Let’s Talk Food: A Foodie in Kailua-Kona

Mi’s Waterfront Bistro

We spent last weekend in Kona in celebration of my birthday with family. Sons Reid and Dean treated me to a wonderful dinner at Mi’s Waterfront Bistro in Waterfront Row in Kailua-Kona. It was nice to see Chef Morgan Starr as our paths crossed several years ago when we both were judges at the KTA Super Store’s Kona Coffee Festival.

Mi’s Italian Bistro, formerly in Kealakekua, is now closed so owners Morgan and Ingrid Starr can concentrate on their new location that opened on Father’s Day.

Diana Duff, a plant adviser, educator, and consultant living on an organic farm in Captain Cook, wrote a very nice article about Ingrid Chan in West Hawaii Today on June 12. Chef Morgan was so excited about the nice write-up that he gave me one of his extra copies. His wife, Ingrid, grew up in Malaysia, attended an acclaimed Swiss Hotel Management School in Switzerland, and interned in Zurich, Singapore and Las Vegas. Then in 2001, she met Morgan who was working in a restaurant in Nevada. A year later they married and moved to Hawaii where Morgan was the chef at the Beach House restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort, Hualalai.

Chef Morgan loves to garden and found it a struggle to do it in Las Vegas, but when they moved to Kaloko, Kona, began growing all kinds of vegetables. Ingrid’s two daughters, Yi, 8-years-old, and Mei, 6-years-old, help their mom tend to the garden daily. There is also a 6-month-old daughter who will soon learn to help out, too.

Sitting in the restaurant, you are surrounded by pots of various herbs. Our grandson, Quentin, found lavender next to his chair and proceeded to pick them. There was also rosemary, oregano and basil in the pots around us.

House-made pasta is featured. I had the spicy fettuccine with Hamakua mushrooms, sweet onions, tomato and bok choy, with a light lemon butter sauce. The pasta is cooked perfectly and quite delicate. I almost feel that “OO” Italian flour was used to make the pasta as the gluten “bite” when all-purpose flour is used was not present. (“OO” Italian flour has less protein (gluten) than all-purpose flour, therefore when making homemade pasta, will produce silkier noodles.)

Our grandnephew, Samuel Morton, visiting us from Norman, Okla., has never eaten cioppino so I ordered the Island Style Cioppino, a rich broth of tomato and local fennel simmered with clams, scallops, prawns, and blue crab, and served with grilled garlic bread and pesto aioli. He enjoyed it.

Using many fruits from Ingrid’s garden, some interesting desserts include Banana Rum Flambe, with Mi’s Special Vanilla Macadamia Nut Caramel over Tropical Dreams Vanilla Ice Cream and Banana Bread or Big Island Meyer Lemon Crème Brulee.

We realized how much we miss Pescatore’s in Hilo as we enjoyed the great Italian cuisine of Mi’s Waterfront Bistro. The view of the ocean as we dined is also a great asset to this new restaurant.

Mi’s Waterfront Bistro is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, located at 75-5770 Alii Drive. Call Mi’s at 329-3880 for reservations.

Frenchman’s Café

Chef Gil and Flo Cavalini-Breuil were here as tourists several times, fell in love with the island, and decided to move here to a start a business. Gill loved the small town atmosphere of Kailua-Kona and opened Frenchman’s Café about one year ago. Having Flo wait on you with her beautiful French accent is the start of a great French experience in the Kona Marketplace. Savory breakfast crepes are made of buckwheat flour while the sweet crepes are made with flour. Dining with my son Dean, you can be sure that he orders nearly one of every interesting crepe. We ate about 5 savory and two sweet crepes.

Frenchman’s Café is open from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. and is located on 75-5729 Alii Drive. There is parking available for the Kona Marketplace.

Here is my favorite recipe for crepes. A well-seasoned crepe pan is very helpful.

French Crepes

Makes 12

In a large bowl, mix together:

1-1/2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Stir in:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons melted butter

Heat crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan and tip to spread to cover pan. When bubbles form on top and edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter. Fill with whipped cream, cream cheese and fruit.

Summer Youth Academy

We just completed another three weeks of Summer Youth Academy at Hawaii Community College. Thanks to my volunteer assistants Amanda Chung, Jeanine Horio and Samuel Morton for helping me work with 15 students who wanted to learn about the foods of the world.

I hope everyone has a great and safe summer! I found it so interesting that I know so many parents and grandparents of my students.

Email me at audreywilson808@gmail.com.