Sunday, February 27, 2011

Kauai Grill: A Beautiful Place for Beautiful Food

Kauai Grill
St. Regis Hotel
5520 Ka Haku Road
Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii
808.826.9644
www.stregisprinceville.com/dining/the-kauai-grill

I tend to have a soft spot for several of Jean-Georges' restaurants. A large part of it is no doubt that many of them are vegetarian friendly and the other part is that they're consistently good. Kauai Grill at the St. Regis Hotel in Princeville is no exception.

In an area of Kauai where there's no shortage of restaurants that offer vegetarian fare to cater to the many local vegetarians, Kauai Grill is able to stand up to the best of offerings from nearby restaurants such as Postcards and BarAcuda. The one major downside is the vegetarian menu doesn't change much. In two visits late last year and in looking at what appears to be the current online menu, the two vegetarian entrees haven't changed.


The salads haven't changed either. I don't think they're expecting many frequent repeat guests. The salads are good, fresh and highlight local ingredients. The heart of palm salad (above) has vine-ripened tomatoes, avocado and coconut. The produce was sweet and flavorful. A nice start to dinner.


The watermelon radishes on baby romaine salad (above) with baby arugula, avocado and spicy corn vinagarette does not appear to be a staple of the menu. While not as tasty as the hearts of palm salad the various flavors and textures worked well.

I started this blog, in part, to feature restaurants where vegetarians could get something other than tofu and seitan. I've always felt if I wanted something that took on the flavor of meat, I would eat meat. But I admit the tofu with a nut and seed crust in a sweet and sour sauce (above) can hold its own against most any non-animal-based dish I've ever had. Tofu or not, it's simply good. The tofu has a nice firm texture and the crust provides flavor and texture. I was not at all disappointed to find this to be a staple on the menu, although I would certainly like to see Kauai Grill expand and change its vegetarian offerings over time.

Service is basically what you might expect from waiters who are more accustomed to spending time on a surfboard than in a fine restaurant. They’re pleasant and they get the job done, their skills just aren’t as fine-tuned as one might hope.

Prices are about $26 for entrees and $14 for salads.