Ryan Pointer
Ruffin’ It – Laser Tag Kaua‘i
Laser Tag Kaua’i, a business operating in Hawaii, offers varied laser tag experiences tailored to distinct audiences, bringing gameplay to various settings, including their dedicated field in Puhi and, notably, a monthly urban setup at the Downtown Lihue Night Market. Their offerings extend to a “Mobile Laser Tag” service, where the gameplay is brought directly to a specified location, accommodating a sizable number of players. The company ensures a variety of gameplay experiences through diversified settings.
In a video segment led by Olivia Ruff, which provides a visual exploration into the offerings of Kaua‘i Laser Tag, the interaction of participants in the laser tag games is documented, revealing an energetic environment where players, segregated into ‘red’ and ‘blue’ teams, are engaged in roughly five-minute sessions of laser tag. The process of scorekeeping and game progress is managed via devices, and participants, including younger players, actively engage with their scores and in-game status. “A lot of the time, because the devices are numbered, then the little humans can check to see what score they had during the game,” explains Olivia.
Olivia elucidates, “We invite families and friends to sign up to have a laser tag adventure where they get to participate in games,” delineating an environment that welcomes group participations and family-friendly interactions. Within the arena, participants navigate strategically through the gameplay environment, exploring varied tactical options like securing hiding spots, navigating structures, and interacting dynamically with opposing team members.
On occasions where the laser tag setup is mobile and thereby transplanted into varied environments, the company pledges a comprehensive gameplay experience, facilitating a two-hour game segment in the location specified by the participants. Olivia adds, “we’ve partnered with the paintball team, and we also have a mobile setup, so we could basically go to wherever you are to do a two-hour game and enjoy all the fun that is laser tag.”
Within these mobile sessions and more traditional gameplay settings, the company seems to interlink a combination of structured, rule-based gameplay with the interactive, dynamic freedom permitted by the laser tag environment. This mixture appears to craft a gameplay experience that is not only rule-bound and structured but also allows for strategic creativity and dynamic physical interaction among players.
Olivia’s interactions within the video indicate an appreciation for the cardiovascular exercise embedded within the gameplay, mentioning it’s “cardio fun.” The games, despite their brief individual durations, amalgamate into a physically engaging experience over a two-hour session, providing not only an interactive gameplay experience but also a physically active one. Olivia observes, “It’s quick, it’s easy, and you just spent two hours running around.”
Conclusively, Laser Tag Kaua’i emerges as a multi-faceted gameplay experience, manifesting not only in its traditional settings but also in mobile environments, illustrating an endeavor to bring the interactive and physically engaging world of laser tag into varied contexts, from structured arenas to personal locales. The video presentation led by Olivia Ruff provides a tactile, visual exploration into this world, revealing the vibrant, dynamic, and energetically charged environment within which participants are immersed during their laser tag experiences.
Sustainable You Hawaii – Orly’s Patisserie
Nestled in Lihue Town, Kauai, Hawaii, Orly Patisserie has earned a reputation for merging traditional French pastry techniques with the rich and diverse flavors of the island, with Orly himself being a pivotal creative force behind the operation. The patisserie has seen its share of national attention, with Orly noting, “I’ve been on the Food Network four times: one competition and three times on ‘Holiday Wars.'” This attention isn’t unwarranted, as the array of pastries offered, from croissants to cakes, encapsulate a delicate balance between skilled craftsmanship and utilization of fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Amanda Smith, in an episode for Kauai TV, explored the acclaimed offerings of Orly Patisserie, drawing attention to several pastries that embody the shop’s dedication to culinary excellence and innovative flavor profiles. A standout, the Lilikoi Ube Cheesecake, is layered and visually striking, characterized as “light, fluffy, and airy” by Orly, and not only is it a visual delight but also one of their “top sellers.” A similar attention to delicate flavor and texture is seen in the Lilikoi Souffle, described by Smith as “creamy, fluffy, light, decadent,” with just a subtle, melting hint of lilikoi (passion fruit).
