Hawaii Day #3

 Just another day in paradise! Scott and I woke up in search of pretty waves and a nice meal! We drove up North to Waimea to drop off Andy and Fallon at the Big Island Team Roping. Andy was going to compete for money and prizes. Go Andy go!

Scott on his forever quest of looking at surf spots. It makes him happy! 

Food makes me happy so we pulled into the Seafood Bar and Grill for lunch. 

My hunt for the perfect Mai Tai was not found here.

We had the special - Spear Fish also known as "Hebi". It was amazing with a coconut cream sauce over perfectly cooked rice and vegetables. One of my favorite simple meals during the entire trip. 

Back in Paniolo Land - Home of the Hawaiian Cowboy - Andy was roping his heart out!

 It all paid off, he won the roping! A buckle and $1000 in prize money! What a fun thing to have done on vacation! Sort of like gambling and taking the casinos money!!

Meanwhile, we snagged a reservation at Roy's and prepared ourselves for a wonderful Hawaiian fusion meal.

 Martinis and Mojitos were our libations of choice.

We started with the Chicken Pot Stickers and they were ok. They were very tasty but kind of oily.

 I had the Butter Fish and it melted in my mouth like, well, butter! I love the sweet glaze that the fish was so quickly cooked with it was an amazing plate.

Scott with the Surf and Turf of sorts - Ribs and Shrimp. The ribs were outstanding and the trio of sauces played up creamy, spicy and sweet. The shrimp were a little under done and that creeped Scott out. I guess one bad shell fish experience will turn you off completely. 

A great dessert, like this Macadamia Tart, will make you forget all your worries so Scott was happy to be eating this while forgetting about his shrimp experience.

Our vacation is hitting the halfway point at this time but stay tuned to read about the second half of Melissa Good Taste's trip to Hawaii!

Hawaii Day #2 - Part Two

After finishing up our lunch at Tommy Bahama's we went back to Ryan's Hawaiian Home and started up our afternoon session of fun. Scott paddled out to surf, Andy and Ryan did some boogie boarding, Fallon splashed around with the kids and I kept on reading my book. In the meantime here are some photos of Ryan's home:

It looked like a resort!

 I love how the tree wraps through the porch...

 A main house and several guest homes...

Three stories tall! 

Interesting decorating idea - I could recreate this at home with Scott's surf boards!

Scott got out of the water for the second time today and we started making dinner plans. We called Merriman's however our luck was not good, they were either closed or booked up with holiday parties through our departure date. So they offered we do next best thing. Go to Merriman's #2 in Waikoloa. I was no happy but did it anyway...

We started off with an Antipasto Plate and it was a good thing. We were ravenous after spending most of the day in the water and my meal from Tommy Bahamas left me wanting more. 

I was hungry so I ordered larger than the rest of the group with Ahi Mushroom Taglitelle. The lemon butter caper sauce was probably the best part of the dish aside from the fresh Ahi. I felt the dish preparation was a bit sloppy. Maybe rushed? Didn't take the same care that I am sure the real Merriman's did. 

Scott's Ahi Fish Sandwich was large and in charge. A thick cut of Ahi on a toasted bun with cilantro, spicy aioli and tomato. He loved it. 

Fallon opted for an order of Calamari for dinner, she said it was ok. 

And Andy devoured his pizza, he must have loved it!

It wasn't the original Merriman experience I wanted but it was the next best thing. Next time, I will prepare weeks in advanced to get a table at the famous little restaurant in Waimea.

Hawaii Day #2 - Part One

We all woke up pretty early on our first morning on vacation. We were used to California time so we were chomping at the bit for some fun island activities. So we loaded up the car and headed to friends of Fallon and Andy's - Ryan and Tammy White's Hawaiian BEACH FRONT home.

Andy was hell ben ton learning to surf so Ryan started out with baby steps and took him for a ride on the paddle board.

He did very well!

