Be Happy...Local Food on Kauai

I just got back from a week long stay in Kauai so I thought I would share a few of my favourite  things to eat there. Kauai has an amazing local food culture and for such a tiny island, it seems like everyone is making some kind of amazing food product, cooking at a food truck or restaurant or serving beautiful local fruit or juices - sometimes right off the back of a pick up truck!

When searching for something to cool you off on a hot day, the only thing better than an ice cold coconut just might be Lappert's Hawaii, Kauai's very own ice cream factory. For a great plate lunch, this is the spot - just not for vegetarians. Vegetarians will find plenty of tasty tofu options, big enough to feed two, here. My husband is a massive fan of Bubba's, which I can appreciate because at least all their beef is 100% grass fed Kauai beef. He ate here more times in the week than I care to admit for a dietitian's husband. Their veggie burger is nothing special but the Hanalei outpost offers local organic salads. And for a special meal out, don't miss BarAcuda in Hanalei on the north shore. I didn't get to try it the last time we went to Kauai and it was absolutely our finest meal of the trip. This is truly original and delicious food, not just overpriced ahi steaks like you will find at other local restaurants.

For foodie treats to take home, you have to stop in a little pottery store in Kilauea to pick up locally blended gourmet salts and spice mixes - I like the red salt with Hawaiian red clay. I also love the granola with crystallized ginger from Anahola Granola, which paradoxically is made in Hanapepe. And this passion fruit mustard makes any sandwich better - really it does.  On this trip, I also discovered this locally made raw chocolate bar at the Healthy Hut - my favourite little health food store.

Should you find yourself in paradise, now you will at least know where to eat when you wake up from your nap on the beach.

Aloha!

Be Happy...in Savannah

Enter the Hive...

I am usually a very organized traveller. Prior to arriving in a new locale, I have seen the websites, read the guidebooks and know exactly where to go and what to see so I can enjoy the place at my leisure, without ever looking back into a guidebook. Not that I stay bound to my plans...I just hate wandering through a neighbourhood, stomach rumbling, wondering where the heck I can eat that won't be disappointing or ridiculously over-priced. 


When I was in Savannah recently, I was as unprepared as I have ever been for a trip. Perhaps it was because I was so busy prior to departure; knowing I wouldn't have much free time to explore probably contributed to the decreased effort.  When I arrived I knew two things: that I wanted to check out the Savannah Bee Co., the new museum at the Savannah College of Art and Design and maybe do some Jivamukti yoga. 


So after my work was done at the conference and I set out into the streets, I had very little direction other than to wander the streets aimlessly. Luckily, Savannah has very beautiful streets. The city is organized around beautiful park-like squares and the streets are lined with old colonial buildings and homes. Here are some of my favourite finds in Savannah...


Grab a french lunch to go at Papillote and go sit in the sunshine at Forsyth Park; try modern southern cuisine at Vic's or Alligator Soul (where they won't laugh at you for being a vegetarian); get farm-focused and local at Noble Fare or Local 1110. I am not going to lie, good (read: fresh and chef-created) food is not exactly cheap in this city nor do they sympathize much with vegetarians. This crazy Vancouverite forgets how spoiled she is in this city.


As you wander the shops on Broughton St, stop in for a cookie or beautiful notebook at Sylvester & Co Modern General Store; pick up some candles fit for the (actual) queen or some mint julep cups at Paris Market; wander the design district for independent spirit, pick up art created by students from the Savannah College of Art and Design at the SCAD shop or sample (and buy!) local honey at Savannah Bee Co.


See y'all later,
D


PS...and if you are willing to do some research, the NY Times always has great features!

Be Happy...Postcards from Savannah

The second of my two rapid-fire trips south of the border was to Savannah, Georgia. I was speaking at the Canadian Health and Wellness Innovations Conference. Here are some snapshots of this truly beautiful little city....enjoy!

One of the city's romantic squares.

The view of the river from my room.

All those trees save you from the intense southern sun...

For an unexpected hit of modern...SCAD.

Be Happy...in Sin City

Flower child(ren)...

