An Adventure in Maui's Food Culture; Part Two

I had a full list of places that I wanted to eat when I arrived to Maui. I had researched the websites, read the magazines, and investigated the top 10 lists. Guess what?! We made it to none of them! Just part of the adventure. In most cases we were pleasantly surprised by what we found as there is a plethora of interesting, write-home-about restaurants. Our food tour of Maui included many exceptional choices and here is our short list...

Banana Pancakes

The Gazebo Restaurant is a little off of the beaten path. Located on the northwestern side of the island near Napili bay, this little gem of a place has a line up waiting to get in the moment they open. Only serving breakfast/brunch from 7:30am til 2:00, you certainly don't want to miss the banana pancakes with pineapple, macadamia nuts and coconut syrup. This dish tastes like a vacation! We visited this restaurant on our first morning, and it was just right. Plentiful, hardy food, right on the water, overlooking the beach. What a welcome!

Crab & Macadamia WonTons

Baked Hawaii

The Hula Grill's Barefoot Bar was another place that we had to try. Watch out, this place is a tourist trap. We embraced our inner tourist though, and joined the throngs of people waiting for a table on the beach. The lounge section of the restaurant is outdoor, with a sand floor, and palapa-style umbrellas. Expensive rum drinks, tiki torches, and live hawaiian guitar are on hand to contribute to your experience. I will admit that being there to watch the perfect sunset almost got me to order a round for the bar... almost. We enjoyed fresh fish sandwiches and great dessert, plus excellent service at this restaurant. 

Hula Grill Sunset

Our anniversary dinner was ceremoniously held at I'o restaurant in Lahaina. Very sadly, I forgot the camera on this outing, so we do not have digital proof of how beautiful the food at this restaurant was. Executive Chef James McDonald has put together a menu that offers both luxurious and local flavours, with a keen eye for freshness. The restaurant group actually owns a farm in Upcountry Maui, where they grow much of the produce used in their dishes. Needless to say, this place was worth this trip, but you'll have to check it out for yourself!

Kimchi

Craft Beer & Cocktails

Lastly, and almost not at all, we stopped for lunch on our way to the airport. In Wailea, we came across a really cool place called The Monkey Pod Kitchen. Another restaurant focused on presenting local ingredients at their best in a fresh and delicious way, this restaurant truly surprised us. They offered a great list of micro-brewed, craft beers along side some of the seriously BEST kimchi that I have ever had. Refreshing and spicy, all at the same time. Our meals were simple and flavourful, with careful attention to combining delicate flavours with bold ones. We enjoyed the atmosphere, the service and food so much and were really glad that we stopped! 

I have said this so many times since returning to our cold Canadian landscape, "Maui is one of the best places on earth! You should go!". Not only for the interesting food tourism, the choice offered in terms of restaurants or the paradise like setting, but also for the charm and warmth of the people. Thinking about it now causes me pain, because I want to go back. Aloha Maui, and Mahalo. 

Mahalo

An Adventure in Maui's Food Culture; Part One

Paradise is high on my list of vacation priorities and the island of Maui is paradise. It is unlike any other place on earth and we were very fortunate to be able to go there in early October. As I have mentioned in the past, I always combine vacations with exploring the food culture of the places I visit.  This is the first of my two part commentary on the food-ventures of our trip. 


Maui offers a small number of food tourist places. And being fortunate enough to have several types of climates (temperate, desert, rainforest, etc.), the opportunities for growing are abundant. Many of the farms work together promoting or using one another's products. One of the farmer's told us that they did this so that all of these small farms can grow together. Nice philosophy. Because of limited resources, the island is big on sustainability too. Here is a bit about three of the best places we visited...

