Steelgrass Chocolate Farm Tour, Kauai

Watermelon Radish

While visiting the Garden Island of Kauai, escape the traffic in downtown Kapaa and drive up to Steelgrass Chocolate Farm nestled in the hills above on Kauai’s Coconut Coast. You will enjoy a 3 hour chocolate farm and botanical garden tour

Papyrus

which is spread over 3 acres consisting of 25 types of palm trees, 30 varieties of fruit trees, 24 types of hardwood & flowering trees, 24 different tropical flowering plants, 26 varieties of bamboo and 13 Hawaiian plants. Our tour guide was really funny, high energy and most of all, very informed on all of the plants, foods and gardens. Steelgrass Farm tour is educational and fun! Sample 10 varieties of the finest chocolate and up to 20 types of tropical fruit depending on what’s in season. I have lived on Kauai for 12 years and still never heard of, much less tasted, many of the fruits which were available during the tour. This is a family-friendly, interactive tour and involves a bit of walking. There is a vehicle available to transport guests who have difficulty with walking on some of the steep parts of the trail. Be prepared to touch, smell and sample produce along the way.

As you arrive at the beautiful farm, staff will be present to assist with parking vehicles. I highly recommend bringing your own bottled water as it can get hot and there is a bit of walking involved. Definitely bring a camera! The grounds are absolutely breathtaking and a great place to snap a few family photos along the way. Much of the trail is shaded which is nice and there was a breeze the day we toured; however, it is a great idea to apply sunblock beforehand. Bug spray, all natural of course, is provided throughout the tour.

Sugar Cane

I thought it was fascinating to learn that Hawaii is the only state where chocolate trees grow. In the beginning of the tour, we sampled a stick of sugar cane (KO in Hawaiian) served with a Tahitian lime wedge to rub on the cane before indulging. It was so good and not overly sweet or splintery.

Walking tour

Next, we followed our tour guide 400 feet along a shaded trail passing rare black bamboo, papyrus plants, exotic orchids, vanilla vines and much more. I stopped to take pictures along the way. The guide stopped in front of most of the tress, plants and fruits to talk about what they were, where they originated from and where are they found today. There’s nothing more refreshing than stopping along the trail, in the shade to sample fresh lychee! Yum! In the picture at the top of the page, you will see the watermelon radish which is gorgeous to look at. The taste is intense, as most radishes are, but the Kauai red salt on top took away that strong bite and we went back for more! The funny thing was to watch some of the people on the tour actually eat the radish slice like a watermelon, leaving the green outer rim. I highly recommend using this radish, thinly sliced in a garden salad. Plus, it is just gorgeous to look at. The colors are so vibrant.

Lychee

The tour guide led the group to an area in the middle of the botanical garden with benches to sit down and listen to the presentation. He described the various fruits and then passed them around while he spoke about them. Guests were encouraged to ask questions and come up for seconds. It was a true paradise in the garden. Nice and cool and every time the wind swept through, you could see and hear the trees swaying.

Soursop

There were some rather unusual fruits to sample on the tour. One of my favorites was the soursop AKA Custard Apple. Not exactly an appetizing name, but it was surprisingly very sweet and soft. The next fruit which was equally unusual was an Ice Cream Bean which many people on the tour were familiar with. The Ice Cream Bean was almost a furry, fuzzy-like texture but the flavor was sweet. I really appreciated seeing what the fruit looked like with the skin on prior to seeing it cut up. Now when I go to local farmer’s markets, I will know what the fruits are and how they taste.

Chiku

Ice Cream Bean

The fruit that just blew me away was the Chiku AKA Sapodilla. I have not seen, heard of, nor tasted this fruit before. It looks a little unappetizing, brown and mushy but tastes like apples marinated in cinnamon. I couldn’t believe it! There are so many more fruits that we sampled during the tour such as longan, starfruit, guava, jabong, Ka’u orange, acerola cherry AKA Vitamin-C Tree, lilikoi and dragonfruit. The nice thing is that each guest will leave with a print out of what fruits and chocolates were included in the tour. Then you can go home and research the areas and seasons the fruits can be found in.