The first time I went to Las Vegas, I was practically dragged there kicking and screaming. I think my exact quote was, "Las Vegas exemplifies all that is wrong and excessive in American consumerist culture." Insert crow to eat, here. I loved it and have been happy to return; this trip was actually my third to the desert playground. However, Las Vegas has many faces. I don't gamble...if I am going to throw money away, I want to see some fancy shoes. Given my age, I also don't see the Vegas that involves getting sick outside a nightclub at 4AM. I love Las Vegas for the sheer spectacle: best people watching in the world. Especially when you aren't the one who just consumed one of those yard-long slushies. In fact, Las Vegas is a foodie dream - as long as you choose wisely. Skip the processed-to-death chain restaurant food. 


This time, we stayed at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Loved the hotel and the location...not so much the service. I suppose what you get for staying at "the" hotel right now is to feel like they are doing you a bit of a favour. The hotel has some great restaurants though; apparently their buffet Wicked Spoon is the best in Las Vegas. We stuck to the more traditional, celebrity chef, route and went to both China Poblano and Jaleo by DC Chef Jose Andres. When we wanted a nice pub, we found The Pub from Todd English, of Olives fame. And no burger aficionado can go to Vegas without a stop at Burger Bar from Hubert Keller. Even if you are a vegan burger kind of girl, like me. Also in the Mandalay complex is the Border Grill, which is so fresh and delicious. 


We have seen a few shows in Vegas and this time, we finally saw O and Crazy Horse. Both were amazing. And since January was a crazy month, my friend and I left the men to shop as we went to the Sahra Spa. Do the hammam...you won't be disappointed! We even drove into the desert to do some poking around, with our friends who are geologists. Which lead us to discover this crazy place.


So just in case you were desperate for a weekend away...Las Vegas is just a 2 hour plane ride away! Eat your heart out...

Be Happy...Postcards from Las Vegas

EDBH has been quiet for the last couple weeks because I have been doing a bit of travelling, which of course means that in the brief moments I have touched down at home, life has been hectic to say the least. So to keep you company, here are some lovely shots from the first of my two trip - Las Vegas. 

Just in case France is too far...

Even the fountains are bigger in Vegas.

Exotic flowers? No - the ceiling at the Belaggio!

Sandy Valley...with our friend the geologist :)

If it were warm enough to swim, I never would have left the pool!

Local, Fresh and Organic...Kauai Part 2

Living Foods Market in Kukui'ula Village

 Everywhere you turn on Kauai, you will hit some good local food. I had a couple of favourite places to shop for local food during my visit...

 Living Foods Market, in the posh Kukui'ula Village in Poipu is just over a year old. The Market is owned by San Francisco transplant, chef Jim Moffat who also owns Bar Acuda in Hanalei.


The Market is pricey (even for Hawaii) and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for general shopping unless you need to slim down an overstuffed wallet. There healthy packaged staples at a better price. The Nut Thins I purchased there were $3 more a box than the grocery store in Lihue. 

What you do come here for is the gorgeous cafe (get Jim Moffat's cuisine on the cheap!) and for the local produce. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, grocery stores typically don't have any local produce. Not so here - they proudly display a Kaua'i Grown sign in their small produce case. 


I also picked up some incredibly delicious local honeycomb....

And some yummy tropical granola. The store also had locally baked gluten free bread!

In terms of organic shops, there are tons on the island, particularly in Kapa'a but my favourite by far was Healthy Hut in the north shore town of Kilauea. As someone who has been shopping in health food stores since before quinoa was a household word, I really appreciated the honest, friendly vibe at Healthy Hut. They have plenty of local and organic products for such a jewel box sized location and it was there that I found the BEST BABYFOOD EVER!!

Best.Babyfood.Ever.Seriously!!

I make my own baby food at home, believing that I don't serve myself canned food everyday, so why would I feed my baby canned? However, given that it was my first time traveling with E I decided to leave the mini food processor at home and give prepared food a go. 

