On their latest journey to Maui, Ray and Traci had no new adventures to report. The Grand Wailea had no new additions, and in fact, gave them the same (or a very similar room) to the 2004 Maui trip. For this blog entry, they report about the food they ate on Maui.
The night after arriving, Ray and Traci ate at a popular Hawaiian chain – Sansei Restaurant. This is a chain of sushi bar/asian food which is found both on Maui as well as Oahu. Traci had the Sansei special roll (sushi) and a bowl of udon while Ray satisfied his post flight appetite with a bowl of rice, and two appetizers (or Hawaiians call them Pupus) – beef teriyaki and shrimp tempura. Sansei is located in Kihei (Next to Foodland) and has special discounts (25% off most days if you order before 6pm, 50% off after 10pm) Check out the website for details: http://www.sanseihawaii.com/
On Sunday, the travelers ate at Matteo’s Pizza located one block up the hill from The Shops at Wailea. If you are looking for a pizzeria with a view to kill for – this is your place. You get in line, order your food and fill your drinks and they deliver pasta and pizza to your table which likely has an incredible sunset view. What is even more shocking is the prices are cheaper than what you would find at chains like Pizza Hut. Traci had a ½ order of the house special pasta and shared Ray’s Italian sausage/ham pizza. Traci actually felt the house pasta was the best meal of the trip! Especially considering the view and the price, Matteo’s is not to be missed! They offer carry out pizza as well for travelers who wish to skip the million dollar views.
On Monday, Ray and Traci ventured into the Grand Wailea’s new Japanese Buffet at Kincha restaurant. Kincha used to operate as a regular Japanese restaurant, but was converted into a daily buffet with two slightly different menus. You will find the typical buffet fare including miso soup, different kinds of tempura, salads, California rolls and other sushi, as well as either Kobe Beef or Rib Eye Steak. On the Monday menu, Kincha also had a stir fried lobster dish which was quite tasty. Overall, Traci thought the food quality was not as good as the other Japanese buffet found in the Maui Prince Hotel (Hakone) but Ray would not pass up all you can eat steak and lobster. The buffet was a little pricey at $54 per person, and Kincha has a sushi bar for those who wish to pass up the buffet (but $54 goes really fast at a Sushi bar in the Grand Wailea).
Tuesday started with a late breakfast at Stella Blues, which is a nice American/Hawaiian café located in Kihei at the intersection of Piikea and South Kihei road. Stella Blues is what Denny’s would be if it was based in Hawaii and had better food. Ray enjoyed a traditional 2 egg/toast/hash brown with a taste of Hawaii – Portuguese sausage, while Traci had passion fruit iced tea, papaya with cottage cheese and whole wheat toast. Stella charges a little more than Denny’s ($20 total) but you’ll enjoy it more! For dinner, Ray and Traci went to Joe’s Restaurant which is located on the top floor of the Wailea Tennis club (a few blocks from Matteo’s Pizza). If you order before 6:30pm, the entrees are 2 for 1, so eat early! Ray had the Prime Rib, which was surprisingly tasty – the dish was prepared well with a lean portion of meat, but the quality of the meat wasn’t up to Seattle’s best. Traci had a rack of Baby Back Ribs, which again were good but not quite the tender, “falling off the bone” meat that mark the best dishes. Considering the whole meal including tip (automatically added to the bill), a salad and a coke was $62 it is hard to complain! Make sure you make reservations, even during the off season, as the place fills up quick!
Wednesday dinner was spent at a South Maui institution, “Da Kitchen.” It is located on South Kihei road, close to Wailea (First Kihei exit off the Piilani highway) in a strip mall. Da Kitchen serves Hawaiian Plate Lunches (generous portioned entrée, rice and salad – macaroni, potato, or green). Traci had the special Pork and Tofu plate while Ray had the Maui favorite Kalbi Ribs. Despite the availability of Kalbi ribs in Seattle at multiple places (including two at Seattle’s Uwajimaya – Shillas and Aloha Plates), Kalbi ribs on Maui are just better. Da Kitchen serves Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and makes their plates for a large appetite – so bring one! $24 bought the two plates and a large drink. After Da Kitchen, Ray and Traci went to “WOW” – Wednesdays at Wailea – On Wednesday at the Shops at Wailea Mall, live music is performed and many of the art galleries open up and invite patrons to gaze upon their works. The invited band was quite good – played adult/contemporary music including hits from Stevie Wonder, Michael Buble and Kermit the Frog (Rainbow Connection). Among the many galleries showing Hawaiian themed art, included was one called “Celebrity Fine Art Gallery” which has several notable artists and their works along with lots of rock n’ roll memorabilia. To complete the night, enjoy ice cream at Lappert’s – Haagan Dazs meets Hawaii. Many tropical flavors can be found here in very heavy, rich and expensive ice cream - $4 per cone.
On Thursday, Traci started the day in the Grand Wailea Spa. One tip for spa goers – Costco periodically sells SpaFinder gift certificates ($79.99 for $100 certificates) which are accepted at the Grand Wailea giving you an effective 20% off! After a rigorous morning at the Spa, Traci rejoined Ray for a lunch at a restaurant at the Shops at Wailea called Cheeseburgers in Paradise. This burger palace is a tropical themed Red Robin in an open air setting. Ray had a so-so bacon cheeseburger while Traci had a Chinese Chicken Salad. A $24 tab for lunch was reasonable by Wailea standards but the food was unremarkable. Later on in the evening, dinner was found at a hangout for the locals – Hanafuda Saimin. This noodle and plate lunch place is found next to Stella Blues on Piikea road in Kihei. Ray and Traci had a light $15.65 saimin dinner (ramen type noodles) – Traci added a California Roll and Ray had two pieces of shrimp tempera.
Ray and Traci spent Friday sampling the cuisine at the Grand Wailea, starting with the morning “Grand Buffet.” Traci had the continental buffet (without meat) while Ray enjoyed the whole spread. The buffet has the usual mix expected food including fruit, cereal, various breads, waffles and orange/guava juice. Ray went to the omelet bar for a boring ham and cheese and also had the chef make some fried rice using bacon and mushrooms. The Grand Wailea buffet has good quality food but it is expensive ($28 per person) and had a pretty unremarkable selection. On Sunday, the hotel has a more substantial meal at a higher price ($48) which we did not sample. For dinner, Ray and Traci ate at the poolside restaurant, Bistro Molokini. Patrons get to enjoy a good meal while watching a tropical sunset. Traci enjoyed her penne pasta dish while Ray, still stuffed from the morning buffet, had a good (but unremarkable) chicken Caesar salad.
Before leaving Maui on Saturday, Ray and Traci enjoyed one last meal at Stella Blues (the only repeat visit during this trip). Stella’s had a wonderful country fried steak special which Ray highly recommends. Traci’s last meal was the egg and ham late breakfast special. After a week filled with great weather and excellent food, the trip concluded with a flight back to a much colder (and wetter) Seattle.
