Collab feasts launch at the Aqua Kauai Beach Resort
Most people think of Kauai as a sleepy place of simple tastes and more classic dining options, but that seems to be changing. As the Aqua Kauai Beach Resort gave their property a face lift, corporate chef Eric Faivre and the hotel’s chef Rodman Machado brought a new foodie concept to life.
Machado had been with Kauai’s famous farm-to-table cafe, Common Ground, until they closed in 2014, and that probably had a huge impact on his desire to share the Garden Island’s bounty through his work. He described the magical way the ground and the vegetables spoke to him, guiding his menu each day to provide their optimal flavors. So each quarter, the Kauai Beach Resort will offer a farm-to-table Chef’s Feast dinner, where Machado collaborates with a local farm, chef or company to create a theme event. Since joining the hotel in April 2016, Machado has created theme feasts such as ‘ulu four ways, or centered on local beer or rum pairings.
Rodman Machado, left, and Sheldon Simeon.
This past weekend was the first chef collab, where chef Sheldon Simeon of “Top Chef” fame worked with Machado and his farmers on a menu that explored what heritage, legacy, and future of cuisine in Hawaii meant to them. Here’s what we had:
Koloa Fleur cocktail, a mix of Koloa white rum, elderflower liqueur, cranberry juice and lime.
Passed appetizer: Ahi tartare on an ‘ulu chip with pickled beets and truffle creme.
Passed appetizer: Kilauea lamb meatball with braised turnip and baba ganoush. Missing: Honey walnut shrimp. I left the table to take some other photos and when I finally came back, appetizer time was done!
Sabao and rice, a Filipino comfort food similar to other Asian rice bowls like jook and ochazuke. This featured Kauai clams sautéed in bacon, sea asparagus, Pinoy trinity, chicken fat rice, and ginger soup. I could have just eaten a large bowl of this for dinner and be done! Paired with a 2015 Langlois-Chateau Sancerre.
Braised Kilauea lamb shank tortellini with wilted chard, Kauai honey-glazed carrots, and natural jus. There’s no gaminess to this lamb, and you won’t eat it anywhere else but here because of the relationship Machado has with them. Paired with a 2012 Calista Pinot Noir “The Coast Range.”
Uku, Pak, Ulu: Simeon used butter, butter and more butter for this dish of pan-roasted uku, pak choy choke three ways, and Robuchon-style ‘ulu. Needless to say, it was a winna. Paired with the same wine as the previous dish.
The grand finale: Kaneshiro crispy pork belly “Tinono” style with Kilauea tomatoes salad, cilantro ginger persillade, turnip cake and garlic chips. The pork was perfectly crispy with the right balance of fat and lean meat. I also really liked the turnip cake, which was a nice substitute for a normal starch. Paired with a 2013 Quivera Vineyards Zinfandel.
The chefs called this an “intense” halohalo martini, using coconut-flavored shave ice, sweet potato, and palm fruit. You got the full effect by taking a bite of this and a bite of the tapioca banana creme brulee with Koloa coconut rum at the same time.
And finally, the Koloa coffee rum nightcap that everyone was invited to enjoy around the fire pit. The perfect transition to a kanack attack!
If you want to try the next quarterly Kauai Beach Resort Chef’s Feast, check with the Naupaka Terrace early, as the event has only 50 seats and they sell out. Tickets are $100, plus tax and tip.
Chef’s Feast at the Naupaka Terrace
Aqua Kauai Beach Resort
4331 Kauai Beach Dr.
808-245-1955
