Chicken’s Choice

By Linda Fiddler

            One thing that separates Kauai from the other Hawaiian Islands is the abundance of Junglefowl. In 1992 Hurricane Iniki blew most of the island into the Pacific Ocean. Somehow the domesticated chickens cooped on the island not only survived the hurricane but seemed to gain super-chicken strength. Free from predators they roam the island posing for adoring tourist.

Using chickens to select where you eat might not be the best method for picking a restaurant in most vacation spots but in Kauai, it’s a good indicator. They tend to congregate where people eat. If more people frequent a restaurant, the better the food. This is where the chickens were gathering on our last trip to Kauai. The Chicken Score is based on the food, not the number of opportunistic roaming junglefowl.

Mark’s Place (6 chickens)

I hate to admit that husband made the best choice. He ordered the griddle seared potato coated Ahi smothered in a creamy corn chowder.  He described it as unusual but delicious. The local flavors combined with the addition of slightly sweet mainland corn chowder was unexpected. The fresh Ahi was griddled to perfection with a layer of pink in the middle. It was served over Chinese noodles and came with traditional macaroni salad and either brown or white rice. My teriyaki chicken was equally tasty but lacked the creativity of the Ahi. Mark’s Place serves plate lunches (dinners) from their location in an industrial park until 8 PM, Monday through Friday. We dined with two chickens and a rooster that occasionally joined us on our picnic table.

Verde (8 chickens)

My eyes widened with the first sip of the iced tea. Mojito entered my brain followed by an unusual herbiness (according to merriam-webster.com this is not a word). More on the beverage later. We have eaten at Verde before. It is always delicious but this time I paid attention to the individual flavors. First course: Chips and salsa. Tortilla chips are to salsa as grits are to melted butter. They are good on their own but become far more delicious as conveyors of something tastier. Their salsa was devoid of chunks of chili, onions and garlic but the flavors were infused along with a strong sense of cumin.  We ordered the layered enchiladas with Makaweli Kauai beef and the mild sauce and the sopaipillas with the citrus-marinated chicken with the spicy sauce. Both were equally delicious but the chicken paired with the green tomatillo sauce had a complex set of flavors that began with a tangy spiciness, ending with the chicken giving off a buttery finish. The corn sopaipillas that sandwiched the chicken were light and almost soufflé like. The layered enchiladas were smothered in a traditional looking red sauce that tasted as an enchilada should sauce but was surprisingly light on the tongue unlike heavier, greasier enchilada sauces. The tortillas were lightly fried in corn oil that gave them a crispy taco taste. Back to the iced tea. At the end of the meal I asked the waiter about the tea. He explained that it was a blend of mint, basil, thyme and a local traditional Hawaiian green tea named Mamaki brewed with soursop, Tahitian lemon, peppermint, Thai Basil and raw honey. Yummy! This visit was after dusk and the chickens had gone to bed. Verdi is located in Kapaa and open from 11 AM to 9 PM every day.

Nom (9 chickens)

When she handed my chicken and waffles through the small window of the food truck the guy behind me exclaimed with shock, “that looks good”. It was actually great. I love when simple food can be spectacular. Let’s begin with the buttermilk battered fried chicken breast. The batter was an actual golden brown that covered a tender boneless chicken breast that harbored evidence of a salty, herby brine. It was juicy, flavorful and a wonderful compliment to the maple syrup and pineapple, bourbon butter compound. On to the waffle. They are usually a way to eat small pools of syrup and melted butter but this one was different. It had a biscuit or muffin quality. It was dense but light on the tongue and had a hint of baking soda and cinnamon. I equally distributed the butter in the quadrants, letting it melt before I drizzled on the syrup. I cut one small square from the waffle so the butter/syrup pool stayed intact. I stacked a bite of the chicken on top and shoved it in my mouth. It was like moving from black and white to color in the Wizard of Oz. The sweet, salty, herb, sour, bourbon flavors melded together to make an eye-popping experience. I tried it out on my husband. He didn’t even notice the butter and syrup running down his chin.  We also had the Morning Salad that was topped with an over-easy egg. It seemed strange but actually enhanced the lemon chive dressing and brought the bacon, greens, raw beats and tomatoes together with a “chef salad” taste. The chickens surrounded our little cement garden table, nesting in the grass and waiting for gravity and the trade winds to share our meal with them. They had to deal with just small crumbs because we almost licked the plate. Nom is usually located at the ocean-side food truck park just west of Kapaa and open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 AM to 5:30 PM.

Da Crack (8 Chickens)

The line indicated that addiction might be a factor. The name could also describe the size of the establishment. The door-sized opening pumped out a constant stream of burritos, bowls and tacos. After waiting for over 30 minutes, I ordered the Kalua pork burrito with the brown Mexican rice, black beans, cabbage, Pico de Gallo, olives and the hot arbol salsa with wasabi sour cream on the side. It was a hefty burrito that I shared with my husband. The tortilla seemed thinner than some and allowed the combination of interesting flavors to hit your mouth immediately. The sauce though described as hot was not over-bearing and did not sedate your tongue so the layers of subordinate flavors could be noticed. The Kalua Pork, cooked in the traditional Hawaiian style glistened with its natural fats that worked to bind the flavors from the wood fire and spices. The rice and beans took a back seat but added subtle support for the complexity of the burrito. The final flavor is felt in your nose: The pale green wasabi sour cream added an additional unusual spiciness that finished the experience. Several chickens stood by in their one-eyed cocked stance scoping out anything that might fall to the ground. Da Crack is located on Poipu Rd between Koloa and Poipu Beach and open Monday through Saturday 11 AM to 8 PM and on Sunday’s from 11 AM to 4 PM.

Other eateries of note are Porkies, Java Kai, The Hanalei Bread Company and Coffee House, Ono Char Burger, Sushi Girl Kauai and The Mermaid Café where a chicken jumped right into a woman’s bowl of Sesame Stir-fry noodles. Everyone screamed including the chicken.