Further exploring the patisserie’s offerings, the decadently layered “Death by Chocolate” is illuminated, featuring “a chocolate ganache and over the chocolate ganache is a rich chocolate cake,” followed by “a chocolate mousse and a chocolate shiny glaze over.” Smith’s sampling of the pastry led her to note, “this is really rich,” suggesting it might pair well with “a glass of wine.” These creations, layered and intricate, provide a silent testament to the meticulous and expertly developed skills of Orly and his team, crafting pastries that are not only flavorful but visually stunning.
Orly’s journey into the artistry of pastry-making is rooted in hands-on experience and learning from renowned professionals, sharing, “When I decided to make it a career, I just took classes here and there and worked with some of the best chefs in the nation in Las Vegas.” His creations subtly echo her learned expertise and honed skills, intertwining them with the vibrant and fresh ingredients available in Kauai, producing not just pastries but a tasteful exploration into the harmonious melding of French pastry artistry and vibrant Hawaiian flavors.
Each visit to Orly Patisserie offers not only a palate of vibrant and meticulously crafted pastries but also a glimpse into the art and precision that Orly injects into each creation. As Amanda Smith quietly appreciated the “cool little details of the chocolate, the colors,” and the dedicated and precise artistry that goes into making each item “really special,” Orly Patisserie stood solidified as an establishment where every pastry is a testament to a journey where traditional French pastry meets the effervescent flavors and vibrant colors of Kauai.
Sustainable You Hawaii – D-Green’s BBQ
D Green’s BBQ, situated in Old Koloa Town, Koloa, Hawaii, presents itself as a venue for southern-style BBQ, integrated with the unique flavors imparted by local lychee wood. Chef Darren Green, with over three decades in the culinary industry, offers a menu that includes brisket, ribs, and pulled pork among other staple BBQ items, and emphasizes a distinctive, Hawaiian-influenced BBQ approach through a signature slow-and-low lychee wood smoking technique.
In a segment hosted by Amanda Smith on Kaua‘i TV, Chef Darren Green delineated the offerings and practices of D Green’s BBQ. The chef succinctly summed up his menu, stating, “We serve brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, sausage, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, all the staples.” His culinary approach provides a canvas to explore the confluence of traditional BBQ with local ingredients. A particular emphasis is placed on the establishment’s BBQ sauce, which is available in three heat variants and, according to Green, is an amalgamation of “all the regions of barbecue in a bottle” with “the predominant flavor [being] pineapple juice.”
One highlight of the BBQ menu, the brisket, undergoes a 20-hour cooking process and employs a spice rub consisting of around “40 different spices.” Green details the care taken to achieve a specific outcome with the brisket, noting, “you get the best of both worlds, you get a little bit of lean and you get a little bit of fatty. This will turn into like almost bacon when it’s done cooking for another two and a half hours.”
Chef Green also shared his practice of utilizing lychee wood in his smoking technique, acknowledging that it imparts a “sweet smoke” to the meats. The meticulous preparation and cooking processes culminate in dishes that Smith described as having a bacon flavor, being “definitely smoky,” and meat that “melts in my mouth, literally.”
The sauces, which notably incorporate Trinidad Scorpion peppers grown by Green himself, are formulated to deliver recognizable but manageable heat. Describing the spiciest variant, Green said, “It’s insanely hot, so I only use a small amount, just enough so that you know there’s some heat there but not enough so that it’s like, ‘Oh my god, I gotta go get a glass of milk.’”
D Green’s BBQ finds its ethos rooted in a harmonization of traditional Louisiana and southern comfort food with Hawaiian culinary innovation, providing a gastronomic exploration of both familiarity and novelty. Smith noted the establishment’s atmosphere as a “barbecue oasis” and encapsulated the perceptible aroma, suggesting, “we should bottle that bacon, just sell it as perfume.” This suggestion, while ostensibly lighthearted, underscores the deeply ingrained nature of sensory experiences in memory and familiarity, an element inherently tied to the act of dining.
While the segment on Kaua‘i TV concludes with a palpable enthusiasm for the dishes sampled and a spirited endorsement from the host, it nonetheless provides an unscripted and firsthand account of the offerings at D Green’s BBQ, illuminating the culinary philosophies and practices therein. The establishment, through a careful marriage of traditional and innovative practices, seeks to carve out a distinctive space within the culinary tapestry of Hawaii.