Continuing on its year-after-year roll as “Best Sushi” restaurant on Maui, Sansei draws in the fun crowd at its two hot spots on the Valley Isle — the original one in Kapalua and another in Kihei. Its two other locations on Oahu and the Big Island are hugely popular as well.

“I want Sansei to be known for having the best quality, most delicious and creative sushi in Hawaii and there is no category I’d rather win than ‘Best Sushi!’ ” says owner D.K. Kodama. ”We get absolutely the best products available and give our guests the very best quality every single night.”

Sansei also lures you in with late-night karaoke on certain evenings for those 21 and older and you may belt out your favorites between sips of chilled sake and imported Japanese beer and bites of sushi specials — the latter for 50 percent off. D.K. also wants to “thank the local community that has supported us all of these years — it’s hard to believe we’ve been there more than 13 years in Kapalua.”

First place:
Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar
1881 S. Kihei Road
Kihei, Maui
808-879-0004
and
115 Bay Drive Unit 115,
Kapalua, Maui
808-669-6286

Second place:
Kobe Japanese Steak House and Oku’s Sushi Bar
136 Dickenson St.
Lahaina, Maui
808-667-5555

Third place:
Isana Restaurant
515 S. Kihei Road
Kihei, Maui
808-874-5700

• ISBN13: 9780967007243
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
A guide for families and outdoor adventurers alike, Maui Trailblazer 2009 covers all of the island, and includes day trips to the neighboring islands of Molokai, Lanai, and Molokini.

Clear directions and concise descriptions lead to all of Maui’s well-known attractions, as well as to hidden discoveries that Trailblazer readers have come to expect.

137 different hikes and strolls to tropical rain forests and remote valleys, coastal bluffs and lava caves, Haleakala crater and the Hana Highway, cascading waterfalls, beaches, ridgetops, towns, whale-watching perches, historic sites, and archeological ruins.

Among the 44 snorkeling spots are hike-to coves and the secret places that tour boats go.

Kayakers can pick from about 20 put-ins.

Surfers can select from 38 beaches and decide whether to boogie, board, or body surf. Onlookers will find the best places to watch the surfers, windsurfers and kite-boarders ride the big ones.

The text is complimented by 10 maps and 240 photographs. Driving tours-nine of them-take readers to all the attractions, natural wonders, and historic sites.

A Resource Links section provides numbers for free visitor information and recreational outfitters, as well as hand-picked accommodations and local restaurants to suit every budget and taste bud.

A Best Of section lets you pick the right activity to suit your mood and the day. Appendices include free hula shows, farmer’s markets, what to pack, climate, history, fauna, and a Hawaiian glossary.

This new and completely revised third edition for 2009 includes a Trailblazer Kids section for adventuring families. Maui Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Paddle, Surf, Drive

The flagship is Cafe O’Lei at the Dunes in Kahului, a convenient spot with beautiful views of the golf course and the West Maui Mountains beyond. It’s got a private banquet room for 180 people, a 100-seat dining room and plenty of outdoor venues.

The husband-and-wife team of Michael and Dana Pastula will make you feel right at home. The chef-owner’ signature dishes include Manoa lettuce wraps, crab cakes, Bill Eby burgers, and onion soup en croute with gruyere cheese,

“We make customer service our core value,” says Dana. “We know business people have a tight time schedule and we try hard to meet their needs during breakfast, lunch and dinner. We give the best service and there is plenty of parking.”

The second biggest Cafe O’Lei location is upstairs at the Rainbow Mall in Kihei. It’s a fun place to go for lunch with air conditioning, and in the evenings it’s got a seafood bar, brick pizza oven and a sushi chef rolling out fresh delights. Cafe O’Lei Wailuku is where all of the lawyers, doctors and Wailuku businessmen hang out.

The latest Cafe O’Lei is opened in August at the Waiehu Golf Course, and everyone knows golf and business go hand in hand. All food items cost under $9 and golf on the county course is only $5 for kamaaina.

First place:
Cafe O’Lei
1333 Maui Lani Parkway,
Kahului, Maui
808-877-0073
www.cafeoleirestaurants.com

Second place:
Marco’s Grill & Deli
444 Hana Highway Ste. M • Kahului • 808-877-4446

Third place:
Koho Grill & Bar
Queen Kaahumanu Center • Kahului • 808-877-5588

Disappointing meals (and there are a lot of them on Maui) can totally ruin a dream vacation. Don’t leave your planning to chance or rely on slick advertising-driven guides. Other tourist books with their capsule “reviews” don’t come close to the insight you’ll get from opinionated, knowledgeable restaurant critics who live on Maui.

