Kauai's Family Restaurant

Since I haven't written a blog in forever, I thought I'd just post my first English 102 paper. It was an investigative assignment on any location in Seattle. I chose to write a paper on Kauai's Family Restaurant, a place I like to eat at every hoo-bee-da-hoo. I received full credit for this assignment. Of course, everyone did as long as they revised their paper with the teacher's written corrections. I could end this intro with a "Hope you enjoy!" or just "Enjoy!" But, instead, I'll end with, "Enjoy?"

One of the biggest advantages to living in the Seattle area is having so many dining options. The restaurant selection is vast and varying, a result of the area’s culturally diverse population. With Seattle being part of the Pacific Rim, there is an especially wide range of Asian & Pacific Islander fare. You don’t have to go far to find Chinese dim sum in the International District, scrumptious pad thai in various neighborhood Thai restaurants, and sushi in downtown Seattle satisfying to even Japanese tourists. Even the tastes of the Hawaiian Islands can be found in several local restaurants like Kona Kitchen in Mapleleaf, Ohana in Belltown, and L&L Hawaiian Barbeque in Lynnwood. Although there are a handful of these establishments to please the cravings for island cuisine, none offer truly authentic Hawaiian food & atmosphere like the Kauai Family Restaurant.

The Kauai Family Restaurant is tucked away in a strip mall in the industrial district of Georgetown just south of Michigan Street on 6th Avenue South. Opened in 1993 as noted on the restaurant’s website, Kauai is a welcome alternative to the numerous fast food and teriyaki joints in the immediate vicinity. Open Tuesday through Saturday until 5pm, Kauai depends not only on workers from local businesses but also from Hawaiians who now consider Puget Sound home, as referenced on the website’s “About” section. From the outside, there is barely any indication that Kauai is a local Hawaiian favorite, as its plain exterior blends in with the surrounding industrial area. Once inside, however, the flavors of Hawaii are evident both in the tantalizing smell of the food and in the subtle Hawaiian décor. The scenic island photos, Hawaiian print tablecloths, and other simple decorations give Kauai a fitting laid back island feel.

According to the restaurant’s website, Peter Buza, owner, cook and native of Kekaha, Kauai, proudly considers Kauai Family Restaurant’s dishes as “the only authentic Hawaiian food in town.” Buza, one of six children, originally came to Seattle in 1975 to attend the University of Washington but ended up back in Kauai where he learned to make the traditional foods of the island. He eventually returned to Seattle and opened Kauai Family Restaurant. It is indeed a family affair with Buza’s nephew helping in the kitchen, his sister running the bakery next door, and other family members serving customers (“Kauai Family Restaurant”). Though this limited staff may result in longer waits during peak hours, it is worth the wait in the quality of food and the courtesy of the service.

Contrary to popular belief, the appearance of Spam on a restaurant’s menu does not necessarily constitute an authentic Hawaiian restaurant. Kauai Family Restaurant prepares Hawaiian favorites like Kalua Pork, Lau Lau, and Lomi Salmon, which is “salt salmon massaged into bits mixed with chopped tomatoes and onions and served chilled,” described perfectly in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Penelope Corcoran. The Lau Lau is a dish prepared with beef or pork and some salted fish, wrapped in taro and ti leaves and steamed overnight. There are also hearty dishes such as Loco Moco, a hamburger patty with rice, fried egg, and gravy in a bowl (Corcoran). Of course, those looking for Spam will find it either with rice and eggs for breakfast or in the Spam Masubi, a slice of soy sauce seasoned fried spam and rice wrapped in seaweed.

The other Hawaiian restaurants in Seattle, like Ohana, Kona Kitchen, and L&L Barbeque, serve basically the same menu items as the ones offered at Kauai Family Restaurant. In my experience dining at these other establishments, I have been impressed with the quick service and more aesthetically pleasing décor. However, I can’t help but notice the greeters, servers, or cooks who aren’t of Hawaiian or, even, Asian descent. There is something to be said about the legitimacy of a culture’s cuisine. Hawaiian authenticity is in the recipes that have been passed on from the islands, in the owner, cooks, and wait staff who are of true Hawaiian descent, and in the regular native Hawaiian patrons who return time and time again to Kauai Family Restaurant to experience the food and atmosphere that reminds them so much of home.


Works Cited:
Corcoran, Penelope. “Cheap Eats: Kauai Family Restaurant.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 25 October 2002. 5 October 2005 [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/92707_eat25.shtml].

“Kauai Family Restaurant.” Kauai Family Restaurant Website. 5 October 2005.[http://www.kauaifamilyrestaurant.com/about.htm].