Jill "Great Expectations" D.'s Profile

Since we are awaiting the birth of our firstborn on Kauai, I obviously need medical care regularly.
My Kaiser insurance indicated that this would be the closest location for my doctor visits so I obliged by making an appointment. The staff was super friendly and helpful and the doctor I met with was also great. I can't remember his name but he recently relocated from Michigan this past August. He was completely honest and forthright when I discussed my desire for an epidural (and all manners of anesthesia available) and the fact that KVMH (where he was contracted) didn't offer them. I appreciated him giving me a great visit despite knowing I would most likely never see him again unless he possessed an animal tranquilizer gun during my labor.

Apparently, these guys are under new ownership and the quality has REALLY gone down. $35 for a super pizza?! First of all, we counted exactly FOUR slices of green pepper on the entire pizza. Second, the taste sucked...sauce tasted canned and the overall pizza lacked proper seasoning. Finally, we had it for a SECOND time when a friend brought over another pizza the following night and it was also just a solid "meh". I thought maybe the substitution of white for whole wheat would make a difference but no, still not impressive.
The only thing I have liked from here is the salad. That's NOT what I go to a pizza place for though. My husband was totally disgusted and says we will not be ordering from here again...he was a Brick Oven loyalist from day one so this was a BIG surprise. My SIL said she had given up in favor of the local Pizza Hut some time ago.
Sorry Brick Oven, you're NOT the local favorite these days. After trying 3 different pizzas from you on three separate occasions, I won't be going back a fourth time. My tastebuds have surrendered.

I seriously contemplated giving this place 4 stars but I just couldn't because it IS a Pizza Hut.
What I will give this place is it's props. Located almost across the street from Brick Oven Pizza, this place kicks it's ass! AND it's less than half the price!
Look, I know it's Pizza Hut. I'm not a fan of chain restaurants but I am a fan of a decent meal at a decent price. Compared to Brick Oven, this is far superior. They have delivery, which is a real bonus anywhere in Hawaii and the food is exactly what you might expect...maybe even better. Their pastas are tasty, the breadsticks suck and their salads are fresh but ask for an extra salad dressing since they are too big for just one.
Sorry Brick Oven, you are slipping quickly from local favorite to local joke since many in the neighborhood would rather order from this place than you. My family and self included.

I'm not a huge fan of Big Save. They are like a larger version of a convenience store as far as selection is concerned and their prices are pretty high. Places like this are what people think of when they are talking about how pricey things are in Hawaii as compared to the mainland. Unfortunately, they are the closest thing to a grocery store (I suppose technically they are) to me so for those impromptu trips you just have to suck it up, I suppose.
Avoid their produce section if you can (honestly it's so small as to be nearly nonexistant) since it's on the more depressing side and has a VERY small variety of organics. If you're a tourist, shopping for groceries, I would advise going to Costco in Lihue if you can deal with the bulk or hitting up the other stores in Lihue since the price difference will be way closer to the actual value of the item.

This place is solid and reliable for a good plate lunch. While, I wasn't the hugest fan of the poke, it was still decent and the kalua pork was SUPER yummy. They have sodas, water and Hawaiian Sun juices available as beverages. There's no real seating to speak of and it's true counter style ordering with an almost drive-in kind of feel. They have some desserts available but almost right across the street is the legendary Lappert's Ice Cream so I'd forgo a dessert from here in favor of heading over there. Great location since they're right around the corner from a school and park area and right at the beginning of Hanapepe. Good place to stop and grab some ono kine grindz and then head to your next spot. Pretty inexpensive but I think they are cash only.

Back when I was living with my Nicaraguan ex-boyfriend we went here for nacatamales. He thought it was one of the only places to get them but, in all honesty, he was not too in touch with his roots so that could be a gross misstatement. However, they were large and tasty plus relatively inexpensive which are all good things in my book.
Cheap, delicious, by the pound, homemade on the spot tortillas and carnitas were also amazing.
Given that there's no real Mexican food on Kauai (where I now live) much less a mexiatessen I'd gladly go here again in a heartbeat.