Presentation in the garden

Cacao Trees

cacao pod

The tour is called CHOCOLATE FARM tour, so let’s shift gears and start talking about chocolate. The chocolate portion of the tour takes place after the fruit & farm tour. The guide handed us off to a member of the Lydgate family who is the farm owner and well versed in the process of International chocolate production. First, he talks about the cacao plant, then breaks one off of the tree, cuts it open for everyone to see and passes it around. Did you know that cacao has the highest concentration of antioxidants in any familiar food? Yes, more than broccoli, alfalfa spouts, plums, spinach, acai berries and even kale! Milk chocolate contains 6,740 units per 100 grams and dark chocolate is 13,120 units.

Next, we move over to a covered area where Mr. Lydgate offers an hour-long presentation, along with 10 chocolate tastings from around the world. Each guest is given a sheet to jot down the notes that he/she tastes in each chocolate such as dried herbs, earthy, roasted, molasses, honey, berries, caramel, woody, citrus, etc. At the end of the presentation, the chocolate types are revealed. It is similar to wine tasting. A children’s tent is available with activities such as tattoos and coloring for those who don’t want to sit for an hour. All of the chocolates are gluten-free and do not contain any nuts. The presentation was very educational, learning that chocolate made with high cacao % is actually much healthier than the fillers used in the store-bought milk chocolate candies. Most of the chocolates in the tasting contained 60%+ of cacao and many of them were more than 70% cacao. The milk chocolate contained 50% and the white chocolate is 32%. We learned about which chocolates are commonly used by pastry chefs and why. We learned why some chocolates are gritty while others are not. There are a total of 13 samples of chocolate between the tasting tent and the welcome tent. At the end of the tour, there is an opportunity to purchase some of the local chocolates and other products. You can also find cacao nibs which are bits of the cacao bean that can be added to salads and used in various other recipes. In fact, they provide a free recipe book for the nibs. Unfortunately, the Steelgrass chocolate bars are not available on-line nor sold anywhere else. If you enjoyed the Steelgrass chocolate samples, be sure to purchase them at the farm!!!!

Local Chocolates

The chocolate farm tour is available M, W & Friday for $75 per person, 12 & under free. Reservations are required. Call (808) 821-1857 or visit info@steelgrass.org for more information.

 

 

Family Hike up the Sleeping Giant, Kauai

View from top of Sleeping Giant

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
~ John Muir, The Mountains of California

Beginning of West Trail

Adding to the “Travel Fit” section of our family travel blog ~ hike the Sleeping Gaint! Get out and get moving with the whole family.

Looking for a great family hike to do on Kauai? The Nounou Trail, AKA Sleeping Giant, is a fun, family friendly, scenic hiking trail with  two access points (east & west) leading to the top of the mountain. Hike two miles up and two miles back through the Nounou Mountain Range between the towns of Wailua and Kapaa on the island of Kauai. Hike among the Norfolk and Cook Pines that were planted in the 1930′s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Stop to observe and take pictures of the breathtaking overlooks of Kauai’s lush interior and coastal views. Why is it called Sleeping Giant? According to Hawaiian legend,the giant was tricked by villagers into eating a rocks hidden in fish and poi. After consuming the large meal, the giant took a nap and has never woken.

This blog post and pictures are all from the West Trail of the Sleeping Giant.

How to get there~If you are not familiar with the area, it is important to take note as to which entrance of the trail you park at the East Trail or West Trail. The East Trail is accessible from Hwy. 56, turn west onto Kuamoo and drive 2.4 miles, the trail head marking will be on the right. For the West Trail, follow the same directions but continue on past the East trail head, turn right on Kamalu Road, drive 1.3 miles and the trail head will be on the right in a rural neighborhood in the Wailua Homesteads. All state trails on Kauai will have a metal sign (pictured above) at the trail head that states the name of the trail.

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity…”  ~ John Muir

What to expect on the way up~ we started about 8:30 a.m. which is nice and cool in September. Ideally, we could have started sooner as it heated up drastically by 10 a.m. My first tip~ hike at your own pace. It’s not a race, take in the beauty of it all and enjoy yourself. As you make your way up the mountain, it is pretty well shaded. In the picture above, it felt as though we were walking through a foggy mist of trees. It was quiet, peaceful and smelled of fermented cherries. Warning~ there are a lot of fruit flies! Be sure to plant your feet with each step as the smashed fruit on the ground can be slippery. Our son enjoyed picking up walking sticks along the way. Sleeping Giant is a pet friendly trail. There are a lot of dogs. Be sure to have your pet on a leash and bring bags to pick up poop. Some people run the trail, so expect to step aside and allow others to pass. This happened to us frequently along the trail. One trail runner actually passed us three times. The trail is very safe, people are friendly and most of them will say “Aloha” as they pass. Please respect the trail and trees, pick up your trash and be mindful of others.

