Mañana Garage (tel. 808/873-0220): It's great fun dining here, and the food is fantastic, too. Tuck into fabulous arepas (cornmeal-cheese griddle cakes with smoked salmon), fried green tomatoes, excellent ceviche, and a host of new flavors in an ambience of spirited color and industrial edge. You'll dine among vertical garage doors, hubcap table bases, cobalt walls, and chrome accents, with Buena Vista Social Club on the sound system and very hip servers who will bring you the best desserts in this neck of the woods -- Kahului, of all places! The chef, Tom Lelli, came here from Haliimaile General Store.
A Saigon Cafe (tel. 808/243-9560): Jennifer Nguyen's unmarked dining room in an odd corner of Wailuku is always packed, a tribute to her clean, crisp Vietnamese cuisine -- and the Maui grapevine. Grab a round of rice paper and wrap your own Vietnamese "burrito" of tofu, noodles, and vegetables. Lemongrass shrimp, curries, and Nhung Dam, the Vietnamese version of fondue, are among the solid hits, but the spicy, crisped Dungeness crab is tops.
Café O'Lei (tel. 808/244-6816): There are now five of these eateries pumping out the delicious, creative cuisine of Dana Pastula, who managed fancy restaurants on Lanai and in Wailea before opening her own. She started in Makawao and now has branches in Wailuku, Makawao, Maalaea, and Lahaina. For reasonably priced, interesting, and memorable meals, don't miss the chance to eat at the O'Leis.
David Paul's Lahaina Grill (tel. 808/667-5117): Tirelessly popular and universally appreciated for its high quality, David Paul's is still most folks' favorite Maui eatery -- even without David Paul. No one seems to tire of the kalua duck he turned into a Maui institution, or the Kona coffee-roasted rack of lamb, or the much-imitated tequila shrimp. The menu changes often, but thank goodness the room doesn't; its pressed-tin ceilings and 1890s decor continue to intrigue.
Gerard's (tel. 808/661-8939): Proving that French is fabulous, particularly in the land of sushi and sashimi, Gerard Reversade is the Gallic gastronome who delivers ecstasy with every bite. From the rack of lamb to the spinach salad and oyster mushrooms in puff pastry, you will never forget his cooking. Like Piaf on the sound system, his food has integrity and excellence. The fairy lights on the veranda in the balmy outdoor Lahaina setting are the icing on the gâteau.
Swan Court (tel. 808/661-1234): For a romantic setting with candlelight, a Japanese garden, and swans gliding by serenely, this is the ticket. It isn't often that we find a fine dining experience in a hotel that is terrific, but this is the exception to the rule. In addition to excellent seafood, impeccable service, and a dreamy ocean view, Swan Court is a wonderful change of pace, a year-round Valentine dinner where you can dress up and impress your date.
Roy's Kahana Bar & Grill/Roy's Nicolina Restaurant (tel. 808/669-6999; www.roysrestaurant.com): These sibling restaurants are next door to each other, offer the same menu, and are busy, busy, busy. They bustle with young, hip servers impeccably trained to deliver blackened ahi or perfectly seared lemongrass shutome (broadbill swordfish) hot to your table, in rooms that sizzle with cross-cultural tastings.
The Bay Club (tel. 808/669-8008): The first thing you notice is the remarkable view: The sun sets behind the rolling surf of Kapalua Bay, with the island of Molokai in the background. The view alone would be worth eating here, but luckily, the food, especially the seafood, promises a memorable dining experience. This intimate restaurant (with a piano bar at one end) features such culinary masterpieces as steamed Kona lobster in banana leaf; ahi and cured salmon sashimi; macadamia-nut-crusted mahimahi with papaya pineapple salsa and passion fruit salsa; and Hawaiian seafood bouillabaisse. Not to be missed.
Sansei Seafood Restaurant (tel. 808/669-6286): Furiously fusion and relentlessly popular, Sansei serves sushi, and then some: hand rolls warm and cold, udon and ramen, and the signature Asian rock-shrimp cake with the oh-so-complex lime chili butter and cilantro pesto. This Kapalua choice is flavor central -- simplicity is not the strong suit, so be prepared for some busy tasting. Another branch has opened in Kihei.
