Lana's, Waipouli Wine & Spirits and J02 in Kapa'a

One of the great pleasures in food is eating seasonally and locally, especially when the local place is Kaua'i and the local food is tropical fruit! 

I saw Lana's while driving through Kapa'a and made a mental note to pick up some fruit during my stay. I was so very happy that the woman behind the stand asked me when I wanted to eat the fruit so she could chose the perfect ripeness. 

The fruit on the bottom right of the picture is called an egg fruit, and since I've never tried one before I got one! The interior has seeds that are inedible and the flesh tastes like cooked pumpkin. I didn't enjoy it raw, but I could see making a delicious dessert or custard pie with it. There are so many varieties of natively grown bananas in Hawaii, that I wanted to try them all, but the small sampling I did was a reminder that even a fruit as common as bananas all taste different when they don't have to be shipped or trucked long distances to market.

The mango was the best I've ever tasted :) 

While at the stand I got their coconut smoothie, a rich delicious dessert in a cup!

Just down the road is the small air conditioned wine store called Waipouli Wine & Spirits. I was so impressed by their selection and prices that I bought a lovely bottle to take back to the condo to support the business and to savor a fine wine outside of a restaurant.

One of the best meals I ate was at J02 . They offer a prix fixe $45 3 course menu from 5-6pm, but I opted to order a la carte. Their refreshing unsweetened hibiscus iced tea was a welcome respite from all the fruity and sweet drinks found all over the island.

The crispy duck confit salad for $25 could have been a meal by itself, and the perfectly ripe star fruit added a nice tart accent to the rich duck confit.

I don't remember the filling in the ravioli, but this dish was delicious. The ravioli were perfectly and lightly handled.

The best dish of the night was definitely the slow braised beef cheek for $45. It was so tender and such a generous helping that I took most of it back to the condo to enjoy later. Served with vegetables and soft dumplings, this is the meal you want to eat if you love beef and are very hungry for some upscale comfort food. They have a handy parking lot in front, and lovely professional service. If you are staying in the middle part of the island this is an easy spot to access for a comfortable high quality meal. I made my reservation about 1 month in advance, so if you want to be sure to get a table, plan ahead.