Surprisingly, given the number of organic food shops on Kaua'i, finding organic baby food is difficult. There was one dusty jar at Long's Drugs; ditto at Vim & Vigor in Lihue, niente at Papaya's in Kapa'a and EXPIRED food at Hoku. So thank you, Healthy Hut! They had a great selection of Plum Organics food. 

Why do I love them so much? I love the blends, they don't shy away from good stuff like spinach and broccoli. The packaging is ingenious; just squeeze directly from the package onto the spoon when you are on the go. They taste delicious (I won't feed E anything I wouldn't eat myself) and they are clean, simple and organic. Now I just have to get these to Vancouver! I will be adding Plum to my Healthy Grocery List for sure.

Luscious Links

http://livingfoodskauai.com/

http://www.healthyhutkauai.com/

http://www.plumorganics.com/index.php

Aloha!

Desiree

PS...as always, the companies don't know I was featuring them...no paid ads here!

Local, Fresh and Organic...Kauai

Tuesday Market...just west of Hanalei, Kauai

 No secret that I am a bit of a foodie...everywhere I travel, I want to taste whatever is local and special. So I was pretty excited to see that there were so many farmers markets all over Kauai. 

Check out the dude with the pineapple. That is local flavour.

I was amazed by the local food culture in Kauai specifically; a recent trip to Oahu certainly did not have the same local vibe. Hawaii has to ship so much of their food in and most supermarkets don't carry anything local so staples like tomatoes are incredibly expensive and usually kind of sad tasting. Farmers on Kauai have the ability to grow so much in their climate so I was excited to check out a farmers market or two. Who needs tomatoes when you have local taro, greens, papayas and passion fruit?

Apple bananas...sweet and firm fleshed.

 The pictures above are of the market recommended by the Lonely Planet, just west of gorgeous Hanalei on the north shore of the island. Edible Hawaiian Islands also has a great listing on their website here. They kindly offered the tip of "get there early". Do indeed. We showed up at 2:05 for the market in Hanalei, just 5 minutes after the opening. The field was already packed with cars and it was a literal feeding frenzy: stands were emptying fast. People snacked on chocolate covered frozen bananas while filling their baskets with local eggs, goat cheese and pineapples. We bought just a couple of things, including the apple bananas and mangosteen ( I LOVE mangosteen, what a treat!). 

Yummy mangosteen...

The markets are a bit smaller than we are used to here in the lower mainland but what an incredible community spirit. I couldn't think of a better way to get to know the local food culture than to feast on what is grown in their backyards.

Aloha...

Desiree

Backyard Chickens? Try Wild...Kauai

On the prowl...

Just back from the gorgeous island of Kauai....


One of the first things I noted when reading the guide book on Kauai was that chickens were wild all over the island. I thought to myself, "I wonder if I will get to see any of the wild chickens?". Hah! Sure I saw them, they are EVERYWHERE! Roosters prowling the shops for some new duds, sketchy hens caging out the parking lot for cars to boost and surfer chicks scanning the horizon for waves. 


All over the island were signs pleading with you not to feed the feral chickens (and cats too, although I didn't see that many kittys). My husband chatted briefly about the chickens to a local; most memorable quote? "Yah...we don't eat 'em. Too gamey. Not good for much other than roadkill."


Why did the chicken cross the road? Cuz he thought the dude in the truck would stop for him.


Lots of posts on the local food to come when the baby jet lag wears off and I get some sleep!
Desiree

Be Happy...Paris

I don't care what anyone says...Parisians were awesome. In 5 days, only two people annoyed the heck out of me; the rest of the time, Parisians were gracious hosts in an absolutely beautiful city. Both occurrences had something to do with a train station so I will happily shrug it off. You also can't smoke in restaurants in Paris anymore so the smoking wasn't even a big deal.

I thought I would finally close my Paris adventure notes with the other two things I came to Paris for: art and shopping.

My 5 favourite places to shop (or window shop...Paris is not cheap!)

