A Very Merry Foodie Christmas
Kauai Midweek wishes you a holiday season filled with joy and abundance. Since Christmas is next week, I’ve listed restaurant holiday menus to help you plan.
For a sweet little something extra, the Truffle Gift Pack from Lotus Fudge is a fabulous stocking stuffer. Four truffles are tucked into an ornament box: one Coco, one Mac Nut, one Mint Crunch and one Lava. For more information, visit LotusFudge.com.
- Lotus Fudge holiday pack
- Shredded turkey appetizer at Oasis on the Beach
- Deconstructed Tamale at Oasis on the Beach | Daniel Lane photos
- Roy’s Szechuan Style Baby Back Pork Ribs ($14.50) with Mongolian barbecue sauce
- Roy’s Seared Sea Scallops ($36.50) with XO fried rice, curried onion puree, braised daikon and scallion oil
Tiki Iniki will be open Christmas Eve and during the evening Christmas Day. They are working out a special menu and will feature Christmas in a glass. Owner Michele Rundgren says that the “Poi Snow Ball,” made with fresh Hanalei poi and house-made eggnog, should be sipped under their upside-down Christmas tree!
Nanea at the Westin Princeville is serving a four-course prix fixe menu ($65, wine pairing $20) as well as a keiki menu ($30). Dinner includes a choice of vanilla butter poached lobster or pan-seared scallops; butternut squash soup or ginger short rib ravioli; grilled salmon with truffle fingerling potatoes, pan-seared opakapaka and crispy leeks, or roasted rack of lamb with tomato chutney. Dessert includes a choice of raspberry chocolate fudge cake or toasted coconut pound cake. For reservations, call 827-8808.
Kauai Grill will serve a Christmas Eve five-course prix fixe menu ($145, $55 with wine pairing), which includes a lobster and daikon roll; beet salad with endive, walnuts and goat cheese fondue; sauteed onaga with caramelized cauliflower; roasted duck breast and a Grand Marnier souffle. The five-course prix fixe Christmas menu ($145, $55 with wine pairing) includes ono carpaccio; Kamuela tomato salad; spiced bronzino; caramelized veal tender-loin and Koloa baba au rum with candied kumquats. For reservations, call 826-2741.
Makana Terrace’s Ke Ke Kai Holiday Seafood Buffet ($125, 5:30-9:30 p.m.) includes asparagus mimosa with eggs, capers and tarragon vinaigrette; assorted gourmet sushi rolls, hamachi, ahi and salmon; oysters on a half shell with yuzu ginger mignonette; taro seafood pot au feu with Hawaiian chili water steamed clams and mussels plus an assortment of desserts. For reservations, call 826-2746.
Oasis on the Beach is serving a three-course prix fixe menu ($55, $25 wine pairing). Of the three appetizer choices, one is arugula with hot shredded turkey, macadamia nuts, whipped brie and a bacon-mustard vinaigrette. There also are three entrees to choose from, one of which is a deconstructed tamale with shredded Kauai vegetables and green chili sauce. For dessert, you have a choice between eggnog panna cotta with caramel shatter or a double chocolate bunuelo. For reservations, call 822-9332.
RumFire at Sheraton Kauai is serving a Christmas buffet from 4 to 9 p.m. The price is $60 for adults and $30 for keiki ages 6-12. The menu includes Hawaiian chili pepper pipikaula beef poke, slow-roasted beef prime rib, baked mahi mahi with coconut, Kaffir lime and butter sauce, and Christmas cookies. Early bird seating ($55) is from 4 to 5 p.m. Call 742-4786 for reservations.
Plantation Gardens is offering two Christmas dinner options. Grilled 8-ounce beef tenderloin ($35.95) with Blue Lake beans, goat cheese and wasabi mashed potatoes, sauteed wild mushrooms and a Robert Mondavi Cabernet reduction. Pan Seared Local Fresh Fish ($32.95) includes lobster garlic mashed potatoes, tropical fruit salsa and Madagascar vanilla bean beurre blanc. For reservations, call 742-2121.
Roy’s is featuring a special menu with 11 entree options, including Kekaha Shrimp Risotto ($62), Holiday Bouillabaisse ($70), Koloa Rum Roasted Spiral Ham ($66) and Confit Duck ($66). Each entree includes house-cured salmon, smoked white bean puree, crispy capers and caviar; wild boar and roasted red pepper ragout with papa-radelle, crispy pork belly and lemon herb vinaigrette; and dessert is a cinnamon poached Asian pear and almond tartlet with Hawaiian vanilla bean mousse. For reservations, call 742-5000.
Marta Lane is a Kauai-based food writer. For more information, visit TastingKauai.com.