Thru Jim's Eyes 
ps. this was at Costco!
Today we dined at one of our favorite places in Kailua Kona, the Kona Inn Restaurant. The setting is truly special. When you first walk in, you instantly feel the soothing relaxation with defines this place. As you enter the rotunda shaped lobby, you feel the cooler air trade winds caressing your skin as you feel the loving aloha which is Hawaii. As you look around you see the myriad of world class fish caught in our local waters. There is plenty of sitting area if you happen to have a wait during the weekend dinner crowd.
When you enter the dining area you are immediately warned about the steps down, which is a good warning, as you will be mesmerized by the beautiful view of the ocean and Kailua Bay. As you sit and recline, relaxing in the wicker back chairs your waitstaff will come attend to your needs for beverages and food. We ordered the Seafood Cobb Salad. On this wonderful sunny day the salad was quite refreshing. Everything in the salad was very fresh. The papaya seed dressing was a wonderful balance of sweet and tart. The sea scallops and shrimp were fresh and it was all quite tasty. It was nice to see a salad where everything was presented so well.
For the ambience Kona Inn Restaurant receives a 5 out of 5 surfboards. For its food quality Kona Inn Restaurant receives a 4.5 out of 5 surfboards. For service which was friendly, and timely without bringing the check too early it also receives 4.5 out of 5 surfboards. We love the Kona Inn Restaurant and will be back soon.
Aloha, James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
http://www.tripadvisor.com/members/ThruJimsEyes
This week is an unusually wet week in Hawaii. Here on the Big Island, especially in Kailua-Kona the rains have barely taken a break for days. Moving here from the arid desert of Las Vegas, we are loving the rain for a change. Our skin is no longer dry and cracking, requiring gallons of moisturizer applied liberally and often.
We have been in rain storms before and I have experienced rain in Hawaii before, but this is different. I remember being in the southwest, Las Vegas, Flagstaff, Phoenix, and listening to the thunder roll off the hills during a storm. If you were close enough to the lightening strike, you would first hear the crackle of electricity charging the air with power. You see the lightening bolt clearly, distinctly with it’s jagged edges. Then you feel and hear the tremendous thunder boom and listen as the thunder rolls away from the epicenter where the lightening bolt released the power of mother nature. You feel the hairs on your arms slowly go back down to a resting position. You listen and hear the thunder lightly roll across the hills and valleys, dancing merrily and powerfully, dissipating it’s energy as it moves.
Here in Kona, for the first time I saw lightening in the clouds. I was commenting to Leise, I think this is the first time I recall ever seeing lightening in Hawaii. Always dark gray rain clouds with the storms, but never have I seen lightening. Then I heard the thunder I finally understood the hula. When the thunder rolls in, it’s like the deep throated drums the musicians beat when they accompany a hula. It is the type of deep sound you get if you beat on a big old hollowed out tree. Upon hearing the Hawaiian thunder roll down the mountain, my mind’s eye saw the grass skirts the hula dancers wear as I saw the grass and palm trees swaying in the trade wind breeze. I felt the drums rumble in my chest and I understood so much more about the hula.
I will never be able to watch hula dancers again without having this deeper connection to the islands. In an instant, I saw the history of the Hawaiian people. When we moved here we had just missed the Merry Monarch Festival, this is the largest Hula Festival in the islands. We now wait with great anticipation for the festival to start again in April. This is a week long celebration of Hawaiian culture, arts, crafts, and food ending with a three day hula competition which is the definitive word in hula. If you love experiences, like the Mariachi Festival in Guadalajara, MX each September, you will have to attend this must see event.
Aloha from the Beautiful Island of Hawai‘i,
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
After a busy morning of filming, Leise and I decided to go to Merriman’s Market Cafe at The Kings’ Shops, in Waikoloa Beach, Island of Hawaii. Since the day was so beautiful we opted for the relaxing outdoor seating. Sitting under the shade of the trees we ordered the Hamakua Mushroom Pizza and the Vegetarian Antipasto Plate.
I chose the Hamakua mushroom Pizza, because a few weeks ago I ordered the Angus Beef Burger here and added the Hamakua mushrooms as a topping and they were unbelievably fantastic. The pizza is a 12in pizza. Perfect size for an appetizer for the 2 of us to share. The pizza dough was wonderful. It was light, medium thickness, baked to a melt in your mouth softness and great flavor without being overpowering. On top of the crust is a white sauce with mozzarella and topped with truffle oil. Finally, topped with mushrooms. Once again, the Hamakua oyster mushrooms were amazing. The Hamakua mushrooms are so good that I asked the manager specifically what type they use. I will start adding them to my cooking at home. The flavor leaves you wanting more, because it is so delicious and flavorful. At the same time the pizza is so satiating, you find yourself not needing more. A perfect balance.
The Vegetarian Antipasto Plate consisted of handcrafted cheeses, artichoke hearts, local beets, olives, mango chutney, and more. I started with the fresh asparagus lightly sautéed to perfection. It was a little crisp with a little tart flavor retaining the character of the asparagus. One of the handcrafted cheeses was a Drunken Goat cheese, which has been described as ”goat milk with wine.” This semi-firm pasteurized goat cheese from Spain’s Mediterranean coast is cured for 48-72 hours in Doble Pasta red wine. It makes for a mild, sweet, and fruity flavor with a smooth, creamy, semi-firm texture. The next cheese was a port salute with a mild, savory flavor and a smooth, semisoft texture. Black and green kalamata olives are always a favorite. Next, there was hummus, lightly flavored with garlic, that leaves a light refreshing zing in your mouth and not enough to offend other flavors. The artichokes were steamed and still moist, soft, and flavorful. The locally grown beets were tasty, with a wonderful flavor. The mango chutney was more mango than chutney. It was sweet and contrasted the beets, asparagus, and hummus nicely. Served with baguette slices the individual players in the dish acted their part in a first-rate performance. The bread was a thinly sliced, lightly toasted, soft, melt-in-your-mouth french baguette.