Food journalists James and Molly Jacobson are two big-city-exiles who live on Maui and dine out an average of 11 times per week. Their honest, take-no-prisoners review guide is written with the philosophy that people who love to eat and prefer not to waste money on bad food should know the truth about Maui’s well-marketed dining scene.

Tens of thousands of elated and relieved visitors have trusted Top Maui Restaurants (both the online version and previous editions of this book) to guide them to the best eats on Maui.

In this 2010 edition you’ll find:
* The top romantic restaurants worth the splurge.
* The best inexpensive but tasty places.
* Hidden gems you wouldn’t find unless a local revealed the secret.
* A user-friendly reference to help you fulfill any food craving.
* Insider secrets and tips to help you get the most out of your Maui vacation.

NEW for 2010: A brand new Top Maui Tips section with useful, insider information to get the most out of your Maui vacation. Our best recommendations for planning that special wedding or anniversary event. Includes our top picks for great activities and cultural events.

Dining out on Maui is more expensive than any place else in America. For less than the price of a bad breakfast, this handbook could save your vacation. Top Maui Restaurants 2010 from Thrifty to Four star: Indispensable Advice from Experts Who Live, Play and Eat on Maui

Maui Ambience

If you brought your tuxedo with you to Maui you will be sadly disappointed – nobody wears them here. Getting all dressed up on Maui is to put on an Aloha shirt! The ambience in Maui usually means surrounded by ocean vistas and tropical gardens.  A closed room with air-conditioning is fine on the mainland but that’s not why folks come to Maui.  There are 3 winners:

• 1st Place – Mama’s Fish House
• 2nd Place – Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a Restaurant at GrandWailea Resort Hotel & Spa
• 3rd Place – Sarento’s on the Beach

Mama’s Fish House

Mama's Fish House

Who hasn’t been to Mama’s Fish House?  Well if that’s you then just call to make a reservation – you will not be disappointed.  Click here to see a video of Mama’s Fish House.  It’s expensive but that’s what you would expect to pay for such a fine restaurant with a stellar reputation.

Mama’s is a 30 minute drive from the Honua Kai and well worth the drive.  There is NO way you can tell folks you sampled Maui’s fine fish if you haven’t eaten at Mama’s.  We eat there at lease once on every visit to Maui and the Honua Kai.  Reservations should be made weeks before your dinner and months before if this is a holiday night.

799 Poho Place, Kuau Maui
808-579-8488
www.mamasfishhouse.com

Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a Restaurant at Grand Wailea

Grand Wailea's Restaurant

This fine restaurant floats on a pond with fantastic views of the ocean.  This is truly a night you will remember for a long time.  Make reservations at least one month in advance of your visit to Maui and if its a holiday night plan on several months in advance.

The Grand Wailea is a 45 minute drive south from the Honua Kai.

3850Wailea Alanui Dr. •Wailea, Maui
808-875-1234
Website:  Grandwailea.com

Sarento’s on the Beach

Right on the beach!

Sarento’s on the Beach is superb, five-star regional Italian cuisine with a Mediterranean flair. Specialties include award-winning presentations of prime steaks, homemade pastas, fresh Hawaiian seafood, signature veal, lamb, chicken & pork dishes. Creative preparations of classic Italian desserts are their speciality.

This fine restaurant is in Kihei and about a 45 minute drive south of the Honua Kai.

2980 South Kihei Road
Kihei, Maui, HI 96753
808)-875-7555
www.tristarrestaurants.com

You can’t eat at 5-star restaurants all the time – and there’s no way in hell you’re bringing the family to a Mickey-D’s on Maui – what to do?  I can tell you that the true feeling of Maui are in the people that live here year long; mingle with them and they will tell you all kinds of secrets and tips that aren’t known outside of Maui locals.  Well eat where local Maui folks eat – the best food for the buck.  Here are some places we visit each time we stay at the Honua Kai:

I’m just going to cover the Ka’anapali area near the Honua Kai in this article.

Kahuna Kabobs

Kahuna Kabobs
126 Lahainaluna Rd
Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 661-9999

If you’ve walked Lahaina you’ve probably walked right past the Kahuna Kabobs – the locals know this and have the place to themselves. They are known for their kabobs, salads and wraps. Their kabobs include steak, chicken, fish, shrimp or tofu. Everything is tasty, super fresh, and healthy.  The locals that work in Lahaina love to eat here (we’re all sick of the food at our own restaurants).

