Stepping into the Mediterranean Gourmet is like entering another world. Hanging lanterns gleam like jeweled globes, gauzy curtains drape around alcoves beneath a soaring ceiling. A long wall of windows offers every table a view of waves sweeping in toward
Stepping into the Mediterranean Gourmet is like entering another world. Hanging lanterns gleam like jeweled globes, gauzy curtains drape around alcoves beneath a soaring ceiling. A long wall of windows offers every table a view of waves sweeping in toward the North Shore.
And the food is just as magnificent.
Many people hear “Mediterranean” and assume the Haena restaurant serves only Greek food, said co-owner Yarrow Beydoun.
“There’s so much wonderful food throughout that region,” from France, Italy, Spain, Lebanon and Greece, she explained. “So we try to bring our favorites from those regions, and bring them to our menu.”
Then, “we add a little Hawaiian influence,” such as Hanalei poi pancakes for Sunday brunch.
The appetizer menu is full of Lebanese dishes — “that’s our core base,” said Yarrow, who was raised on Kauai and returned with her Beirut-born husband, co-owner and executive chef Imad Beydoun, to raise their two sons here.
But the entrees hail from other countries, such as chicken marsala (Italy), gyro (Greece), paella (Spain), and rack of lamb (France).
“All the wonderful food from throughout that region, it’s really healthy, but it’s also full of lots of flavors,” Yarrow Beydoun said.
And it’s all very fresh, Imad Beydoun promised, opening the walk-in refrigerator to show off three huge, fresh-caught ahi hanging from hooks, and trays of organic greens from Kailani Farms in Kilauea.
“Everything’s made in-house: all the dressings, the hummus, tahini, tzatziki … all the desserts,” he said. “We don’t buy any boxes, or serve frozen food.”
Plus, he added, “We try to make it reasonable, to let you enjoy it.”
Enjoyable, it certainly was.
A trio of hummus (traditional, sun-dried tomato and pesto, served with pita bread for $9.95) offered the wonderfully garlicky hummus the Beydouns used to sell at farmers markets, before they got too busy with the restaurant.
The kale salad ($9.95) was a delightful mix of Kilauea kale tossed with mango tahini, pine nuts, goat cheese and grape tomatoes, with Medjool dates adding a surprising sweetness.
The Falafel Lettuce Wrap was an assortment of rich textures and flavors. Falafel patties were served on leaves of Romaine with tahini, nestled next to hummus, babaganush and quinoa tabouleh ($23.95).
And the rosemary rack of lamb was a work of art. Australian free-range lamb was arranged over tiny mounds of garlic mashed potatoes and elegant green beans, topped with artfully curlicued carrots, on a platter drizzled with an orange balsamic reduction ($34.95, or a full rack for $67.95).
A sweet finish was furnished by the signature dessert: coconut baklava ($8), whose flaky sheets of Phyllo dough cradled buttery coconut, seasoned with rose water syrup.
Mediterranean Gourmet has earned an impressive collection of culinary accolades since opening in 2006, including a slew of Hale Aina Awards from Honolulu Magazine and nods from OpenTable.com and TripAdvisor.com.
“We’ve been very blessed,” Yarrow Beydoun said.
“We depend on the local clientele here in the neighborhood,” as well as guests from the next-door Hanalei Colony Resort and referrals from Princeville resorts, she said. “We’re lucky enough to have a wonderful relationship with those hotels.”
The restaurant also draws a number of celebrities, many of whom appreciate the privacy afforded by the “Pierce Brosnan corner,” explained manager Mark Helgeson.
“The energy they’re creating here, it’s just neat. It’s very family,” he said of the Beydouns. “They’re very entwined with the community. It creates a whole vibe.”
A luau replaces the regular dinner service every Tuesday. Featuring the Coppin Colburn family, the luau is limited to 80-100 guests, and sells out weeks in advance.
“We’re trying to create a smaller, intimate-style luau,” Beydoun said, with a strong focus on Hawaiian hula. “We’re looking to provide less of a Hollywood spectacle.”
Beydoun, a Level I sommelier who is working on her Level II license, also wants to focus on guests’ enjoyment of wine.
“I’ve always had a passion for wines from around the world, and teaching people about them, and I use my wine list and menu as a way of doing that,” she explained.
“We have a pretty extensive wine list from the Mediterranean region … and a lot of California wines, because they’re so wonderful.”
A special wine pairing menu is offered for early diners. Those carefully selected meals “can introduce wines our guests may not have tried before — to give them something different to try, and to expand their palate,” Beydoun said.
And every Wednesday, bottles of wine are half-price. “It allows (guests) to try something that might be out of their price range, or try something new,” said Beydoun.
On a recent Saturday, I watched whitecaps on the storm-tossed waves take on a warm glow as the sun set just up the coastline, and a singer began to croon the evening’s live entertainment. The winds may have been too strong for the tiki torches that night, but the scene was magical anyway.
“We’re just very lucky to be in such a beautiful location,” Beydoun said.
“It’s just a really special spot.”
Mediterranean Gourmet is at 5-7132 Kuhio Highway, four miles north of Hanalei. It is open daily for lunch and dinner, with a Tuesday luau and Sunday brunch. Many dishes are designated gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian, even halal or kosher.
For reservations or more information, call 826-9875 or go to www.kauaimedgourmet.com.
