The Tale of The Two Turleys

My husband and I agreed that our best meal in Kauai this last trip was at Blossoming Lotus in Kapaa. But we could not agree on if some of it was nostalgia - it brought back glorious memories of our first trip to Kauai together 7 years ago! We were young(er) and had just met, and went to the now defunct Pacific Cafe (also in Kapaa) to celebrate our 4 month anniversary (!!) on one of those magical, romantic it-hit-all-the-right-notes dates.

We are now 7 years older, and perhaps (we hope!) a tad wiser, but we are still romantic fools in love. So, we got cleaned up and even a bit dressed up for our "splurge meal" at what we had heard had been voted the best restaurant in Kauai. "Really?", we said. Can a vegan restaurant really be that good? Can it match up to Millenium http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com/ in SF?
And guess what, even though I was wearing a simple summer dress, and my husband a collared shirt with shorts, we were probably still the most dressed-up couple at the restaurant! But it did not matter - we were warmly greeted, and were offered a choice between indoor and outdoor seating, and promptly accomodated when we wanted to be as far away from the slightly loud (to my ears) live entertainment. We ordered the flatbread pizza and the spring rolls for our starters, and the "live lasagna" and the Moroccan seared tofu for our main courses. I was intrigued by the 2005 Turley Juvenile Zin on the wine list and after consulting with our server Joanna, we decided that it would be a good match. Besides, at $68 it was a great value for a wine that's hard to find, and in those rare occasions, it is still $40-50 at retail. Add the $15-30 corkage, and you do the math..

Needless to say, the wine went well with the food - it was especially good with the pizza and the Moroccan tofu, and pretty decent with the lasagna even. After just a bit of breathing, it came into its own, and it was everything I would expect from a Turley -- jammy and yummy! With just the right balance between soft tannins, acidity and fruit, it was pure heaven in a glass! Being "glassists", we felt that nicer glassware would have probably made this an even better experience, but even thick rimmed glassware could not prevent us from enjoying this beautiful wine!

It was a sweet romantic evening, no doubt enhanced by good food and wine, and the great personable (and personalized) service from our server. We trudged home full and happy, leftovers in hand.

We made a 2nd trip to Blossoming Lotus on our last night in town, and it was nice to have Joanna as our server again. She recognized us, and started us with the signature spicy pepitas, which are always so yummy and so addictive. We were determined to try desserts this time, so we decided to jump straight into our main courses. Once again, I wanted the Turley zin, so we chose the Moroccan Seared Tofu and the Enchilada Pie with mole sauce to match our wine. When we got our wine, I took photos but only later when I got home did I realize that we got a different wine. Instead of the 2005 Turley Juvenile that we had ordered, we had been served a 2005 Pesenti vineyard Zin. Which would explain why why this wine tasted very different from what we both remembered, and was not half as good match with the food. Don't get me wrong, it was still a good wine, but a lot more tannic than the Juvenile, and it needed at least 2-4 years to tame the tannins, and be enjoyable.

We even asked for the wine to be decanted halfway through (unfortunately, too little too late), which helped it a bit, but not significantly enough for my taste. I know that many would be happy at being served a more expensive wine than what we had ordered (and was charged for), but personally I would have taken the lower priced Juvenile over the pricier Pesenti, based upon its current drinkability quotient alone! We ended the night with the Haupia Pie - a dessert that provided the clean pure tastes of the home made coconut cream (Haupia) and macadamia nut crust, just as promised.

Overall, I would happily go back to Blossoming Lotus again the next time I am in town, but this time I will check the label on my wine bottle a bit more carefully, and make sure that we are not being sneaked an unwanted upgrade! Blossoming Lotus is definitely a testament to the creative possibilities of vegan cuisine prepared with global flair, and served in pretty surroundings by friendly, knowledgable servers it is a welcome addition to the restaurant scene in town. It is also a welcome change from the heaviness and monotony of the standard hawaiian/ continental fare found at other high end restaurants around the Garden Isle, and a great option for vegetarians/ vegans who do not have too many options on the standard menus. I sure hope the Blossoming Lotus continues to blossom and does not go the way of the Pacific Cafe. In addition, I feel good supporting a business that supports local/organic products, and believes in being kind to the earth through their sustainable business practices.

http://www.blossominglotus.com/about_kauai.htm