I was struck by the abundance of good Italian offerings on Kauai last night as I and the other members of our party at Casa di Amici reached across the table to fork from one anothers' plates bites of seafood fettuccini putanesca, porcini crusted chicken, mahogany glazed salmon, Tuscan pork loin, beef filet medallions, and calamari steaks and washed it all down with bottles of pinot noir. It was my first visit to chef Randall Yates' and wife, Joanna's, popular restaurant in Poipu. The food was great and the service friendly, but slow enough that I would recommend going with friends you enjoy chatting with, buying a bottle of wine, and settling in for a pleasant, slow paced evening.

At Kauai Pasta in downtown Lihue you'll be handed a list of specials hot off the printer reflecting what's fresh and available that day. There's almost always a seafood offering or two, and often a steak or lamb. Usually there are organic mixed greens or arugula picked earlier in the day and, if you're lucky, paired with chevre and a balsamic reduction. The specials augment a sizeable menu of traditional pasta dishes. There's also a large wine list with some nice by-the-glass offerings.

Up on the hill in Kalaheo, Pomodoro Ristorante Italiano offers a very traditional menu with great sauces and lasagna and veal and prosciutto and white wine sauces and cream sauces and slices of fresh melon and young greens and home made pastas and rustic pizzas... A wall of glass louvers provides a view across the densely forested low mountain landscape and double rainbows are a frequent sight as the late afternoon sun rakes through the moist mountain air.

- Charley Foster lives on Kauai and publishes Planet Kauai

—Kauai Charley, 12/16/07