We were filled, but not stuffed, so for dessert Leise ordered the Pineapple and Papaya Cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream. Crumbly crust which was amazing. I ordered the brownie with banana foster. I found the brownie to have good flavor but a little cakey. My retired gourmet chef wife, thought the brownie was perfect…
We have to give Merriman’s Market Cafe a 5 out of 5 surfboards for food quality and service and 4 out of 5 for relaxed outdoor ambience (no view of the ocean, so we can’t give them 5 surfboards). We highly recommend them and we will continue to come back.
Aloha, James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
Loving a ukulele playing lesson at the Ukelele Festival at Queen Shops in beautiful Waikoloa, Hawaii
I was walking and speaking with a hawaiian woman and commented that I thought she should walk in front because the people coming here on vacation come here to see the wahine, the beautiful Hawaiian women. She was so offended. She told me I shouldn’t say that because it’s not pono, that which is right, righteous, and pure. She said people come here for the spirit which is Hawaii. I didn’t want to burst her bubble and share with her how superficial the world really is… but then, is it really superficial? Perception is reality to each person. Since I choose to learn the Hawaiian culture, recognizing mine is only one perspective, I realize I must look within my own heart, because if I hold onto the perception that the world is filled with superficial people, then I will miss a very deep part of this Hawaiian culture, and possibly other cultures throughout the world? It looks like it is time to dig deeper.
My gaffs and faux pas are many in these early days of learning the Hawaiian culture. I ask many questions. Still, it seams with every question comes another gaff or cultural insult. On the surface there is the acceptance of haole ignorance, because the haoles don’t know any better. As I speak up and try to learn, the intolerance for such ignorance seams worse. I understand this. I see it. There is a pushing away. A distancing. The sense that “we want to share with you as long as we don’t let you in.” There are huge trust issues among these people and this culture. I understand why. I saw similar interactions when we lived in the southwest U.S. near the Native Americans. The concept of, “I will not let you in so you can’t hurt me” or “Don’t tell me your intentions, show me your intentions.” As the saying goes in the mainland (U.S.) culture in which I was raised, “Actions speak louder than words.” Civilizations’ cultures throughout the world have been destroyed throughout history. These people don’t want to loose their culture. They are a good, heartfelt people with a depth and warmth I have not known in the past. I shall put aside the ignorance of my past and my childhood reactions to her taking offense. I shall humble myself and quiet my voice, because actions do speak louder than words. It is truly, time to dig deeper into who I am.
Aloha,
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
I recently met Sam Suiter, a man who impressed me. He is the Director of Operations for a family owned business named Honolulu Coffee Co. When I first met Sam it was in passing. He said he was on island to open a 2nd coffee shop at the south end of the Hilton Waikoloa Beach Resort. The first shop is at the north end of the Hilton’s rather expansive property. Sam offered that I should come by the shop and try their coffee. Which I did. Many offers come into my life and I try to honor them all but when it’s an offer to try some coffee I am often skeptical. Since we moved to Hawaii my coffee tastes have become rather refined. No Starbucks for me, thank you!! If it’s Kona coffee it has to be the best. As Zig Ziglar said, “Good things are seldom cheap and cheap things are never good.”
Since it is a beautiful, albeit windy, day I decided to walk the short mile from home to the Hilton property. Arriving at the southern coffee shop, the newest, I inquired about Sam’s whereabouts. The staff greeted me with aloha (warm, welcoming love) and informed me he was at the northern shop and offered me something to drink. I grabbed a cup of ice water and headed to the other end of the property. I could’ve taken the monorail (Yes, the Hilton Waikoloa Beach Resort property is so large there is a monorail from one end to the other) but I chose to walk it. I was a man on a mission.
Upon arriving at the northern coffee shop I found Sam and he offered me a wonderful latte. Generally speaking I don’t drink lattes other than the occasional iced mocha latte. All that milk gets in the way of good coffee. Upon his recommendation I tried his latte. Tom, his maestro barista, had been flown in special to train the new crew at the new shop. He made me a beautiful latte which was very well balanced and smooth. Sam also had me try a shot of their drip coffee. It was light on flavor, low on acid with a smooth finish. The flavor was what I have come to expect from a better Kona coffee, hints of cocoa.
Sam and I talked for awhile and we found one thing we both have in common. We are connoisseurs of the finer things in life. It was nice to meet a kindred spirit, especially surrounding coffee. Honolulu Coffee Co. sells a gamut of coffee drinks, pastries, and, of course, bags of coffee. Their coffee comes in 10%, 25%, and 100% Kona blends including extra fine and peaberry. The blend is coffee from Panama and Costa Rica.
If you are in the Waikoloa Beach area you should stop in and grab a latte from Honolulu Coffee Co. and head to the lagoon or Buddha Point and relax. Life is all about the experiences we have and this was a good one.
Aloha, James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
Thru Jim's Eyes 
Recent Comments