Plantation House Restaurant (tel. 808/669-6299): There are teak tables, a fireplace, open sides, mountain and ocean views, and chef Alex Stanislaw's love for Mediterranean flavors and preparations. It's a friendly, comfortable restaurant with great food from breakfast to dinner, from sublime eggs Mediterranean to polenta, crab cakes, several preparations of fish, pork tenderloin, filet mignon, and other delights at dinner. The ambience is superb.
Joe's Bar & Grill (tel. 808/875-7767; www.joesbarandgrill.com): The 360-degree view spans the Wailea golf course, tennis courts, ocean, and Haleakala -- a worthy setting for Beverly Gannon's style of American home cooking with a regional twist (also see Haliimaile General Store below). The hearty staples include excellent mashed potatoes, lobster, fresh fish, and filet mignon, but the meatloaf (a whole loaf, like Mom used to make) seems to upstage them all.
Moanai Bakery & Café (tel. 808/579-9999): In the unlikely location of Paia, the Moanai gets high marks for its stylish concrete floors, high ceilings, booths and cafe tables, and fabulous food. Don Ritchey, formerly a chef at Haliimaile General Store, has created the perfect Paia eatery, a casual bakery-cafe that highlights his stellar skills. It may not look like much from the outside, but do not miss this innovative eatery serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner and live entertainment at night.
Haliimaile General Store (tel. 808/572-2666): More than a decade later, Bev Gannon, one of the 12 original Hawaii Regional Cuisine chefs, is still going strong at her foodie haven in the pineapple fields. You'll dine at tables set on old wood floors under high ceilings. The food, a blend of eclectic American with ethnic touches, bridges Hawaii with Gannon's Texas roots and puts an innovative spin on Hawaii Regional Cuisine. Examples include sashimi napoleon and the house salad, island greens with mandarin oranges, onions, toasted walnuts, and blue-cheese crumble.
Casanova Italian Restaurant (tel. 808/572-0220): Yes, we still love Casanova in upcountry Makawao, and for more than one reason: garlic spinach topped with Parmesan and pine nuts, polenta with radicchio, tiramisu, and the spaghetti fradiavolo. This is pasta heaven and the center of nightlife on this half of the island.
Henry Clay's Rotisserie (Hotel Lanai, Lanai City; tel. 808/565-7211): Henry Clay Richardson, a New Orleans native, has made some welcome changes to Lanai's dining landscape with his rustic inn in the middle of Lanai City. The menu focuses on French country fare: fresh meats, seafood, and local produce in assertive preparations. The decor consists of plates on the pine-paneled walls, chintz curtains, peach tablecloths and hunter-green napkins, and a roaring fireplace.
Pele's Other Garden (tel. 808/565-9628): You do not have to spend a fortune at the high-priced eateries at the two resorts on Lanai; this charming bistro in the heart of Lanai City has a full-scale New York deli (yummy pizzas), and you can also get box lunches and picnic baskets to go. Dinner is now served on china, not paper, with tablecloths under sconces -- a real dining room!
A Night to Remember: Maui's Top Luau--The Old Lahaina Luau (tel. tel. 800/248-5828 or 808/667-1998) has always been at the leading edge of cultural entertainment in Hawaii; it's one-third entertainment, one-third good food, and one-third ambience. At its new and more spacious location at the northern end of Lahaina, there's more of everything, particularly those qualities we've come to love: authenticity, intimacy, hospitality, cultural integrity, and sheer romantic beauty. This is Maui's top luau and one of our two favorites in the state. With the expansion of the luau in its 1-acre site just ocean-side of the Lahaina Cannery, what was peerless has become even better.
Local craftspeople display their wares only a few feet from the ocean. Seating is provided on lauhala mats for those wishing to dine as the traditional Hawaiians did, but there are tables for everyone else. Staging has been thoughtfully planned, so that the audience faces the ocean as well as the show; hidden underground dressing rooms allow the dancers dramatic entrances and exits. Thatched buildings, amphitheater seating, and the backdrop of a Lahaina sunset are among the event's unforgettable features.
The luau begins at sunset and features Tahitian and Hawaiian entertainment, including ancient hula, hula from the missionary era, modern hula, and an intelligent narrative on the dance's rocky course of survival into modern times. The sophisticated entertainment is both educational and riveting, even for jaded locals, and the top-quality food is as much Pacific Rim as authentically Hawaiian, served from an open-air thatched structure. No watered-down mai tais, either -- these are the real thing. You won't soon forget the genuine hospitality and enthusiasm of the staff. The cost is $79 for adults, $49 for children 12 and under, plus tax.