I love me some fro-yo, especially now that I'm preggo. I was very excited that this place opened quite close to where I worked just before I left on maternity leave.
Until I tasted the yogurt.
Lucky for my coworker and I, we were there on a grand opening day so everything was half off. I tried the mango tart, original tart, and pumpkin flavors. Basically the only thing I liked was the mango tart. I'm not a toppings person but there were plenty to choose from.
It's a clean location, the staff is friendly and they take cash and credit. Yogurt is self serve and $0.39 an ounce.
I'd give this place 2 1/2 stars if that were an option but alas! It's an okay place for the neighborhood (which thrives on mediocrity) but it's not a standout place to get an amazing fro-yo fix.

Best dog park EV-AR!
I understand some people's issues with there not being sections segregating big from small dogs (and I have a chihuahua) but I still think this is the best dog park I've ever been to.
There's really something for everyone...err...everydog here. If your dog is a water dog there's plenty of water to swim and fetch sticks and balls in. If your dog prefers chasing balls on the lawn there's wide expanses of green space to do so as well. It's a huge fenced in park with several spots with bathrooms (for people) and some park benches or picnic tables if you want to sit and enjoy the sight of doggie nirvana. My little guy had an absolute blast here and I was so happy to see him interacting off leash with so many well adjusted and well behaved dogs. There's also a small coffee shop where you can get beverages, sandwiches, snacks and the like conveniently located in the main parking area. There's also a dog washing/grooming station for those of you who need to hose down after your hound rolls around.
Sancho hearts it!

Brunch with my buddies is one of my most favorite things to do. Brunch with my buddies AND bottomless mimosas is the best combination since peanut butter and jelly.
However, I am pregnant. And YES this means no bottomless mimosas (or alcohol or cigarettes or drugs or...you get the point) for me. But I am not a completely heartless bitch (just partially heartless) and so when my buddies are enjoying bottomless mimosas here I can still enjoy brunch and their company without feeling spiteful...err...sort of.
Brunch here is actually REALLY good. I'm surprised, because the other places that offer bottomless mimosas (Lime, Barracuda) are not the greatest in terms of food offerings. I had the goat cheese fondue and the mussels. I was impressed by the amount of food I got since these were both appetizer fare and it was pretty tasty. In fact, I enjoyed just about everything about Luna Park except for the fact that my orange juice was $3.50.
This may seem like a small thing to quibble about but when I'm already spending $21 on appetizers it seems unfair to charge me $2.50 LESS than what my buddies are paying for bottomless mimosas. Can't I have bottomless orange juice? Since when was orange juice more expensive than champagne (or it's cheap sparkling wine equivalent)?
Other than that small blip, I would definitely go back. But I will stick with the free water next time and forgo the orange juice.

Maybe it's just me but when I go into certain chain restaurants I visited during my childhood I flashback to those moments briefly.
Sizzler is one of those places. Unfortunately, the flashback is to the unpleasant weeks we (mother and younger brother) would spend with maternal grandmere (who hated me) in the armpit of Hell, otherwise known as Yucca Valley. Sizzler is big over there. Like epic standards and people line up for days like it's a really awesome club or movie premiere.
My grandmere seemed to think that those heavier set individuals were also deaf in addition to being fat. She would comment about how fat they were loudly and frequently much to our utter horror.
So yeah, Sizzler reminds me of that and, until last night, I had not set foot in one since I was 17.
Hubby and I went to this Sizzler mostly because we figured it would be cheap for hella food and, since I'm 7 months pregnant this equals good deal. There was hella food but at $44 it wasn't exactly cheap.  The salad bar is pretty worked over and I wasn't exactly loving my ribs. Hubbys' bottomless shrimp were tasty and he ate about 40 of those to "make it worth it" lol.
I wouldn't go back. It just wasn't that great and it wasn't cheap enough to justify that part.
However, the bonus of not having to go with grandmere was still worth at least one extra star.