1. Uniqlo. Okay, I am stretching a little because Uniqlo wasn't actually open yet but of all the cool things to come out of Japan...this is Japan's chic answer to GAP. The are featuring a Jil Sander capsule collection so vite! vite! vite! 17 Avenue de l'Opéra (Metro: Pyramides)
2. Galleries Lafayette. This is a Paris department store? Oy...way too much good stuff. I thought my head might explode. Printemps, across the street and my friend Celine's preference, has Laduree which might give it the edge but Galleries Lafayette is a classic. 40 Boulevard Haussmann (By the Opera Garnier)
3. Isabel Marant 47 rue de Saintonge in the Marais and 4. Vanessa Bruno 100 Vielle du Temple in the Marais. Both of these are my favourite stores for clothes in Paris. Think cool Parisienne girl's closet. Worth the splurge!
5. Colette. Colette is the place where they decide what is cool and we all buy it up. It is the original "emporium": everything from music to perfume to limited edition trainers. Be schooled here. 213 Rue St Honore

We bought a museum pass and if you really want to see some art I highly recommend it. Like it said in our guidebook, you either have a museum pass or you wait in line! And with 60 sites to visit, if you only feel like seeing the Mona Lisa and then escaping the throngs of tourists - you don't really feel bad because you didn't pay full price...

My 5 favourite sites in Paris...so far! Maybe not the "insider's view" of Paris but if you are first timer like me, you have got to see these...

1. The Louvre...maddening crowds...worth it for a peak at Mona Lisa's smile
2. Centre George Pompidou...modern art...paris style
3. Sacre Coeur...so beautiful, perched above Montmartre
4. The Eiffel Tower...nothing like seeing it up close
5. Champs Elysee...not so much for the gap, nike and adidas...but for the grand boulevard, flanked by the arc de triomphe and the tuileries gardens

Next, on to Provence!

A bientot,
Desiree

Eat...in Paris

On to restaurants...here are a few that I was lucky enough to dine at plus a few that are highly recommended by others that I didn't get a chance to!

France really isn't for vegetarians; I find it a challenge to find totally meat free dishes while trying to dine with abandon(eating around the meat has become a bit of a norm). For those who prefer meals untainted by meat, salads, pastas, pizzas and soups will be your staples. There are also a small number of vegetarian restaurants I noted wandering the streets...I will highlight places I got a completely meat free meal...

One of my favourite aspects of culture and exploration of other cultures is that surrounding our food choices and norms. Most interesting in France is the utmost respect for good food and dining - and they manage to have such without the slightest hint for our North American excess. This is an excess which they notably detest and it might be best when in France not to note the "small" portion sizes :) For those of you used to dining at the Cheesecake Factory, take note! The portion sizes in France are the ones we should be eating...and with the quality of food here, bursting with flavour, you might be surprised to find yourself completely satisfied!

Should you find yourself wandering the streets of Paris, it is important to know that meal service is at very definite times - lunch is generally 12:00 - 2:00 and dinner from 7:00 - 9:00 or 10:00. Try and get a meal outside those times and you might find yourself with a closed restaurant or only a crepe at a restaurant with "service continue"(see my previous post for good street food options).

Meal times are to be enjoyed at a leisurely rate, with good wine and conversation. The French also strongly believe in the multicourse menu and the Menu or Formule is a 2 or 3 course which is also usually the freshest and the best deal. Amazingly, because of the proper portions, you can leave a 3 course meal here about the same degree of stuffed as after a single main course at home. Also nice, you can get demi bouteilles of wine. Your own bottle...just half the size. Very civilized at lunch ;)

So, on to the restaurants...

