Lavinia at Home

It’ located at 5520 Ka Haku Rd, Princeville, HI, Tel.: (808) 826-2760

This was very romantic evening at Cafe Hanalei with view from the Princeville Resort overlooking gorgeous Hanalei Bay. We had dinner right at sunset and it was the best view. I thought the food was quite good, but you definitely eat there because of the views. Now this resort is under construction and it will become the St. Regis Princeville Resort around July 2009.

Here I have my favorite breakfast places in Hawaii; some are fancy, some are very local and casual.

My very favorite was a relaxed, poolside setting Kukui’s Restaurant at Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club. They are open for daily breakfast buffet and served 6:30 am – 11:00 am Monday to Saturday, 6:30 am – 10:00 am Sunday.
There is a nice buffet, though they also offer an a la carte menu. I love theirs Eggs Benedict, Sweet Bread French Toast and fresh guava juice(my Hawaiian discovery).
Also they have really nice Friday & Saturday night Prime Rib & Pacific Crab buffet. We had breakfast and dinner at Kukui’s and both meals were excellent.

The local favorite Tip Top Motel Cafe & Bakery. It’ located at 3173 Akahi St, Lihue, Tel.: 808-245-2333. I discovered a new my favorite dish; Loco Moco (rice, a hamburger patty, an egg and brown gravy and Tip Top has one of the best in Hawaii) and if you are having hung over, you have to order it. Also Tip Top is known for their famous banana/macadamia pancakes, which were big, fluffy and yummy.

The Veranda at Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach. We were staying in this hotel, it’s elegant classic Victorian architecture. This hotel has Old World charm with front porch offering large wooden rocking chairs. I love my morning buffet, which had also Japanese breakfast; two eggs your style, steamed rice, grilled salmon, miso soup with tofu and pickled vegetables.

Last year, I received a delicious holiday gift of stollen–a traditional German sweet bread with rum-soaked raisins and citron. It’s now one of my favorite treats that I anxiously wait for. Dresden Stollen Bakers, a third-generation family business, makes this scrumptious sweet bread only for the year-end holiday season, so the time to order is NOW. To check out their recipe go to Dresden Stollen Bakers website. I ordered it from their website Dresden Stollen Bakers and shocked even myself by buying 4 lbs of stollen for my family. One pound just wasn’t enough last year. If you decide to try it, you have to act quickly; it’s made to order and the last order date is November 15. You can order it online or by phone or mail order. Unless specific dates are requested, the stollen will be shipped to arrive by December 17th. Sehr Gut & Guten Appetit!