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Monday, February 9, 2015

BAR ACUDA

BAR ACUDA
HANALEI, KAUAI

BAR ACUDA
HANALEI CENTER
5-5161 KUHIO HIGHWAY
HANALEI, HI  96714
808-826-7081
HOURS:  Daily 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

When  I read that a chef from San Francisco who was named one of the top 10 Best Chefs in America  by Food and Wine Magazine in 1996 picked up and left the City by the Bay to surf and cook in Kauai, I had to put this on my list of places to eat when visiting the Garden Isle.  Well, I finally made it back to Kauai and made the drive to Hanalei where Chef and Owner Jim Moffat has been cooking up Mediterranean style Tapas in a place where shorts, t-shirts and slippers are the norm.  This is a far cry from his former award winning restaurants in San Francisco that probably catered to the suit and tie crowd.  I loved Baracuda from the time we walked in.  There is both indoor and outdoor patio seating that is comfortable and casual. We were seated at a large round table that was perfect for a party of five plus and 18 month old boy.  I liked the fact that Bar Acuda had a decent selection of wines at very reasonable prices.  We enjoyed both a white and red with our selection of international dishes. I pretty much liked everything we tried here.  We ate family style so I had small bites of each dish.  The dishes that I liked most were the Whole Tomato Bruschetta, Seared Ahi, Grilled Flank Steak and Grilled Lamb.  As far as the desserts go, the Bread Pudding was off the charts delicious and one of the best I have ever tasted.  I am already looking forward to another visit to Bar Acuda.  I want to try more dishes and enjoy a few of these dishes again.

BAR ACUDA

  

BAR ACUDA IS LOCATED ON KUHIO HIGHWAY IN THE HANALEI CENTER
YOU WILL FIND BAR ACUDA IN THE FAR RIGHT CORNER OF THE HANALEI CENTER
THE INDOOR/OUTDOOR SEATING IS COOL AND COMFORTABLE
SMALL BAR AREA AT BAR ACUDA
OPEN KITCHEN WITH SEATING
BAR ACUDA MENU (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
SPICY GARLIC GREEN BEANS
BEET SALAD
ROASTED CALAMARI SALAD
SEARED HAWAIIAN AHI
BANDERILLAS - GRILLED FLANK STEAK
WHOLE ROASTED TOMATO BRUSCHETTA
PIZZETTA
GRILLED LAMB RIBLETTES
SLOW BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS
SPANISH PAELLA
BREAD PUDDING WITH ICE CREAM - THIS WAS THE BOMB!!!!
MOCHA FUDGE CAKE
CHOCOLATE POT DE CREME

AQUA KAUAI BEACH RESORT

AQUA KAUAI BEACH RESORT
LIHUE, KAUAI

AQUA KAUAI BEACH RESORT
4331 KAUAI BEACH DRIVE
LIHUE, HI  96766
808-245-1955
866-536-7976 US/CANADA RESERVATIONS 
808-954-7419 WORLDWIDE RESERVATIONS

Aqua Kauai Beach Resort is the single worst investment I have made in my life.  Will never recover from buying one of these units when the market was at its peak in 2006.  Then came the 2008 crash and my ocean view unit was basically worthless.  Live and learn I say.  At least I can go visit a few times a year and remember how not to speculate on the Hawaii real estate market and especially condo-hotels.  Losses aside, I like this property.  It is literally less than 10 minutes away from the Lihue Airport.  Simply grab a rental car and turn right and within minutes you are driving through a tree lined canopy drive that leads to the entrance of the resort.  This is not Poipu or Princeville but it suits me just fine.  Great pools, nice beach and Hawaiian Plantation feel make this the perfect escape when you do not want to pay north of $150 for a room.  The price is right here for Kauai.  In fact this place is a bargain at current rates.  I recommend everyone stay here for weeks at a time so my unit is always rented and perhaps I can break even one month. 
Click links below for more posts on the Kauai Beach Resort:

TREE LINED CANOPY LEADS TO THE KAUAI BEACH RESORT JUST MINUTES FROM THE AIRPORT
AQUA KAUAI BEACH RESORT
ENTRANCE TO HOTEL
LOBBY TAKES YOU INTO A HAWAII PLANTATION
FRONT DESK
TWO LEVEL LOBBY WITH SEATING
LOBBY LEADS TO BEAUTIFUL POOL AREA AND WALKWAY
LUSH LANDSCAPE, POOLS AND OCEAN VIEWS AT KAUAI BEACH RESORT
TAKE A STROLL TO YOUR ROOM, THE POOL AND POOL BAR
DINE AT THE NAUPAKA TERRACE
TAKE A SWIM AND SHOWER UNDER THE WATERFALL
GROTTO TYPE POOL AREA
NICE OUTDOOR HOT TUB
VISIT THE GROTTO 
GUEST ROOMS HAVE POOL AND OCEAN VIEWS
TAKE A SWIM OR PLAY SOME WATER VOLLEYBALL
AQUA KAUAI BEACH RESORT GUEST ROOM
THE VIEW FROM MY UNIT IS BEAUTIFUL
GREAT VIEW OF POOLS TOO
ENJOY LUNCH AT THE POOLSIDE BAR
LARGE SALT WATER POOL WITH SLIDES AND WHITE SAND BEACH
GREAT LITTLE LAGOON FRONTING THE BEACH
LOVE THE POOL BAR HERE
LARGE LAWN AND JOGGING AREA FRONTING THE HOTEL
BEACH FRONTING HOTEL
A LITTLE ROUGH DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE HOTEL BUT GO LEFT TO GREAT BEACH
THEY BRING OUT PLENTY OF LOUNGE CHAIRS IF YOU WANT TO RELAX HERE
LOOKING BACK AT HOTEL FROM BEACH
GREAT WHITE SAND BEACH LEFT OF THE HOTEL