Fallon splashed around with the kids...

And I mostly took surf pictures of Scott. I paddle boarded too but I was the one taking the photos and so there are less photos of my action.

I have a pretty good sized zoom and this is zoomed all the way in. It is a pretty accurate indicator of just how far out in the ocean Scott was. Shark bait! 

I did snap this pretty cool picture of a crab though. Isn't he cute? 

Scott finally got out of the water so we could grab lunch. I was starving! 

 We treated the group to a nice lunch at Tommy Bahama's as a thank you for opening up their home and beach access to us with open arms. The Mai Tai at Tommy's was pretty lame.

Scott went for a Chicken Mango Salad and was left hungry. On the menu it read as a salad that filled you up with plenty of protein and fruit. I could count the pieces of chicken on one hand. 

 I ordered the Lobster Bisque and Crab Cakes. I hate it when they bring out the soup with your entree because I like to eat all of my food while it is still out. Of course I had the soup first but the cakes were cold when I got to them. Everything was just ok. 

 The bread came out at the end of our meal. It was good, just a little too late.

The rest of the table seemed to enjoy their meals. I guess I have just been spoiled by good service from the many fantastic restaurants along the way. The service here was not good. The prices were very expensive and food just mediocre. 

Big Island Hawaii Trip - Day #1

I purchased this trip to Hawaii about a year ago and just last week we used it! It was for a charitable auction benefiting fellow horse show cutters who were suffering with medical bills from cancer treatments. It was a great cause and I jumped on the opportunity to support them. Last Friday we flew out of LAX and flew across the Pacific for a relaxing vacation of surfing, reading and eating. My favorites!

An early morning breakfast at Wolfgang Puck at LAX tied me over until we got on the island. The crispy bacon, arugula and a sunny side up egg was the perfect starter.

We rented this snappy little SUV to take us to and fro. Ford Escape's are nifty cars, Scott Good Taste became a fan. We drove up and parked at our rental house...

The view when we walked in was a beautiful one, it was high n the hill and had full ocean views!

A pool for quick dips and loungers for morning reading!

 Island touches throughout the house was apparent, it was very comfortable.

A quick trip to the grocery store made these items cross my path. These foods seemed exotic to me so I put them in the cart. I wanted to eat like a local...

After settling into our house and meeting up with our house guests we made our way into Kona. It was bustling with tourists and still had Christmas touches decorating the streets.

We got into the feel of the island by visiting the Royal Kona Hotel for a drink and views of the sunset of the ocean. Hey look, there is Scott Good Taste!

The open air bar is very lovely, great for enjoying the weather and a cocktail or two!

Meet Andy and Fallon, they will be on this little journey with us!

 We started getting hungry so we wandered into a sushi joint named Wasabi's. I ordered a seaweed salad first off because I was starving. It was good.

Common sushi and sashimi came out and was plentiful. Nothing to write home about but still satisfying. 

 Honey Wasabi Roll, Shrimp Tempura as well as a California Roll all made their way to the table and we all ate from it. It was just ok. I wish I could come up with a heavy compliment or critic but it was just not that eventful. We paid, reasonable price, would probably pass on the next visit. 

We went back for one more cocktail and called it a night. We had lots of eating, relaxing and catching up to do so we made it home early and got some much needed shut eye. 

Stay tuned for Day #2...

Happy New Year!

So, I am still in Hawaii and have been having a wonderful time. Sampling as many Mai Tai's as possible, lounging on beaches and surf hunting with Scott has taken up most of my time. Many real posts are in the works and will be up as soon as we leave the island. I can't waste any time on the computer... Paradise awaits! I will be back in a couple days! Cheers!!

Aloha from Hawaii....

Scott Good Taste and I met our friends Fallon and Andy on the big island of Hawaii. We are planning a week of relaxation, surfing and fun! Stay tuned for all things food and culture... Melissa Good Taste will be reporting on all things fabulous!