any favored restaurants?
At the moment the only rsv we have is Orchids in Honolulu ($40corkage) and that is about it. Heading out next week.
any favored restaurants would be appreciated.
thanks
-paul
Spago and the steakhouse (forget the name, starts with a D) at the Four Seasons on Maui. Ate at both last week.
If you have kids, stay at the Grand Wailaha
On Maui: Mama’s Fish House and Hali’imaile General Store are stellar, not to be missed.
On Kauai: Red Salt is awesome. On the south side, so if you’re staying near Poipu, you have to go.
Duo.
I prefer Spago. Also in Wailea: Joe’s (owned by Bev and the estimable Joe Gannon, owners of Hali’imaile General Store), Ka 'Ana Kitchen (in the Andaz), Monkeypod Kitchen, Capische. We leave on Wednesday for Wailea until the end of the year and alternate among those five restaurants, plus a couple of nights at Sensei and Cafe O’Lei nearby in Kihei.
I stayed at the fairmont in Maui and we walked over to monkeypod and were pleasantly surprised. Wine list was decent and prices were not bad for Hawaii. I remember having a Huet Le Mont for mid-$50’s and a Lucien Crochet Croix du Roy for about the same, which seemed pretty good in Hawaii.
The Monkeypox in Wailea is good. Mama’s Fish House was expensive and a little over rated for us the last time for a piece of simple fish, albeit wild caught probably within a day by a named fisherman, and a couple steamed veggies. Sensei in Kihei is really good sushi.
Had a great meal at Roy’s in Ko Olina (Oahu) a couple of summers ago. Some of the menu items were Roy’s recipes and others were by the Chef and those ones were killer. Everyone was happy.
If you go for a day trip to Lahaina swing by Star Noodle for lunch. Most downplay Sensei (I only enjoy the Kapalua location), but the miso butterfish is one of the best I’ve had.
On Oahu, Michel’s at the Colony Surf and ask for table 31 or near. Also, Alan Wong’s in Oahu. Both have valet parking. Decent wine lists but instead we fly over a 12 pack in Todd’s wine carrier (worked excellent last week, again). I have heard 53 by the Sea is also very good. Aloha.
Big +1 on Hali’imaile General Store. Middle of nowhere but well worth the drive.
Mala and Honu are 2 of the best Maui restaurants. Merriman’s is also very good.
got back last night-thanks everyone for their help. Some random thoughts: I have no interest in visiting Honolulu again, just too crowed and too urban. However, the best meal of the trip was probably at Alan Wong’s in Honolulu and the sushi at Sasabune is epic.
Loved Kauai but the weather was marginal. Dove three tanks, great sea life but the reefs are pretty blown out. Sunset at Ke’e beach is amazing. Casual dive called the Feral Pig is great for meals and drinks.
The weather was the best on Maui. Development wise it pretty much falls right between Oahu and Kauai. If I was going to buy property I’d be a buyer in Kauai, but if I were a renter I’d go to Maui. Dinner at Monkeypod was good but didn’t fall into the ‘special’ category. Momma’s Fish house is in the special category, every bite was amazing-I could eat their multiple times on one trip. I’d say Alan Wong’s in Honolulu was better but I wouldn’t want to eat there multiple times (if that makes sense). The Fairmont in Maui is a great property.
Top experiences of the trip (in no particular order): helicopter ride in Kauai, dawn and mtn bike ride at Haleakala, sunset at Ke’e beach.
In the future I’d probably head to the Caribbean, just way closer, the diving is better and it is much cheaper.
thanks again for your help
-paul
Enjoyed a new restaurant on Kauai, J02 in Kapaa. I put a review on Trip Advisor which should appear as soon as they include them in their listings. J02 has their menu on their website.
Not surprised that JO2 was excellent. Jean Marie Josselin is one of my favorite chefs anywhere. He had. A Pacific Cafe in Kapaa which was, along with Alan Wongs, the best best place on the islands IMO. He hit a rough spot after expanding the brand too fast, even to 808 in Vegas and La Jolla. But now he’s back with Josselin Tapas in Koloa which is also very good. He is a master of using the island ingredients and some Asian influenced flavors, with a lot of French technique. His crusted wok-chared mahi with lime-ginger beurre blanc is one of the greatest dishes I’ve ever had.
Last trip we had a really fun time at an operation called Kauai Ono, done by the island’s best caterers. They do a set menu dinner of about six courses, under a tent in Hanalei on big picnic tables for about 30 people max. Byob with no (or very little fee). The food was very good, and reasonable by island standards at about $65.
The Jean George’s restaurant at the Princeville Hotel is not up to what one might expect for him, but the tasting menu is not that unreasonable. It also has an amazing view at sunset, which the bar upstairs also has.
Just saw this post … Jean-Marie Josselin’s A Pacific Cafe was the dining highlight of several trips to Kauai. We enjoy his Tapas Bar & Grill now as we typically stay in the Poipu area, but JO2 will be a must on our next visit !
An important point about diving in the Hawai’ian islands(populated portion) is that Kauai has the oldest reef structure and Hawai’i the youngest. Because of the fresh water run off on Kauai the reefs have a harder time sustaining diverse invertebrate life that one associates with vibrant reefs. Hawai’i, because it’s relatively new does not have the barrier reef system that is found on Oahu or parts of Maui. Oahu has some great diving on the north and south shores. Maui is pretty good especially out at Molokini. In many ways it depends on what you want to see. One point about Hawai’i is that without the barrier reef I would see many more large pelagic fish especially in the deep Kealakekua Bay.