After checking out Hilo for a bit we headed to our destination for the next two evenings, Volcano Village. Years ago, the Missus and I spent our honeymoon at Volcano House and we have always had a great affection for the Big Island. One of our traditions is visiting Volcanoes National Park whenever we're on the Big Island, though we both had a hard time believing it had been a decade since our last visit!
I had been very excited about our visit because at the time I booked this trip, both Halemaʻumaʻu and Mauna Loa were erupting! Something that I had always wanted to see; especially at Halemaʻumaʻu Crater in Kilauea Caldera. Sadly, by the 9th of December, the eruption ended. I was kind of bummed. But to our amazement on January 5th Halemaʻumaʻu Crater started erupting again!
So, we headed right into Volcanoes National Park and stopped at the Visitors Center.
Our experiences with Rangers at National Parks have always been wonderful and this was no different. We were given info and told that the lava activity could be viewed from Kilauea Overlook. To my surprise we easily found parking and just a few yards away was the viewpoint. We enjoyed the view and stayed for a while.
We then headed off to check-in at our accommodations. I wasn't able to get reservations at Volcano House and decided we should stay in Volcano Village near the entrance to the national park. I picked Kilauea Lodge, which turned out to be a wonderful place to stay.
This was the former location of a YMCA Camp and the wonderfully comfortable rooms and amazing staff made staying here a pleasure.
The sound of the birds chirping, surrounded by rain forest…….so different from our "real world".
The Missus and I wanted to head back to see the eruption at night, so we inquired about dinner reservations. The great staff got us dinner reservations early….the place seemed totally booked, so we could head off to watch the lava action. We then took a short walk around the hotel grounds and rested up for a bit, before walking over to the dining room, which was a large rustic space with the "Fireplace of Friendship" as the centerpiece.
The customers were a mix of Kama'ainas and Tourists. Though it seems the locals come for happy hour and leave early.
We were happy to note that the focus is on local produce and ingredients.
We started with some Crabcakes ($14).
The crabcakes were on the dry and bland side and the panko crust just wasn't crisp enough for us. The crab just lacked the delicate sweetness we look for.
For Her main, the Crispy Tofu ($28). While the tofu wasn't fried and crisp enough, the produce was amazing.
The cauliflower was buttery and sweet and the mushrooms were so meaty and earthy, they were the highlight of the plate.
I got the catch of the day ($35) which was Ahi.
Again, the highlight of the plate were the veggies; the cauliflower and even the potatoes were so tasty. Sadly, the ahi was cooked to death and dry. The lemon-butter sauce could have used a bit more seasoning and acidity as it was quite bland.
Still, the service was so warm and friendly, our water was kept filled….no wine on this evening as we'd be heading back into the park. The staff here is amazing as we saw several very entitled and demanding customers and yet he staff still handled things with grace and aloha. The service made this a nice meal.
Kilauea Lodge Restaurant
19-3948 Old Volcano Road
Volcano Village, HI 96785
After dinner, we headed back into the park. And man, was it busy. We were guided to a field close to Kilauea Military Camp and then took the Kau Desert Trail, much of which is paved to the overlook. And what greeted us was breathtaking.
Words cannot express the drama, beauty, and grandness of it all.
It's something that I've waited all my life to see and it exceeded my expectations. Madame Pele really delivered.
The Missus couldn't understand why I was so taken by this, after all "you grew up in Hawaii, doesn't everyone see this all the time?" I tried to explain to Her how blessed we were to see and experience this. There are folks I grew up with who have never seen anything like this, locals who lived their entire life without being witness the power, the drama we were seeing. We're given a view into how our islands, nay the world, was formed. This was something special. Once you see something like this you'll never forget it. I know I never will…..
Thanks for stopping by!
In the far corner, the former Sinjeon Food Sys (prior it was CDD Tofu and Grill) has turned into Krab Bros- a boiled seafood restaurant. 
A simple menu is always appreciated. 
The lunch shrimp platter ($14.99) with chosen flavors of original butter, garlic parmesan and Bros Cajun was an excellent choice. This platter has ten shrimp, a boiled egg, sausage, corn and tiny whole potatoes, all coated in the chosen flavors. The shrimp were quite large, very plump and had good flavor when I tasted a bit without any flavor coating. I liked the sausage, egg and corn and especially the small, skin-on potatoes; it was a well balanced meal and quite enough to share.
I walked over to Boba Bar and ordered a mango slush ($5) for us to share. We had already shopped inside the Zion Grocery store.
Now, the piano as well as the teddy bear are gone from the Food Court platform. Damn Covid-19!
So, first the good; man were things fried here good! The batter on the shrimp was crisp and light; the shrimp plump, moist, and tasty. The poblano chile likewise. Sadly, the MarlinTun was dry, fishy, and not very smoky in terms of flavor. The tortillas were decent and up to the task at hand.
Sadly, I'd have to say I've had better tacos de marlyn here in San Diego!
Tacos Hola specializes in Tacos Guisados, braised and stewed ingredients for tacos. So, even though it says bistec; it's actually braised beef; really tasty braised beef, with a very bright pasilla chile-tomato based sauce. The Missus really loved the beans here…She still mentions those beans, as in "why can't you make beans like those." The chard was quite tender, but quite mild in flavor….man, I could imagine this with collards! The tortillas were excellent.
There's something about the pace of life here that really made one relax.
The fish was perfectly marinated, with just the right amount of toothsomeness. The marinade was nicely balanced; with a good balance of sour to salt. Enjoyed the ripe avocado which added a slightly creamy texture and a mild buttery-nuttiness to the dish.
We walked down one of the side streets and came to a point where two buildings were a mere two feet apart. This was the scene of a tragic, "Romeo and Juliette" story. Thus giving the spot the name "Callejón del Beso" (Alley of the Kiss). To 
Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was that this was a product of the silver mining days of the city. Which was incorrect. These tunnels were actually created in the late 19th century to divert the Guanajuato River which had flooded the city several times. In fact, Susana went and showed us markers of the height of the waters of several historic floods in the city's history.
Nice and crisp exterior, the smoked fish was really the star of the show here. It was moist, smokey, not overly salty, with great savory tones. The queso was used sparingly, which was actually a good thing. Look at all that smoked fish!
The quality of the ahi wasn't quite as good as what I'd had on previous visits; with more "sugi" (connective tissue) than usual.
And I was happy, because my Pork Gyro was as good as ever.
