Kauai Pasta @ Lihue

What a find! Our last dinner in Kauai was at this cozy little Italian restaurant in Lihue. They have another location in Kapaa but this was closer to where we stayed. This somewhat smallish place is usually packed for dinner. Tourists, you see? And locals as well. The dark, warm, cozy interior is typical of any gourmet Italian restaurant.The food was great and at the same time not too spendy.

For starters we got the Garlic Buttered Grilled Sweet Corn - with garlic aioli, parmesan and crushed chiles. The corn was very juicy and grilled to perfection. The flavor was out of this world. It was quite filling too.

Grilled Corn @ Kauai Pasta

We got a side of the Kalani Farm Field Greens - Kauai fresh farm tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and balsamic vinaigrette. Fresh, nutty and crunchy!




Salad Greens @ Kauai Pasta

Pesto Pasta was called for. Fettucini tossed in Kauai basil & Italian parsley,  blended with macadamia nut, Parmesan and Olive oil. I twirled my fork through the pasta, took a bite and instantly knew I was in an authentic Italian restaurant where they take food seriously.

Pesto Pasta @ Kauai Pasta

Most of the pastas can be made vegetarian. The waiter was friendly and catered to our needs promptly. He offered to split the pasta for us into two plates and the picture above is just one of the plates. That shows the portions are big!

On the whole, Kauai Pasta is a great little authentic Italian restaurant on the Island. It is a must-try if you are craving Italian!

Cafe Del Mar @ Ft Lauderdale

We drove from Cape Canaveral all the way to Ft Lauderdale, after a brief stop at Cocoa Beach. We reached the restaurant at 10 : 30 pm. We had called them much before and made sure that they are open. We were pleasantly suprised to know that they are open till 1:00 am and that their kitchen closes at midnight. Great! We parked our car and sauntered to the restaurant. We loved Cafe Del Mar. Of course, we love CDM and listen to it all the time while driving, but this was a completely different experience. We have always talked about sitting at a restaurant on the beach, with the slightly chilly breeze gently carassing our faces, eating some hot dinner, listening to the waves and many more. And that's exactly how it was here.

There was plenty of outdoor seating.

And this is a picture of the beach, opposite to the restaurant. It was late in the night and very dark.

We were first served bread and butter.

They totally understand the "no meat" concept and offered to make anything without meat!
We asked for Gnocchi - Potato pasta with a creamy cum tomatoee sauce. I don't remember what it was called. It was the Chef''s choice of that day. It was hot and fantastic!

And the Rigatoni & pollo limone - romano cheese, fresh tomatoes, fresh garlic, splash of lemon and touch of cream. This one was very light and super!

The waiter brought us fresh ground red pepper and checked on us often. They have B1G1 coupon in the entertainment book, which they accept on all days except Saturday. A real sweet deal with a stunning view!