Roots, roots & more roots

We took our time on the trail as it was our first attempt and we weren’t in a rush. We completed the entire trail, up and back, in two hours with many stops to take pictures and drink water. If you are an avid hiker, I would imagine you could make it up in 30 minutes time. As you approach the large rock formation towards the top, there is a stretch of the trail with drop offs on either side. Be sure to take your time, not pass others or take pictures in this area. It is a little deceiving as there are bushes on either side of the trail, but when you look closely, it becomes apparent that it is a cliff. I would not recommend that young children hike to the top. There are a couple of spots where we had to climb on large rocks and/or roots. I used my hands while climbing down in a few tricky spots. Wear good shoes, preferably hiking shoes. If you don’t own hiking shoes, wear tennis shoes. Do not wear slippers (flip flops), sandals, brand new shoes or anything with a slight heel. The trail would be an easy place to turn an ankle if not wearing the proper footwear.

This was the first large rock that we came upon and of course, we had to take a picture. What kid doesn’t love to climb on a great big rock? In this area of the trail, it feels as though you are hiking in the Northwest of the United States rather than on a tropical island.

Picnic Area

Lookout area

The east and west trail of Sleeping Giant both end up at a picnic table area toward the top. There is a large open grass area. It is an ideal place to take pictures, rest and to stop and eat lunch.

Picnic table area

There are two covered,  picnic tables. Celebrate your climb by enjoying lunch with a fabulous view. The breezes up high on the mountain felt so refreshing after sweating during the climb. There is also a lookout area with a bench, which is a wonderful spot to take a picture. You can set your camera on the timer, put it on the bench and snap away!! The photo above is from the lookout area. We had our own photographer present that day.

 

Rock Formation towards the top

“Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.”
~ Barry Finlay, Kilimanjaro and Beyond

Tips: Let me preface by saying that I tend to be over-prepared in most situations. There aren’t any restrooms or water stations anywhere on the trail. If you plan to hike alone, tell someone when and where you will be. Be sure to bring water, sunblock, snacks, wash cloth or small towel, hat and cell phone. We hiked in September when it can be very hot and humid, so be sure to bring at least 3 water bottles per person in a small backpack. Some hikers will advise holding the water bottle in your hand as a reminder to drink often. However, I think you should have your hands free on this trail. Due to hiking in the morning, we didn’t pack a lunch; however, always bring snacks! You never know if/when you or someone you are with may need food. It’s great to snack on healthy food items such as dried fruits, trail mix, granola bars etc. for energy as you hike. We bring a small towel or wash cloth which can be multifunctional. Use the wash cloth to wipe off sweat or to clean off scratches or scrapes which may occur during the hike. It is always best to have a small towel in the event someone were to get injured. It’s wonderful to be one with nature and practice technology-free family time!!!! So turn your cell off if you wish, but don’t hike without it. Keep at least one charged phone with you in the event of an emergency. Lastly, we froze our water bottles which turned out to be a huge relief as I was getting really hot and feeling nauseous at one point and the ice, cool water over my head really made me feel better. Bring your inhaler, Motrin or whatever you usually carry with you for emergencies. Hike safe, be smart and have fun.

View from top

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Verde ~ Fresh Mex on Kauai

Garlic Shrimp Tacos

“Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go” ~ Anthony Bourdain

Verde

 

House Margarita

Verde opened five years ago in Kapaa and has been bringing fresh, original, and authentic New Mexican food to Kauai ever since. Verde is just a little, hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall in Kapaa located on Kuhio Hwy, but don’t let the outside fool you ~ many locals believe that it is the best Mexican food on island!!!!

Often times, Mexican restaurants fill the plate with refried beans and rice which can leave you with that heavy feeling of over eating. At Verde rice & beans can be added  to any entrée for just $2.50, but you won’t find refried beans nor rice taking over your plate. If you enjoy sauces, you will love Verde! Everything we ordered was full of flavor and served with lots of sauce. In fact, their sauces are so fantastic that you can find Verde’s Red Salsa and Escabeche (pickled vegetables) at Kauai’s Costco in Lihue!!!

