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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Is this the dry side of the island?



I know that anyone who has been in Kona during the month of May will not believe it, but we do live on the dry side of the island. All of the rain is supposed to fall on the Hilo side. Also this is not the rainy season. Unlike the rest of the State, the rainy season in Kona is July and August.

With that being said, at our house we have had eight and a half inches of rain this month. I have been keeping records since we sold the tour business and have accumulated 13 years of data. This is the wettest May we have had in those years and the fifth wettest month in those 13 years. Betty keeps asking if we are sure we didn’t move to Hilo. It seems that we have had one storm system after another pass through the area. Betty asks if I can go outside and grill a steak for dinner. The words are no sooner out of her mouth and the clouds drop another torrent.

Despite all this rain, be assured that this weather is unusual for Kona. We can usually be sure that every day will be sunny and if it does rain it will be at night. We used to call Kona, Camelot, because it only rained at night. That has changed this year but we anticipate a return to our idealistic conditions.

Monday, May 19, 2014

A Restaurant in Paniolo Country



When we first brought a group from the mainland out here in 1980 we stopped for lunch in Waimea at the Red Water Café. It was an experience since we weren’t expected and had a group of 30 people. A phone call went out from the owner to friends and our people helped so that we had an entirely enjoyable experience. Since then the building housed the Edelweiss which was an excellent German restaurant. The owner of the Edelweiss retired and eventually the building was reincarnated as the Red Water Café once again.

We have had dinner there and although not reminiscent of the original restaurant or the Edelweiss, it has definitely established its own niche. On our last visit we were delighted to have Jeff as our waiter. He has served us before and is very knowledgeable concerning the preparations and especially the Scotch menu. Thus, as usual, we began with a delicious whisky served in a snifter so we could enjoy the nose.
The menu has a definite Asian flavor and in fact the restaurant has an excellent sushi selection. Since sushi is not what we came after, we selected from the regular menu. There are many excellent appetizers, but we have fallen in love with the Thai Caesar Salad which is topped with fried calamari, shaved beets, carrots and daikon. It is delicious and something that we always come back for.

For our main course we always have a difficult choice. The Kiawe Smoked Center Cut Pork Chop with Molokai Purple Sweet Potato Palau, local Bok Choy & finished with Ginger Papaya Sauce and the Guava Braised Boneless Short Rib on a bed of Wok Fired Mustard Cabbage & Onions, finished with fresh Tomato & Wasabi, topped with local Mung Beans, served with a choice of Mashed Potato or Steamed Rice are excellent choices. However, the Chef’s Creation fish dish beckoned us and we were not disappointed. The fish was done to perfection, not overcooked and dry but moist and delicious.

While there are several desserts to choose from, we zeroed in on the Dark Side of the Moon, which is a flourless chocolate-truffle torte served with a raspberry purée. It was the perfect end to an excellent meal.

If you have the opportunity to be in Waimea at dinner time, you will not go wrong by eating at the Red Water Café. It is definitely a fine experience.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

A great hotel restaurant



We just got back from a Mother’s Day dinner at the Coast Grille Restaurant at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the South Kohala Coast. This is a restaurant we used to frequent often, but after a change in chef shied away from. They have a different chef now and we decided to have dinner there on this special occasion.

We requested our favorite waitress, Judy, from years ago and she remembered us fondly. We were thrilled to be reunited with her. The setting is extraordinary looking down on Hapuna Beach, perhaps the prettiest on the island, with the sun setting at the ocean horizon. All that was missing on this perfect evening was a green flash, but clouds on the horizon prevented that. However, even the sun was welcome as it had been raining all day at our house in Kona.

We began the evening, as usual, with a dram of Macallan 12 year which we had in a brandy snifter. The pour was ample and at $11.00 was a bargain. After spending time over our whisky we began with Oysters Rockefeller, which we split as there were six large portions of oysters.

We each had the seafood trio, which on this night consisted of seared Ahi, broiled Mahimahi and Portuguese crusted Ono. The fish were all done to perfection and we had them accompanied by a baked potato with all the toppings. We both completely cleaned our plates attesting to the excellence of the preparation.

We finished off the meal with the Hapuna Beach warm chocolate cake with Waimea strawberries and Tropical Dreams Tahitian Vanilla ice cream. It is now the season for Waimea strawberries and they were delicious. The warm chocolate cake was essentially a soufflé and was excellent.

The total experience was a delight. If you are in the area this is a restaurant that you do not want to miss. The scenery is delightful and the food exquisite.  The restaurant is closed on Friday and Saturday so make your plans accordingly.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

A true volcanic landscape



If you have an interest in volcanoes and geology you might want to take the time to visit a landscape that very few visitors to Hawaii ever get to see. In fact, most people who live here have never gone to see the volcanic features that can be observed on the north flank of Mauna Loa, the largest volcano above sea level on our planet.

While the summit of Mauna Loa  is 13, 677 feet above sea level, a bit lower than Mauna Kea, it formed by the accumulation of lava on the sea floor which is about 16,500 feet below the ocean surface. The tremendous weight of this rock depressed the floor of the ocean as it was accumulating by about 26,400 feet. If we add all that together we see that the summit of Mauna Loa is actually about 56,000 feet above its base, making it the tallest mountain on Earth. Not the highest (since height is measured from sea level) but the tallest from base to summit.

A drive up this mountain from Saddle Road exposes features that are not disturbed by people. Many of the same features can be seen in Volcanoes National Park, but millions of visitors have altered the natural scenery so that what you see is a mere suggestion of what was once there. The road to the 11,000-foot level is paved, although it is only one lane wide. It, therefore, must be driven with caution. There are several side trips to see specific features which are only accessible if you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

At the end of the road is the Mauna Loa Observatory which is a baseline station for the Global Monitoring Division of the Earth System Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Drop in visitors are not welcome at the Observatory, but you can make prior arrangements for a visit through their website at: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/mlo/index.html. This Observatory made the original atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements which alerted scientists to climate change. They have been monitoring carbon dioxide since 1958 and have the longest continuous record of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the world. In addition they also monitor other aspects of atmospheric chemistry as well as solar and infrared radiation.

You can hike to the summit from the end of the road. It can be done in one day, but it is an arduous hike since you are above 11,000 feet for the whole trip. It must be taken very slowly and unless you are used to high elevations, it is not recommended.

My book, BIG ISLAND, HAWAIʻI GUIDE, available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GYJRJ6Y details a day trip up the north flank of Mauna Loa which is accessible to anyone.