1. Les Cocottes 135 rue St Dominique 7th arr (Metro: Ecole Militaires) http://www.leviolondingres.com/eng_cocottes.htm This restaurant from chef Christian Constant is a chic take on French comfort food. The "cocotte" is a pot...stuffed with delicious French home cooking. They even offered a young vegetable pot that tasted of the freshest "pulled from the ground" peas, carrots and new potatoes. A must have is the fabulous tart or la fabuleuse tarte. Yup, its pretty fantastic...and it's chocolate.
2. Au Pied de Cochon 6 rue Coquillier (Metro: Chatelet Les Halles) http://www.pieddecochon.com/index.php?lang=en This restaurant is pretty legendary in Paris...it boasts that it has not closed its doors since it opened in 1947 and there may not even be a key to those doors. The place is open 24 hours and it is classic Paris bistro. Not for the meat timid...I had to push aside the Chicken in my salad.
3. Higuma 32 rue Ste Anne 1st arr (Metro: Pyramides) I found this Japanese ramen shop in the Paris Shopping Guide that the tourist info centres provide. It is super close to the Louvre and is pretty well stocked with locals...which is always a good sign. The Yasai Ramen is the vegetarian choice. Nothing beats a bowl of noodles (yes, Connie!) to restore your energy after a long slog on the pavement.
4. I also had a lovely meal at a restaurant near the Sacre Coeur...I will ask my Parisien friends the name so I can let you all know about it.

A few restaurants that I found highly recommended but didn't get a chance to visit...

1. Chez Janou 2 rue Roger Verlomme (near the Bastille)
2. Zoe Bouillion 66 rue Rebeval (in Belleville)
3. Lao Siam 49 rue Belleville (in Belleville)
4. La poule au pot 9 rue Vauvilliers (at Les Halles)

I am not sure if my next hotel will have wi-fi...so stay tuned for my notes from Provence and Cote d'Azur!

A bientot,
Desiree

Eat...in Paris

Well...it has to be said that the French know food. The thing that amazes me most is that places we would expect to be run of the mill turn out the most incredible products. Ugly yellow awning? Amazing ratatouille! On a dingy looking street? Best croissant d'amande in Paris!Not only has Paris been all that I could have imagined it to be, the food is even better. And I do know food. While Paris isn't exactly a cheap city (beware the $5 cafe au lait) - you can get by "on the cheap" if you do as the Parisiennes do and make a pique nique. People here will sit out anywhere...at any number of gorgeous gardens or on the canal. You can make a couple of quick stops and then eat under the sun. Important to note - it is totally acceptible to drink wine with your picnic; buy a bottle at a wine shop and then wander into a cafe and ask them to open it for you!

The next couple of posts will be a few brief food notes from my 4 days in Paris....restaurant recommendations to follow tomorrow.

Five things you must eat/drink in Paris (and then walk off later!)

1. Patisserie....be it croissant, pain au chocolate or tarte d'abricot. I am not a big fan of sweets or pastry at all - but I can't get enough here. Patisserie is a way of life; on every street corner you will find an independent patisserie with a vast selection of the best pastry you will find. Anywhere. Look for a shop that has a few people in it (at lunch or when school lets out...about 4:30) and then select at will. Patisserie also makes for a cheap lunch en plein air.
2. Un croque madame or monsieur....monsieur for the grilled cheese and ham; madame has an egg on top. Available at any sandwich shop.
3. Crepes....in Paris, meal service is at strict times - during the non meal hours, crepes are one of your only options at a cafe or on the street. Nutella for the sweet fans....ham and emmenthal for the savoury (although I just had chevre and fig confiture which was pretty amazing)
4. Kir....there is nothing more civilized than cocktail hour in Paris. Before dinner, plunk yourself down at any cafe and order un kir, which is white wine with cassis (or peach or raspberry liquer if you must). Cocktails are absurdly expensive in France and this is the perfect aperitif. Sit out as the Parisiens do and watch the world go by.
5. Macaroons from Laduree....75 avenue des Champs Elysees (metro stop Georges V). Not cheap; 4 tiny macaroons will run you 8 euros but come on, you must indulge once in a while and laduree is the ultimate expression of posh sweets in Paris.
6. Quiche....really? Yes really! Quiche in North America tends to be a rather heavy dish and taste like a thick omelette. I have no idea how the french make it the texture of silk, as if the whole thing were made of whipped cheese and the flavours are infused into it rather than floating in it. Not low fat. From the Patisserie or cafe

Thank goodness for walking for 8 hours a day...so far the fancy Lagerfeld jeans still fit!

I will blog tomorrow with some restaurant recommendations, should the wi-fi (wee fee en francais) hold out.

A votre sante,
Desiree