Hawaii Day 2: Ken's, Cronies, and Cafe Pesto

This morning, we got up and went for a walk, ending up at Ken's House of Pancakes - a Hilo institution that has a huge menu, is open 24 hours, and serves pancakes with 3 tropical syrup options - coconut, guava, and passion fruit.



I couldn't resist their 'kokonut pancakes', which I smothered in passion fruit syrup. Yum. Dan went for some French toast with Portuguese sausage.



After some wedding related errands, we met back up with Dan's parents for some lunch.



We went to a place called Cronies, which reminds me of a lot of the brewpubs in Seattle where you can get a pint and a burger or salad - though I've never had the option of a fresh ahi Caesar salad back in Seattle.



And we ended the evening at Cafe Pesto, for our version of a rehearsal dinner. It was more of a welcome dinner, and everyone who came over from the mainland for the wedding joined us for dinner at this Italian/Hawaiian restaurant.



Dan coordinated ahead of time with the restaurant, so they had a huge table already set up, and we'd selected only certain menu items to be available to our guests (to help the restaurant out). The drink menu, however, was wide open. I couldn't resist a passion fruit & mango margarita with Li Hing Mui powder on the rim. It's like a salty/sweet/sour powder derived from plums, which was introduced to Hawai'i - and has become a staple in candies and cocktails on the islands.



Dan & I shared our appetizers, going for the crab cake salad and the calimari. Both were exceptionally good.



For my entree, I ordered the scallops, shrimp, and pasta, which was thankfully much different than the scallop pasta I had the night before. Starting with such simple tasting main components, they were able to create a really flavorful, complex dish. The pasta was the biggest surprise, as it had a bit of a spicy kick.



We finished the night off with a chocolate ganache cake, with raspberry coulee, which was amazingly rich and wonderful. The staff at Cafe Pesto took great care of us, particularly our super-nice waiter. He definitely made Dan & I feel special, making sure to take our orders first as the 'guests of honor'.