 

Cali Burrito

The lunch or dinner begins with complementary chips and salsa that keep coming all night! Gotta love that, as we know there are some restaurants that charge per salsa. The prices are extremely reasonable with entrées ranging from $8.95-$15.95 and drinks from $5-$9. The House Margarita is amazing with rock sea salt on the rim. Don’t miss Happy Hour from 3-5 p.m. daily with $3 house margaritas and $3 16 oz draft beers. Where else can you get drinks on Kauai for $3??? NOWHERE! Verde also has a Keiki (kids) menu available with vegetarian options for #3.95-$5.95. Meat can be added to any Keiki meal for $1.95.

Ahi Tostada

If you can’t select just one menu item, order several and share with friends, highly recommended. On the menu choose from salads, tostadas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. Order the burrito “wet style” for an extra $1.95 which includes red or green chile sauce or both cheese, lettuce & pico de gallo.

The Garlic Shrimp Tacos (pictured) are served with a spicy sauce of roasted garlic-chipotle aioli, guacamole, cornmeal-crusted shrimp, cabbage, guacamole, and pico de gallo. In addition, the menu has seared rare ahi, fresh catch, pork, ultimate chicken, carne and vegan tacos. The Ahi Tosatada (pictured) is probably one of the prettiest dishes served at Verde. It’s more of a salad than a traditional, heavy tostada served with two sauces, the red chile sauce & aioli. The ahi is seared rare and served with guacamole, pico de gallo, and local greens on a corn tortilla. This is a light dish but large enough for sharing.

Verde is a fabulous place to celebrate a special occasion. The restaurant is pretty small, with a great use of space. We recently celebrated a birthday at Verde with a party of 5 people.

 

Chicken Stacked Enchilada with Green Chile Sauce

Carne Tacos

 

Look for Verde’s signature dishes on the menu, including Stacked Enchiladas made with pork/beef/chicken/fish (pictured), Veggie Stacked Enchilada, Huevos Rancheros, and Chicken Posole. Posole (pozole) translates to “hominy” and is a type of stew/soup made with maize and typically some meat such as pork, chicken or turkey, chili peppers along with garnish.

Sopaipillas & Honey

Don’t leave without ordering sopaipillas & honey for dessert!!!! What are sopaipillas? The word (Germanic) actually translates to “bread soaked in oil”, better described as a fried puffed pastry dough similar to that of a doughnut. Sopaipillas are commonly served as a dessert with honey in Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. In Peru they are larger and thinner, known as cachanga and often served at breakfast sprinkled with cinnamon.  Sopaipillas are served in Chile (sopaipas), Bolivia, Argentina (sopaipa/supaipa/torta frita, Kreppel), and Uruguay. In Chile, pumpkin is added to the dough and served with a sauce of onion, tomato, garlic and herbs. In New Mexico, sopaipillas may be served in place of bread with dinner or stuffed with ingredients similar to that of a taco.

Verde serves sopapillas either as dessert with honey or as a meal stuffed with meat or veggies, cheese and sauce. We ordered them for dessert,  served hot, light and airy, not greasy. The picture says it all ~ no words needed.

Verde is open daily from 11am-9pm
“Sometimes the greatest meals on vacations are the ones you find when Plan A falls through” ~ Anthony Bourdain

Family Time at Verde

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Oasis on the Beach

Pineapple Martini with Blackberry Flower

Apple slices

Oasis on the Beach is located at the ocean side of the Waipouli Beach Resort in Kapaa on the island of Kauai. Enjoy beautifully displayed farm-fresh food in an open-air setting with an ocean view. I recommend making an advance reservation on Open Table to ensure a table at sunset. The chef delivered a complementary fruit dish of apple slices as a thank you for booking with Open Table. We were pleasantly surprised and extremely appreciative.

When experiencing a restaurant, there are several things I look for. First, I scan the menu to get a feel for the chef and if the produce is local. Second, I always ask the wait staff for recommendations and popular dishes. How well do they know the menu items? I am interested to hear what items may be a special of the day or new to the menu. For local residents, it is important to know if the menu items change. I look around to observe entrees and guest reaction. Overall, do people look as if they are enjoying themselves and the food? Lastly, I look at table settings and get a feel for the ambiance. It is rare that everything checks out to satisfaction. Oasis on the Beach has it all! From the moment we walked in, they were expecting our party from the Open Table reservation and we were seated with a fabulous ocean view table.

