Birdie’s Café and Pub sits on a grassy hill at Kukuiolono Golf Course, a 371-acre property where anyone can play for just $9 a day. In 1907, Kauai Fruit and Land Company founder Walter McBryde purchased the property and planted
Birdie’s Café and Pub sits on a grassy hill at Kukuiolono Golf Course, a 371-acre property where anyone can play for just $9 a day. In 1907, Kauai Fruit and Land Company founder Walter McBryde purchased the property and planted fruit trees, which still flourish on the estate and “are free for the picking.”
Kauai Deputy County Attorney Mona Clark, her husband, Ronald Horoshko, and their partner Wayne George, owns the café. Horoshko, (pronounced ho rahsh ko) is a veteran of the food industry and the set designer for Hawaii Children’s Theater.
“This was a snack shop before we opened,” explains Horoshko. “So I thought we could make this into a beautiful place, like a set, and bring live music to the Kalaheo area.”
With high ceilings, varnished walls and shiny wood floors, there’s a cozy, cabin-like feel to Birdie’s. And there’s a covered lanai with views of the ocean.
Most people think Birdie’s is a golf term, but it’s named in memory of Ethan Shell. Horoshko watched Shell aim for Broadway after attending Kauai High School and performing in local plays. Tragically, he died in his apartment of a brain aneurysm after a performance.
“It was really hard for me,” recalls Horoshko. “I told Papi Shell that I’d like to name the restaurant after Ethan, but I didn’t want to use his name. I went to their house and we went through all his shows. Ethan had played Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie.”
Chef Josh Walker creates a different work of art. He’s a former sous chef of Gaylord’s and Kauai Pasta and former executive sous chef at Beach House and Tortilla Republic. Today, he makes award-winning Eggs Benedict ($13.95) with a fabulous Hollandaise sauce.
“We get lots of groups here,” says Horoshko. “Everything from book clubs and Bible clubs to church groups and the Waimea seniors. After eating our eggs Benedict, a ladies group presented us with a blue ribbon.”
The construction paper cutout with hand-written accolades hangs on a wall near the bar where Jenny Lester pops tops off beer bottles, makes mai tais, or bloody Mary specials inspired by the Food Network.
In the back, Walker hand-whisks white wine and lemon juice with butter and egg yolks and produces a bright, lemony Hollandaise sauce, which is draped over two toasted English muffins, pan-seared Canadian bacon and poached eggs. A square of cheddar gratin potatoes and fresh fruit is served on the side.
Horoshko is a former butcher whose family owned a chain of grocery stores in Denver. He insists on using fresh (not frozen) beef for The Famous Ace ($8.95). From the kitchen, Walker or line cook Dave Cassidy, slap 6-ounce patties into shape by the order. When the juicy burgers are done, they’re topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and homemade Thousand Island dressing.
Birdie’s Original Kauaian Clambake ($39.95 for two to four people/$69.95 for four to six people), can be enjoyed at the café or delivered anywhere between Hanapepe and Poipu. The meal comes with directions for cooking in an oven or over a barbecue. The dish is finished with butter and filled with spices, clams, shrimp, langostino, Portuguese sausage, calamari, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms and corn. A side of garlic bread is served to mop up the juices.
Live music flows through Birdie’s on Saturdays and Sundays and diners often become the entertainment. Kytami, a “violinist extremist” who won “Live Act of The Year” in 2013 at the Vancouver Island Music Awards, is one example.
“She was siting at the table with her husband and said to me, ‘I hear there’s good music at Birdie’s,’” recalls Horoshko. “She wanted to play over the weekend and asked for some backup. I told her, ‘I know a bass player who played with Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison.’ BB Choi, from Kauai’s FM97, played guitar and they were going back and forth jammin’.
“I went out to get a harmonica and I heard someone playing bagpipes in the Japanese Garden,” Horoshko continues. “He said his name was Chisholm and he was here from Scotland doing a show for the base. I invited him to play and later found out that he is the best bagpipe player in the world!”
When local singer Viviane Rose learned how Birdie’s got its name, she asked Horoshko if she could sing. Even though the lunch rush was over and the place was nearly empty, he said yes.
“Four bars after she started singing, I said, ‘Ma’am, where the hell are you from?’ She said, ‘I’m the original Rosie for Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway 1964.’
“I’m an artist at heart,” says Horoshko, a 15-year resident and Ukrainian who paints intricate Easter eggs with traditional folk designs. “I want to be a spokesperson for the arts and that’s my platform.”
Birdie’s Cafe, 854 Puu Rd., Kalaheo, is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday. Info: 332-5792 or BirdiesKauai.com
• Marta Lane, a food writer on Kauai since 2010, offers farm to fork food tours and is the author of Tasting Kauai: Restaurants – From Food Trucks to Fine Dining, A Guide to Eating Well on the Garden Island. For more information, visit TastingKauai.com.
