Anything worth moving to Hawaii for?

[Tattooed_Sousie]

I've been contemplating moving to Hawaii. Any idea of what their fine dining scene is like??
Thanks!

[yanny]

There are many fine dining restaurants in Honolulu. Alan Wong's is a fantastic one, the website it alanwongs.com. I can't post a link on this website yet...

[Stewey]

It really depends on which island you are considering moving to as well as what you mean by "fine dining".

On Oahu, in Honolulu, I am sure that you will find a number of decent restaurants--probably too many to list here--that serve good dishes and wines.

But, chances are, a lot of these restaurants will trend toward new age techniques--I refer to them as "club restaurants." You know....they look and feel like a Las Vegas night club, and come with all the scantily-clad, plastic blondes to match with the food looking more creative than tasting great. In other words, they are geared toward the tourists and party crowds.

To find some hidden treasures, it may be cliched, but Zagat is a good resource and you may need to look behyond Waikiki and Honolulu.

Now, as for the other islands, it may be a bit easier to find those hidden treasures. But they will not be as abundant.

My favorite on the big island is a french restaurant in the Kona area called "Le Bourgogne." This IS classic dishes and techniques at its finest, with a pretty good wine selection. You will find foie gras, rabbit, brie, along with each meat dish being served with an appropriate sauce, and fresh artisinal breads. It is a small cozy restaurant that won't disappoint.

But remember, this is Hawaii, so do expect a little more casual atmosphere even at the finer restaurants.

On Kauai, I don't think I have found a good classical place, BUT that is probably because on that island, I stick to the local food (Tip Top Cafe, anyone?) Kauai does have the trendy "Roy's". It's good food, but I prefer the less trendy places that focus on old school dishes and techniques. And, you will always find excellent restaurants at country clubs and the major resort hotels--try Princeville on Kauai.

Those are just a few of my suggestions. We can chat more if you need!

[Tattooed_Sousie]

I was actually thinking about Kona. I've worked all over, but for some reason, Hawai'i is calling me!!!

[oldschool1982]

You mean other than the near perfect year round weather, little to no insect life, the scenery, living almost a stones throw (in every direction) from some of the most beautiful beaches the world round ...

Been three times and culinarily speaking I have enjoyed myself imensely!

I just wonder if you could grow tired of Paradise!

[AprilB]

Well, if you like unbelievable fresh tropical fruits it's a start.

My daughter and I had the pleasure of visiting La'haina (I think that's how it's spelled) and Honolulu.

La'haina wasn't that interesting. It was pretty, but very touristy, muggy and kind of small. (Don't get more than a single scoop of ice cream there)

Honolulu was fabulous! We had a fantastic meal at a fine dining establishment close to where our ship was docked.

The food was outstanding and very reasonable for our dining experience.

I took time to read some local newspapers and whatnot. I honestly didn't find a huge discrepancy in prices there than, say, San Francisco.

I love volcanos and would have loved to go to the big island but we didn't dock there.

I intend to go back at some point. I've lived in tropical areas (central america) before and you either love the rain or you hate it. If we could move easily that would be my first choice of all of the US.

April