Maui
Maui offers more than beautiful beaches and glowing sunsets; it also has many restaurants and popular local cuisine. Poi, mashed taro root, used to be the state specialty reserved for those with acquired tastes until Hawaiian chefs created their own cuisine. New Hawaiian food blends California (mainland) cooking with Asian dishes, all based on the finest local ingredients: fish, tropical fruit, and pork. Dining options for tourists tend to be Pacific Rim (think Asian cuisine) and waterfront seafood restaurants. But for those who crave the local flavor, try a plate lunch on your way back from the beach: a dish consisting of two scoops of white rice, a scoop of macaroni salad, and a choice of meat or fish, like teriyaki beef, chicken katsu, or mahi-mahi. Poke, a traditional Hawaiian dish featuring sliced raw fish or seafood mixed with seaweed, salt, chile peppers, and roasted nuts, is also a classic. The best way to experience Hawaiian culinary tradition is to attend a lu'au (held at many large hotels on the island): expect hula dancers, an array of salads, fruits, and a roast pig. If the lu'au or plate lunch is too big for you to handle, snack on pupus – a variety of appetizers found at bars during happy hour, perfect for sharing with friends. If you want to eat like a true local, try some of Maui's overlooked favorites. Ask for manapua (a steamed bun filled with Chinese barbecued pork), malassadas (Portuguese sugared donuts), saimin (Japanese noodle soup), or pipikaula (Hawaiian-style beef jerky) -- your server is sure to be impressed. And to prove you know your way around the menu, try ordering Humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua'a, Hawaii's state fish.
Recipes
HotelsIf you prefer the space and privacy of a condo, the Makena Surf‑Destination Resorts is a gated enclave tucked away in its own spectacular stretch of South Maui coastline. All units face the ocean, but the best are the ground‑floor units, where you can walk out your lanai directly onto the beach. One‑ to three‑bedroom units from about $450. 3750 Makena Alanui, Wailea. Tel: 800‑367‑5246. Among the many hotels on Maui's Kaanapali‑Kapalua shore, the Kapalua Bay Hotel nicely holds its own with the larger and better advertised chain hotels. It's a 190‑room property, well sited on its 18‑acre seafront location and offering a more distinctive "Hawaiian" ambiance than many of the others. Rooms are well‑proportioned, most decorated in tropical green shades and all with lanais. Doubles from $350. One Bay Drive. Tel: 800-367-8000. www.marriotthawaii.com/kapalua. Hotel Hana‑Maui, a 66‑acre property on the grounds of an old sugar mill on the lush Hana coast, offers 96 spacious cottage rooms and full resort facilities. The most desirable rooms face the ocean, some of them sited so as to be able to see across the channel to the island of Hawaii on clear days. The tin‑roofed plantation architecture is charming, and all of the rooms boast good air circulation, lots of light, and big verandas. Doubles from about $300. Hana Highway. Tel: 800‑321‑4262. www.hotelhanamaui.com.
RestaurantsSansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar is a great place for unconventional sushi such as mango crab rolls and foie gras sushi with unagi demiglace. Also appealing are the small appetizer plates of Asian rock shrimp over ginger lime chili butter, or sizzling Chinese‑style hamachi sashimi with cilantro and peanut oil. Dinner for two, with wine, about $80. 115 Bay Drive, Kapalua. Tel: 808‑669‑6286. At David Paul's Lahaina Grill, a scrubbed and polished little bistro in one of Lahaina's historic buildings, talented chef‑owner David Paul Johnson changes the menu constantly. But you'll always find a few classics such as Kona lobster/crab cakes with mustard sauce; eggplant Napoleon; and kalua duck with wild rice. Reservations are a must. Dinner for two, without wine, about $120. 27 Lahainaluna Road, Lahaina. Tel: 808‑667‑5117. At the Haliimaile General Store, a converted plantation store surrounded by pineapple fields, chef Bev Gannon serves up her own signature dishes, which include blackened sashimi; crispy wontons filled with Texas chili; and Kona rib eye with caramelized Maui onions and balsamic vinegar. The atmosphere is relaxed and noisy, and the wine list is excellent. Dinner for two, without wine, about $90. 900 Haliimaile
Road, Haliimaile. Tel: 808‑572‑2666. Hotel and restaurant recommendations courtesy of Passport Newsletter: www.passportnewsletter.com. Subscription required.
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