Avalon Gastropub in Kapaa, Kauai

Dining Outside the Home: Avalon Gastropub in Kapaa, Kauai! When a waiter at another restaurant tells you where he goes after a hard day, you sit up and take notice. Avalon Gastropub is a trailblazer for this genre on the island. It is a place that offers a casual, yet refined atmosphere. The top-notch food and drink selections step up the freshness and creativity of the daily menu. Crabmeat Crostini is one of those delectable special features. The chef recommended Scotch Egg features a soft boiled egg wrapped in pork belly sausage. It’s one of several tantalizing small plates, that’s for sure. Some crafted cocktails aim to tickle the palate with smoke-infused alcoholic beverages, such as the Jalapeño Smoked Margarita shown here. It actually comes to the table in a smoker box. Talk about a multi-sensory experience.

Dining Outside the Home: MIA of Oxford, Ohio

Smooth jazz set the stage for a celebration dinner at an intimate table for two in a private curtained alcove set apart from others. The flickering candlelight seemed to dance off the red lampshade casting tiny shadows across the stemmed water glasses. Dinner was divine: Filet mignon upon a bleu-cheese risotto cake served impressively with a delicate pink plumeria as its crown. Is it any wonder the magic of its allure transported us to a tropical island where these same flowers lure Sphinx moths to their fragrant petals? The attention to detail earned this upscale restaurant a five star rating, in my opinion.