Thai Martini

When dining for dinner, be sure to experience Happy Hour which is offered from 4-6 p.m. daily for $3 draft beers, $4 well drinks, $5 wine and half off of signature cocktails!! Our 5 p.m. dinner reservation was perfect, allowing one whole hour for discounted drinks. The Pineapple Martini, pictured above, was almost to impressive to drink. The time it must have taken to create the gorgeous flower – well, I took a picture first, than sipped away. It was light and not too sweet, perfect! We also ordered the Thai Martini made with Kiffir lime vodka, lemongrass, coconut rum and ginger liquor. The Thai Martini was such a hit, that we ordered it for round 2!

 

 

 

 

Fresh catch tartare bruschetta

Love, love starters~

Grilled Kale Salad

 

Soup of the day

One of my favorite things to do is sit down, order a drink and share starters with friends! It’s a great way to sample various foods without filling up before the main dish arrives.  My favorite starter at Oasis on the Beach is the Grilled Kale Salad. Every time I dine there, it is a must have! The salad is made with grilled kale, whipped brie, brioche (rich bread with high egg & butter content) croutons, pickled shallots, and a roasted shallot vinaigrette. It is the whipped brie that makes this salad.

Okinawan sweet potato chips

It is rich, creamy and fabulous with the grilled kale. The brioche croutons are over the top!! One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to salad is rock-hard croutons that you feel like your teeth are breaking when you bite down.

The Crispy Okinawan sweet potato chips with truffle hollandaise are the perfect starter to share with friends over a drink. They are light, crisp and not greasy, as sweet potato fries can be. The truffle hollandaise  sauce adds a tangy twist to sweet potato chips.

Approximately 90% of the ingredients at Oasis on the Beach are local. The chefs work closely with Kauai’s farmers and fishermen. It is refreshing to experience a restaurant offering local, farm-fresh foods in Hawaii with unique options. An alternative to the typical coconut shrimp, mahi mahi fish sandwiches and fish and chips. The wait staff has extensive knowledge of the menu and local ingredients.

 

Farmer’s Market Curry

Main Dish~

We ordered a couple of main dishes to share, as it was too difficult to choose just one. Oasis on the Beach offers all of their main dishes in full or half order size with the exception of the Grilled 14 oz. Hawai’ian Rancher’s strip. Perfect for sharing!! The Farmer’s Market Curry was to die for. Creamy and thick curry but not heavy. A very interesting combination of farm-fresh vegetables, rice and local catch of the day in a mild creamy, curry sauce.  This was my second favorite dish of the night. For our second main dish of the evening, we ordered the Soy Braised Short Rib with truffle fried rice and bacon. The short rib was flavorful and moist. Other main dish entrees include ~Pan-seared catch, Grilled catch, Shepherd’s pie made with ground lamb, Grilled pork chop and the A’a’kukui grass-fed burger.

Apple Banana Spring Roll

Don’t forget dessert!!!

 

 

Choose from Apple Banana Spring Roll with cinnamon sugar & seasonal gelato, Dark chocolate & Kaua’i coffee pot de creme, or daily seasonal selections of gelato & sorbetto. We chose the Apple Banana Spring Roll & French press coffee. Bliss…………….

Stop in for Sunday brunch offered from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and choose from grass-fed beef burger, roasted pineapple crepes, arugula beet salad, short ribs, or an ahi-poke eggs benedict. The food is unique, original, brilliantly paired and amazingly delicious!!

On Wednesdays Oasis has live entertainment, a special Chef Menu and drink specials from 4-6 p.m.

Whether planning a date night, girls night or just family time, Oasis on the Beach is a great choice! So many fun, fresh, tasty foods to try that you will want to order one of everything. Sit outside with the ocean breezes as you dine and talk the night away. Amazing service in a relaxed, true vacation-feel environment!

Evening at Oasis

Accolades~

Open Table’s Top 100 Outdoor Dining 2013

Open Table’s Diner’s Choice Award 2010-2013

2010 Taste of Hawaii. People’s Choice & New Discovery

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