray’s is the second most regrettable meal of this trip, and I just can't. 

After so many fresh-out-of-the-water cuts of tuna, it seems Stinger Ray's Ahi Poke is where they dump what's left after it's lost its freshness. The fish tastes fishy, which tuna NEVER should, and even the not-so-spicy layer of sticky soy dressing doesn't disguise this misery.

The Grilled Fish Tacos do not rock. But they are filled with rocks, sold as "blackened mahi" that looks like it barely touched a grill and tastes like it was grilled for days. Sputtering, choke-on-it dry, with a teaspoon of pineapple and chipotle sauce that add nothing, this is NOT a recommended dish. 

We were hungry when we sat down, and we were initially about to order a third dish to share. Something told us to hold off, and a better decision was never made. I don't know what happens between the island and the airport, but I thought I was in a different country. I don't know how the food went from spectacular to shoot-me-now in just a few miles, but next time I'm at the airport, I'd rather starve.