We enjoyed a (long) day trip kayaking and snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay and then visiting the City of Refuge (Pu'uhonua O Honaunau). And of course, we had to eat. If you have the chance, these three are unpretentious, full of aloha, and unanimously approved by our motley band of 4 adults and 4 kids.

Super J's Hawaiian Food
808-328-9566
83-5409 Mamalahoa Hwy  
About halfway between Kealakekua and Honaunau
Captain Cook, HI 96704
Cash only

This place was recommended by the local kayaking guys and even appeared on Food Network (as a segment of "The Best Thing I've Ever Eaten"). Look for it on the right as your drive south and be advised, it looks more like a house than a restaurant.

The sign says Authentic Hawaiian food (vs. "Hawaii" food). Absolute truth in advertising. This is not a Rainbow's Drive Inn, huge-variety plate lunch place. Walking in is literally like going into your Aunty's dining room/kitchen on Hawaiian food day. It is very friendly and very casual, right down to the fish tank full of guppies and family photos on the counter.

The food is fab. The laulau is darn-near perfect. She says it slow cooks for 10 hours, and it is the ideal size, moist without being greasy or squishy and an ideal balance of salt/pork/luau leaves. With some of the best, smoothest poi. Poi gets a bad rap; Super J's will change your mind. Skip the flashy resort luau and go here for what Hawaiian food was meant to be.

Super J's also gave us the recommendation for our next stop...

Kalama's 

(808) 328-2828

825674 Lower Napo'opo'o Rd
Honaunau-Napoopoo, HI 96704

Pretty much everything closes between 4:30 and 5:00pm. We were the last customers  at around 4:20 pm. A good-sized serving in a cup with a choice of three flavors. Guava is awesome. Lilikoi, pineapple and lychee were also quite good. Mango sounded good but was sold out. They also had blackberry, which we didn't try, but it sure sounds good. This gave us just enough time to go to...

Greenwell Farms
(888) 592-5662
81-6581 Mamalahoa Highway  (between mile markers 111 and 112)
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
www.greenwellfarms.com

We had exactly 20 minutes at Greenwell Farms. Which was more than enough time to sample chocolate macadamia nut, their newest chameleon blend and the full city roast. Peaberry and the Private Reserve are sold out--check the website for the 2011/12 availability.

Coffee benefits from ideal growing climate in Kona. 100% Kona coffee is spectacular, and well-worth the higher price point. Less expensive "Kona blends" use a small percentage of Kona coffee (typically 10%, but they should specify exactly), and you can taste the difference.

And yes, they do make 100% Kona decaf, and Swiss-water processed at that! 

This was definitely an Eat Well | Be Well day.

Last night, I had a perfectly lovely dinner at Alexander's Steakhouse. It's a 1-star Michelin restaurant, so it falls squarely into 'splurge' category. I don't much care for red meat, but I turn into a full-fledged carnivore here. Ranks up there with Alan Wong's. 

I'll probably blog about the actual meal later, but the most memorable talk of the night was the end of dinner coffee. 

Kopi Luwak $50. Is that a typo? Nope. $50 for one French-pressed cup of coffee. Literally translated, Kopi Luwak means Civet Coffee in Malay. It is billed as the most exclusive, low-production coffee in the world, costing hundreds of dollars for just one pound.

Kopi Luwak coffee beans are 'processed' by a civet, which is a kind of nocturnal cat. They prowl around Southeast Asia and Indonesia eating only the choicest coffee fruits. I'm not sure how they figure this out, but let's just say their cat-ESP lets them do this.

The civet eats the coffee for the fruit. The actual coffee bean (seed) is not digestible, and so makes a merry journey through the digestive enzymes of the civet's intestines and then passes out of the civet. That's right, the civet poops out perfectly amazing coffee beans. 

According to our server, who said all of this with a totally straight face, the enzymes of the civet's gut take away all the astringency and bitterness and result in an amazing smooth coffee. I thought he was joking. I was entertained/grossed out/stunned speechless. How did someone even figure this out? And why?  But it's true, and the New York Times even published an article on it.

So where does Kopi Luwak come from? The rear end of a cat. And no, I did not have any. I'm sticking to (human) hand-picked coffee. 100% Kona or Swiss-water processed decaf Mocca Java.

And don't even think of feeding Fluffy coffee cherries and harvesting her litterbox.