Kauai - Hawaii with Kids - page 360

Plate Lunch Pointers
If you haven't yet come face to face with the local phenomenon called
plate lunch, Kauai is a good place to start. Like saimin, the plate lunch
is more than a gastronomic experience—it's a part of the local culture.
Lihue is peppered with affordable plate-lunch counters that serve this
basic dish: two scoops of rice, potato or macaroni salad, and a beef,
chicken, fish, or pork entree—all on a single plate to take out. Although
heavy gravies are usually de rigueur, some of the less traditional pur-
veyors have streamlined their offerings to include healthier touches,
such as lean grilled fresh fish. At its best, a plate lunch can be a marvel
of flavors, a saving grace after a long hike; at its worst, it's a plate-size
fried-grease bomb. With the increasing popularity of such diets as
Atkins and South Beach, many plate lunch places are now happy to
replace all those starches with a mixed green salad if you request.
The following are the best plate-lunch counters on Kauai. How for-
tunate that each is on a different part of the island!
The Koloa Fish Market , 5482 Koloa Rd. ( & 808/742-6199 ), is in
southern Kauai, on Koloa's main street. A tiny corner stand with plate
lunches (no kids' menu), prepared foods, and two stools on a closet-size
veranda, it sells excellent fresh fish poke, Hawaiian-food specials, and
seared ahi to go. It's gourmet fare masquerading as takeout.
On the Hanamaulu side of Lihue, across the street from Wal-Mart,
look for the prim gray building that reads Fish Express , 3343 Kuhio
Hwy. ( & 808/245-9918 ). It's astonishing what you'll find here for under
$10: Cajun-style grilled ahi with guava basil, fresh fish grilled in a passion-
orange-tarragon sauce, fresh fish tacos in garlic and herbs, and many
other delectables, all served with rice, salad, and vegetables (no kids'
menus but a great selection of items). The Hawaiian plate lunch (laulau
or kalua pork, lomi salmon, ahi poke, rice or poi) is a top seller, as are the
several varieties of smoked fish, everything from ahi to swordfish.
appetizers include potato skins, calamari rings, quesadillas, and wontons—the
United Nations of pupu! The high ceilings, two-story dining, Kenwood Cup
posters, and nautically designed rooms are enhanced by stellar views of the bay.
3416 Rice St., Nawiliwili. & 808/246-4422. Kids' menu, highchairs, crayons. Reservations recommended for
dinner. Lunch sandwiches $9-$11; dinner main courses $18-$25; kids' menu $6.95 lunch, $10-$20 dinner.
DISC, MC, V. Daily 11am-10pm.
MODERATE
Duke's Canoe Club STEAK/SEAFOOD It's hard to go wrong at Duke's.
Part of a highly successful restaurant chain, this oceanfront oasis is the hippest
spot in town, with a winning combination of great views, affordable menu,
attractive salad bar, popular music, and a very happy happy hour. The noontime
best-seller is stir-fried cashew chicken, but the fresh mahi burger and the grilled
chicken quesadilla are front-runners, too. No kids' menu at lunch, but the inex-
pensive fish tacos are a major attraction. At dinner, adults may eye the five or six
varieties of fresh catch a night, but the kids probably will order the shrimp