As a writer who traverses the globe covering golf, travel and all things food and beverage — and who racked up 110,000 frequent-flyer miles in 2025 — GOLF contributor Shaun Tolson has visited some of the world’s most famous golf clubs, resorts and best-kept secrets. Below, in Clubhouse Eats, he shares some of his favorite bites and sips from his recent travels.
When you book a trip to Hawaii, the journey comes with a handful of expectations: a laidback lifestyle, dramatic scenery, postcard-like beaches, the occasional luau, and plenty of fresh fish. My recent visit to the island of Kauai reinforced all of those assumptions.
Similarly, when you venture to a golf resort for a food and wine event called Fish to Fork, which this year celebrated its 10th anniversary at Omni Amelia Island, you know what you’re getting yourself into — namely a slew of dishes that all celebrate la mer.
What follows are the standout bites from both trips, all of which bring fish to the forefront.
First stop … Longs Drugs?
Shortly after landing in Kauai, as I made my way up the island’s east coast toward Hanalei Bay, my host took a quick detour, pulling into a Longs Drugs. This is when I learned that he had grown up on the island of Oahu, even though he now lives in Scottsdale; and the purpose of the stop, I also learned, was for provisions for the rest of the trip. “This is a veteran move,” he told me.
Predictable snacks included sweet Maui onion potato chips and chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, but my host threw an unexpected curveball by adding various bags of tuna jerky and a bag of shredded ika to our shopping basket, the latter of which is Japanese-style shredded squid. The slightly chewy, dried strips of cephalopod were unusual — in a good way — but hard to describe. Most notably, they tasted mildly of the ocean and offered a touch of sweetness, which means most people are likely to find them agreeable.
The tuna jerky, on the other hand, tasted strongly of the ocean, so you’ll need an honest appreciation for the flavor of fish to get on board with these particular bags of jerky. That said, the original flavor is the way to go, so long as you want to snack on something that tastes distinctly of Hawaii. The teriyaki style, by contrast, was so strongly teriyaki-flavored that it overpowered the natural flavor of the fish.
Tuna poke everywhere!
To the casual observer, the Hawaiian islands and tuna poke are as interlocked as Philadelphia and the cheesesteak, Maine and lobster rolls, or New Orleans and gumbo. In reality, the traditional dish — raw yellowfin or bigeye served in a savory marinade — is even more prevalent on the islands than you might think. After spending the better part of a week there not too long ago, I’m convinced you could likely find it served at gas station convenience stores … and I’d be willing to bet even that low-brow rendition would be delicious.
While most of Kauai’s golf courses serve the dish, Poipu Bay takes it to another level, going so far as to feature Kauai Poke Co. as its resident restaurant. The menu features five renditions of the dish, with the Plantation Poke Bowl being the most unique. That variation features inamona nuts, crispy onions, and drizzles of both a spicy aioli and kabayaki (more commonly known as “eel sauce” on most sushi menus). After a week spent eating the dish at least once a day, I still couldn’t resist ordering this specialty of the house, and it hit all the right notes. Sure, I could’ve ordered an umami burger, a Korean chicken plate, or any number of delicious-sounding entrees. But when you sit down at a restaurant called Kauai Poke Co., poke just seems like the thing to pick. And it was. If you’re lucky enough to tee it up at Poipu Bay and have time for a post-round meal, don’t overthink it. Order the poke.
Flavor-focused cocktail pairings at Walker’s Landing
As a part of the Fish to Fork festivities over three days at Omni Amelia Island, the second night’s dinner at the resort’s marsh-side venue, Walker’s Landing, was aptly branded Saltwater Ranch — a meal that took inspiration from “the textures of ranch living and the ease of coastal life.” More specifically, the four-course dinner showcased what’s possible when flavorful dishes are paired with thoughtfully mixed cocktails.
The first course (blue crab with sweet corn, cured boar cheek, celery, and Fresno pepper), which was served alongside a bright green vodka libation accented by elderflower liqueur, honeydew, and cucumber, made a believer out of me. (If we’re being honest, the drink also reminded me that vodka does have its place on a cocktail menu, even if the spirit lacks individual character.)
Simply put, the dish and the pairing worked on every level. The cured boar cheek provided a unique richness and umami quality juxtaposed against the sweet crab, which itself was balanced by the heat of the Fresno pepper and the somewhat bitter, vegetal note from the celery. The cucumber in the cocktail, on the other hand, played off the celery notes in the crab salad; while the honeydew syrup and elderflower liqueur matched the natural sweetness of the seafood. Chef’s kiss!
Memorable main event morsels
Fish to Fork’s main event offered a chance to see how several diverse chefs approached the challenge of celebrating the sea’s bounty, and each took a unique perspective.
Joey Ward from Southern Belle and Georgia Boy in Atlanta offered up his fishy take on a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, accented by a ramp aioli that gave the bite an earthy kick.
Carlos Raba from Clavel in Baltimore served grouper en mole verde and salsa macha, and those sauces — especially the mole — were the stars. Raba’s mole was rich, complex, and delivered a touch of spice, but it somewhat overshadowed the fish. How much that influenced the success of the dish is left to the diner’s discretion.
Similarly, the resort’s own Omar Collazo made wahoo tataki accented by a red curry, green tomatoes, and garden seeds; and the vibrant, spicy curry was memorable, albeit at the expense of tasting the wahoo.
Kathleen Blake, the chef at Blair Hill Inn in Maine, created a dish that she called “Isle of Eight,” a red fish crudo elevated with grapes, jicama, coconut, and ginger. The grapes, in particular, infused the dish with an unexpected sweetness; the coconut was a surprising twist; and the tenderness of the fish was on full display.
Chef Samuel-Drake Jones from Grand Army Bar in Brooklyn cooked up a dish called Southern Drum — a red drum bouillabaisse topped with crispy polenta, grouper, and a salsa macha. The bouillabaisse was rich but still reflected its ocean roots; and the grouper was prominently showcased, both in flavor and texture. This was one of the event’s standout dishes.
Cesar Zapata, the executive chef at Phuc Yea in Miami, fried up a crispy, Cha Ca-style porgy that was seasoned with turmeric and dill, sauced with a green coconut curry, and accented with pickled pineapple. The fish was bright and crisp — a great contrast to the sauce — while the turmeric and pineapple combo introduced fresh, fun flavors.
Kevin Tien, the proprietor and creative visionary behind Moon Rabbit in Washington, D.C., wowed eventgoers with his Yosenabe, a Japanese hot pot in which grouper-and-shrimp meatballs bathed in a scallion ginger XO broth with simmered shiitake mushrooms and snow peas. It was a true umami bomb, if ever there was one.
