Been in Maui for 5 days now. It has been a beautiful trip and weather has been cooperating. We have been doing the food tour as usual.
Arrived on Wednesday – dinner at Fred’s. We left on the first morning flight from LA. This is our indulgence and we fly first class on Hawaiian Air. We were on the newer A330 planes and it was really nice. The service on Hawaiian has always impressed us. The first day on the island is getting the car, arriving at the condo (Maui Banyan) and unpacking. Then it is time for dinner. Fred’s is walking distance to the Maui Banyan (ok, it only few hundred feet away) so it make for a great start.
Thursday – 808 Bistro. This is a new place for us. It took over the space that used to be the Greek Bistro. We didn’t have reservations so we were put in the back. Which was fine for most of the meal. It was only towards the end when a large family of 16 showed. The food was spectacular. The place does not sell alcohol but you can bring your own beer and wine. The hostess was “indifferent” but the waitress was good and the helpers were good. Over all, it is a place we would go back to. And, we did.
Friday – Feast at Le Le. This is a great “luau” Parties are set at individual tables, no banquet seating. The food is brought to the tables, no buffet lines. Drinks are brought to the table, no bar lines. This is a five course meal with each course consisting of 3 dishes. Each course represents a different culture that populated the islands – Hawaiian, New Zealand, Tahitian, and Samoan. Lots of good food, and good drinks.
Saturday – Aroma D’Italia. Yes, an Italian restaraunt. It is a local place that has been around for years and food is good. We discovered the place a few years back and it one of our regulars. The lasgana is execellent. The service has always been good.
Sunday – Isana. This a Korean bbq place that also serves sushi. It is another one of our regular go to places for dinner. The sushi is fresh and quite reasonable. This time we started with rainbow roll along with the traditional philadelphia roll, and spciy tuna roll. The rainbow was one the most attractive ones I’ve seen. The entree’s were excellent. We’ll be back there on our next trip.
Monday lunch — Da Kitchen at the Warf in Lahaina. This is a new place in Lahaina and we thought it would be like the Da Kitchen in Kehei. It wasn’t. The first tip off should have been the bar it had and formal seating. When we were seated the guy only had two menus instead of three. He said we could share. He didn’t even bother to get another one. Service was slow, but I have to admit that we arrived just after a party of six and a party of four had been seated. We ordered our food and waited. During the wait there was a table of two women who got up and left. They had been seated just before we were and they had not yet ordered. Right after they left, the server picked up the two place settings of napkin and fork and gave it to another table of four. Normally, I don’t think about taking place settings from one table for another, but that is if no one had been setting there. Then again, maybe I was just being grumpy. The food was nothing special. After we left, we realized that there were a lot of better places we could have eaten at in Lahaina.
Monday Dinner – Mama’s Fish House. This a stable for our trip to Maui. We always make a dinner at Mama’s. However, this trip I was less impressed than in the past. Maybe it was the table. For the past few years we have been placed in a nice table near a window. This time we were in the middle by a serving station. Worst, we were seated next to people with a baby. Why would someone take a baby to a restaurant like Mama’s? More, why does the restaurant not keep families with babies and little kids in a specific area? Nothing ruins a “moment” more than having a baby start screaming. Folks, you think they are cute, we don’t. Mama you’re not “that” good to allow such distractions. I ordered the Ahi and wanted it seared on the out and rare in the inside. It was okay, Roy’s was better. I would say my comment after dinner says all, “I could skip Mama’s next year.”