Lavinia at Home

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.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Restaurant Type: American
Our Rating: 8.6

Food: 9 • Service: 8 • Décor: 9 • Atmosphere: 8 • Price: 9

It’s located at 42920 Broadlands Boulevard, Broadlands, VA. Tel.: 571-209-1200.
Clyde’s is classy restaurant that is open daily for lunch and dinner, and serves weekend brunch. Made up of 4 antique buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, Willow Creek Farm is truly a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Several rooms that may be used for private events, and two private dining rooms. The decor is pretty amazing. The rooms are filled with a variety of original artwork - from antique signs to restored 19th century carriages and sleds, model boats, planes.
We have been here twice and so far food was great with a very large menu and price is right. I really like high ceilings, which make this restaurant very specious and lively place.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Restaurant Type: American

Our Rating: 9

Food: 9 • Service: 9 • Décor: 9 • Atmosphere: 9 • Price: 9 ($12 - $43)

We went to BLT Market for the lunch and were very impressed about this new restaurant. It’s located at 1430 Sixth Ave., (between 58th & 59th St.) Telephone: 212-521-6125

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Popularity: 53% [?]

Restaurant Type: American

Our Rating: 9

Food: 10 • Service: 9 • Décor: 8 • Atmosphere: 9 • Price: 9 ($31 - $50)

Union Square Cafe is one of my all-time favorites. Located in downtown Manhattan (21 East 16th St., NY) and named after the near-by historic intersection in New York City, Union Square Café is perfect for those who enjoy food and don’t mind spending the extra dime for a scrumptious experience. Interested? Not sure yet? Read on, but take heed and make a reservation well in advance if you’re ready to take the gourmet plunge (tel. 212-243-4020).

This established restaurant with new-American cuisine is one of Danny Meyer’s creations, featuring seasonal variations in their lunch and dinner menus and an outstanding selection of wines. Food is the main attraction, with décor being secondary. The atmosphere is somewhat cozy with a casual artistic flair. The wall murals are interesting, but not really what you would expect at a restaurant of this ilk. However, they definitely sparked a conversation during my recent visit. Service is good as well. I didn’t know this at the time, but they appear to be extremely sensitive to cell phone usage. Beware, but don’t panic; they didn’t freak out over my transgression.

During my recent visit, I enjoyed seared yellowfin tuna tartare with pantelleria capers, lemon, celery, fine Sicilian olive oil and a spicy fennel cracker. My partner savoured the beef sirloin carpaccio with crispy artichokes, rocket and parmigiano-reggiano cheese. It was wonderful. For our entrees, we feasted on grilled marinated filet mignon of tuna with gingered vegetables and wasabi-mashed potatoes and a grilled dry-aged, rib-eye steak with smashed and fried yukon gold potatoes and red wine glazed cipollini onions. For side dishes, they let us try two specialties—a 50/50 split—for the price of one veggie. We sampled the sautéed broccoli rabe “Mama Romano Style” and sautéed spinach with lemon and extra-virgin olive oil. While both were delicious, I preferred the latter.

All of the food was excellent and we look forward to going back. My only disappointment is they did not have the gnocchi with truffles. Overall, there is a good reason this is considered to be one of NYC’s best restaurants.

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Popularity: 50% [?]

Restaurant Type: American
Our Rating: 8.0
Food: 8 • Service: 8 • Décor: 8 • Atmosphere: 8 • Price: 8

Madison is a great place, both for food and drinks; it’s located at 1316 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ, Phone: 201-386-0300. The bar scene up front, spacious pub is really crowded and a separate dining room - walk through a thick curtain and arrive in a romantic dark, a bit gloomy dining room and fine if you are there for romance. For summer time they have the outdoor seating. The Madison offers a varied menu of appetizers, a raw bar, salads and upscale entrees. Food is better than you might think. They served fresh baked focaccia bread with ricotta cheese dip and olive oil. We had Spinach Dip with artichokes that make it really tasty and portion is pretty good size to share. For main courses we had Grilled Ahi Tuna (Spicy Black Beans, Yucca Fritta, Sweet Plantain Salsa), Pan Seared Striped Bass (Sesame Crusted, Soy Ginger Glaze, Edamame, Braised Bok Choy, Fried Rice) and Gaucho Steak (16 oz. Rib Eye, Lobster Butter, Creamed Spinach), side dish of Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes and all these were excellent choices. Portions were pretty good size and we had to take it home.

Service was fine, restaurant is inexpensive and I will be going back again. They validate parking in the garage on 15th and Bloomfield.

Popularity: 15% [?]