It’s been a while since I’ve had food that’s as gorgeous as Red Salt’s. Bursting with color and flavor, it’s a feast for the senses. Most of the menu relies on extremely fresh produce from Sheldonia Farm in Omao and
It’s been a while since I’ve had food that’s as gorgeous as Red Salt’s. Bursting with color and flavor, it’s a feast for the senses. Most of the menu relies on extremely fresh produce from Sheldonia Farm in Omao and on the day that I go, there are two spectacular appetizer specials.
Paper-thin slices of watermelon radish are draped over orange segments and delicate mounds of mascarpone mousse, which is folded with macadamia nuts and herbs. Next to the “ravioli” are silky rounds of golden fennel and turmeric puree. Okinawan spinach, with leaves that are dark purple on the back and deep green on the top, garnish the appetizer along with passion fruit drops with crunchy black seeds. The dazzling dish is an explosion of color, flavor and texture.
By comparison, the seafood lasagna has the tender promise of spring. Delicate semolina crepe “noodles” infused with chives cling to layers of a mousse made with Kauai Shrimp, lobster, apple bananas, sweet corn, chilies, garlic and Maui sweet onions. A frothy infusion of house-made macadamia nut milk, citrus, lemongrass and ginger envelopes the lasagna, which is garnished with edible violets and a sprinkle of Spain’s mild Espelette pepper.
Located inside Poipu’s Koa Kea Resort, Red Salt serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Executive chef Adam Watten and his team create food that’s understated and elegant, much like the ambiance. Floor to ceiling windows reveal the pool outside and the ocean beyond. White leather couches on white marble floors flank the lounge at the dining room’s entrance.
“After Hurricane Iniki, we used the skeleton of the hotel and reinvented it,” explains Watten, “breathing new life into it. We are doing something new with something old. The food mirrors that. We use classic techniques and do something new with the food.”
Red Salt’s upscale Kalua Pork appetizer ($13) is made with Snake River Farms Kurobuta pork, an antibiotic-free, purebred Berkshire hog that is considered to be the equivalent to Kobe beef. Crisp Feuilles de Brick pastry is wrapped around pork confit with fresh pineapple at its center. The cylinders sit on an apricot soy glaze and are served under a guava smoke-filled glass.
Tiny cubes of tender ahi are the base for Ahi Carpaccio ($17). On top, crunchy squares of Big Island heart of palm, pickled ogo (an edible seaweed), slivered red onion, chives and fresh jalapeno are tossed in a yuzu vinaigrette. A flurry of tempura crisps support amber ponzu pearls.
Seared Rack of Lamb ($46) pairs four juicy Colorado-raised loin chops with blocks of mango gelée and mango chutney. A side of creamy cauliflower couscous puts fat beads of tender couscous against toothsome bits of lightly cooked cauliflower, which are tossed with garlic, shallots, butter, and Pecorino cheese. A pool of tamarind glaze is flavored with house-made veal stock, wine, star anise, black peppercorns, lemongrass and coriander.
“My team is as passionate about this restaurant as I am,” says Watten. “We take a lot of pride in what we do, we pay attention to the details and I think people can taste that.”
• Marta Lane, a food writer on Kauai since 2010, offers farm to fork food tours and is the author of Tasting Kauai: Restaurants – From Food Trucks to Fine Dining, A Guide to Eating Well on the Garden Island. For more information, visit TastingKauai.com.
