Month: November 2024

beach house restaurant – kauai

i am lucky enough to have multiple friends who grew up in kauai so figuring out where to go once on the island was a no brainer. from the views to the cocktails to the cuisine, one of the restaurants at the top of my list was beach house restaurant – kauai.

no ka oi – ocean vodka, thai basil, fresh lime, honey-lilikoi purée
fresh focaccia
poke tacos

the no ka oi was light and subtly sweet with a little punch at the end. i am going to try my hand at recreating it at home. while anj is gluten free, enzo and i aren’t so we enjoyed the focaccia without her. there was no way i was going to be in hawaii and not have fresh fish everywhere we went – the poke tacos were to die for. the wonton shells were light and flaky and the ahi melted like butter.

fish and lobster pasta

for my main course, i had the fish and lobster pasta. i thoroughly enjoyed the freshness of the fish, the buttery lobster, the saltiness of the capers and the delightful sauce. i pretty much never say no to a savory dish. the meal was substantial without me feeling stuffed. there is something great about knowing how the meal we were eating was locally sourced. after dinner, we took a moment to take on the water and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

damn, this view is hard to beat. if you find yourself in kauai, be sure to make a reservation at beach house restaurant – kauai via opentable.

xoxo,

k. tap

the libra club

there were many parts of my trip to kauai that i loved but one that stood out most was my tattoo session with mckenzie. welcome to the libra club.

the libra club magazine
chess + checkers
one of the tattoo stations

hillary, one of my dear friends (and fellow aquarians), knew that i was in the market for a couple of new tattoos. when we were at dinner earlier this summer, she couldn’t rave more about the libra club. the moment i walked in, i understood why. so many tattoo shops i have been to have a vibe that isn’t inviting or comfortable. many of them just seem like they are missing a little something. once inside of the libra club, i realized what was missing – feminine energy.

the libra club is owned by a woman and filled with amazing female artists. the space felt light and safe. it was an added bonus that there was great natural light, a/c on full blast (necessary when battling the hawaii humidity) and plenty of cute things to buy. when it was time to get started, i felt completely at ease. mckenzie, the owner, was my artist. i had sent her some ideas ahead of time but also told her i was open to her putting her own spin on it. i truly couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.

compass tattoo with flowers

for anyone that knows me, it is no secret that i view connie (my late grandmother aka grammy) as my compass. i cannot even tell you how many times per week i think about what grammy would say when making a decision – whether it is what throw pillows to get to what advice to give a friend to how to handle conflict at work, she always knew just what to do. with grammy in my heart, my sense of direction is exactly where it needs to be. i cannot thank mckenzie enough for creating something so beautiful to honor the most beautiful person i’ve ever known. if you find yourself in kauai, be sure to visit the libra club.

xoxo,

k. tap