Return to Paradise

Hawaii holds a special place in our hearts. We got married in Maui and Hawaiian food really takes us back to a wonderful time in our history. It's also delicious. We love poke, loco moco, plate lunches, the super fresh fish, pineapples sweeter than anywhere else, opakapaka, and all the other fantastic foods you can get in Hawaii.


The Hawaii kiosk was new to the festival this year and the menu had two dishes that are featured prominently in Hawaiian cuisine.


First, the Kalua pork slider with sweet and sour Dole pineapple chutney ($3):


We have had Kalua pork in Hawaii, including at luaus and in plate lunches. We were interested in seeing if it would make a good slider. In addition to the chutney, it was also topped with a spicy mayo. M thought it was pretty good, although she's not a huge fan of the texture of Kalua pork (the meat thing). The flavors were really good though. A has high expectations for Kalua pork based on past experiences. This wasn't that great in comparison. It was fine overall, but it wasn't the best Kalua pork he'd ever had.

We also got the tuna poke with seaweed salad and lotus root chips ($3.75):


We're big fans of poke. This one consisted of the raw tuna poke on top of a seaweed salad, with a lotus root chip and a really good dressing. Tuna poke is a staple dish at any luau. This definitely did it justice even if it was a slight variation on the dish.

M loved this and wanted to get another one. She thought it was one of the best dishes at the festival, especially considering the price and healthiness of the dish. A thought that the fish was nice and fresh, and it had a delicate texture to it. He also thought the seaweed salad was okay. It was nothing special, but it added an extra texture to the dish.

Favorite dishes at the Hawaii kiosk:
A: Tuna poke
M: Tuna poke