Tedeschi Tasting Room

Tedeschi Winery at Ulupalakua Ranch has a great history of being a working farm and royalty meeting place. The grounds are simply breathtaking, with some of the largest non-native species of trees on the island. The wine left something to be desired for true wine lovers, but was a fun and local drink for hot poolside afternoons. Grape, passion fruit and pineapple wines are presented, but even the hosts in the tasting room admit that the winery is more of a hobby and is far from perfected. The shop also offers specialty mustards, sauces and chocolate. Although the visit probably takes an hour, its is well worth the history and fantastic drive up the backside of the Haleakala volcanic crater. 

Protea

Lemonade

Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm offers lavender scones & lemonade, plus tours of their impressive lavender & protea gardens. The farm is another example of a hobby that grew into a food-tourist destination. On the slopes of the Haleakala crater as well, the higher altitude of the farm offers welcome respite from the heat of the beaches below, and it was interesting to talk to the expert gardeners about how their plants, herbs and flowers are used. 

Surfing Goat Dairy offered us artisan cheeses in a family run dairy. The small cheese shop and lunch counter showcase the award winning cheeses that are cured onsite. The dairy chooses to care for its animals like family, and the cheeses really were excellent. We even bought some to take home with us; a spicy, olive oil cured number called Maui's Secret Sicily. The addition of spices and garlic made this soft chevre a silky, flavourful treat. 


Because the island is limited in its resources, and so much of their consumable goods are shipped from overseas, it is wonderful that these artisanal food-tourism spaces are creating an interesting and unique way to experience the island. It's not all Mai Tai's and pineapples on Maui...but there is some of that to round out the experience as well. Stay tuned for more on the restaurants and culture...

Boxwood Cafe

Sparkling Rosé

Maybe it was the warm September afternoon. Maybe it was the pastoral, park setting with hipsters and children running through the manicured lawn. It could have been the sound of the fountain, or the bubbles in my Punto Rosa sparkling rosé. All of these things married together to create the perfect environment from which to enjoy all of the sustainable, fresh offerings at the Boxwood Cafe. 

Husband and I were fresh from a long walk in Fish Creek park on Saturday afternoon. It was, quite literally, the most beautiful autumn day. Yellow leaves were falling through the warm breeze when Husband inevitably asked, "Where should we eat?" Hmmm. As many of you know, this is a really, really difficult question for me to answer. I am often torn between places that I have been, and know that I love and trying something new. I have to take proximity into account, and location, and what I am wearing at the time. I thought about it all the way up Macleod Trail, and finally came up with my choice. "How about Boxwood?" Husband reluctantly agreed (as previously noted, he would rather eat a sandwich) and off we went in search of this tiny concept perched on the corner of Central Memorial park. 

Canadian Cheese with Honey Comb

We decided on an early dinner, but they do not serve plates until 5:00pm, only snacks. So we opted for drinks and appies while people watching in the park. Our appetizer was a delectable collection of cheeses, a bleu from Blossom (a Salt Spring Island cow, of course!), ash ripened brie and oka. These were served with what tasted like lemon cured olives and honey comb. I have never eaten honey comb before, but, it spread like sweet butter across my salt & pepper crostini, and was heavenly with each of the cheeses. We also ordered House Made Bread with House Churned Butter. There might be nothing on earth more satisfying than fresh bread. My sandwich starved husband agrees. 

Our entrées were very simple and elegant. Steelhead trout and roast chicken with clean, flavourful accompaniments. The sides were served a la carte, and we chose the new potatoes made crisp with butter and flavoured brightly with lovage. We ended our meal with a seasonal berry crisp and french pressed coffee by Phil & Sebastian. All were uncomplicated and classic. You could maybe even make this food at home, if you wanted. Sadly, we don't live in an urban oasis, so the food seemed to be made better by the sweet smells of falling Autumn leaves. 

The setting combined with the thoughtful, locally-sourced, simple food truly creates an atmosphere of community. Their website says that they "serve local, seasonal and sustainable food and want to connect more people, more often to real wholesome and delicious lunch, snack and supper." I say, well done Boxwood Cafe, well done.