The place is a bit tricky to locate; it’s located in the alley just north of the Maui Built store. So when shopping in Lahaina and you want to taste what the locals eat drop by.

On Front Street in Lahaina

BJ’s Chicago Pizzeria
730 Front St, Lahaina, HI 96761
808-661-0700

BJ’s Chicago Pizzeria Maui

We eat here all the time – best deep-dish pizza in Maui if you ask me.  The place is huge and you can meet friends for a pizza and beer and the place can handle parties of 20 or more!  It’s upstairs on the second floor and their pasta and sandwiches is another reason the locals frequent this place.

They have late night entertainment so its a fun place to meet folks and have a great time.  This is a place where kids to grandparents will have a fun time.

Cool Cat Cafe is upstairs on Front St near Lahaina Harbor

Cool Cat Cafe
658 Front St
Lahaina, HI 96761-1216
(808) 667-0908

“Best Burger on Maui” 5 years in a row – we eat there all the time after whale watching or fishing from the Lahaina Harbor.  It’s on Front Street and up on the second floor and you can watch folks walking to and from the harbor.  There burgers win awards all the time – its a fantastic place to eat on the cheap.  All the locals eat here.

Freshest fish on Maui - the locals eat here!

The Fish Market Maui
3600 Lower Honoapiilani Rd #H1
Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 665-9895

If you want the freshest fish at an affordable price come to where the locals eat – The Fish Market.  From the pupu’s (appetizer in Hawaiian) to the main course all the fish served here is just hours from being caught.  The seating is very limited so folks just carry-out the meals and find a spot to have a picnic or take it home and eat on the lanai watching the Pacific ocean from their Honua Kai villa.

I’ll write more articles on local eateries since there are so many great ones – but for goodness sakes don’t eat at the Mickey-D’s!

If you want to read more

Click above to read even more

Even though each villa at the Honua Kai has a full kitchen we eat out just about every night while at the Honua Kai.  Luckily there are dozens and dozens of excellent restaurants just a 5 to 10 minute car ride from the Honua Kai.  ALL dining in Maui is casual where the gentlemen and kids can wear an Aloha shirt, shorts, and sandals; the ladies always seem to out dress us guys anywhere.

Reservations are a must and for special days, like New Years Eve you must make the reservations months in advance – don’t say you weren’t warned.

I’ll cover 5-star restaurants first:

Ocean Front at the Honua Kai Resort & Spa

Dukes Beach House – on property – 0 seconds away

Duke’s Beach House

On the Beach at Honua Kai
130 Kai Malina Parkway
Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 662-2900

Dukes Beach House is a fantastic restaurant, ocean front, right on the Honua Kai Resort & Spa’s property.  You’ve got to watch the setting Maui sun, with an adult beverage in hand, as many times as you can while on Maui.  Once you go back home that Maui sun is but a picture that you brag about to your friends.

So mosey down to Duke’s each night, order a new drink each night, and watch the setting sun and look for the “green flash“.  If you see one please post a comment here.  You will bump into folks who have seen it while on Maui – so far we have not.  (Looking directly into the non-setting sun is not a wise thing to do and is not advised here: a word from my lawyers)

Roy’s Restaurant 3.3 miles away – 7 minutes

4405 Honoapiilani Hwy, Lahaina, HI‎ – (808) 669-6999‎

Roy’s is just fantastic – for the entire family.  There are two Roy’s on Maui, one in the northern part of Maui, by us, and one in the south in Kihei.  Mom and dad can order fish and the kids have an entire menu to choose from.  To be honest the one in the northern part of Maui it is NOT on the beach but on the second story of a shopping center.

Kimos is in Lahaina, on Front St, and on the water

Kimo’s Restaurant 5.0 miles away 9 minutes by car

845 Front St
Lahaina, HI 96761-1698
(808) 661-4811

Kimo’s is located on Front St in Lahaina – it’s always packed to the rafters with folks looking for a fantastic meal while in Lahaina – make reservations!  You sit right next to the ocean and the view of Lahaina harbor is just fantastic.  Food is the best – you will have an excellent lunch or dinner.  You can park in the public parking areas and stroll along Front Street on your way to Kimo’s.

The same folks that own Kimo’s (T.S. Restaurants) own the Hula Grill in Whaler’s Village.  These folks know Maui and you will not be disappointed in either location.  The Hula Pie is their signature dissert – you will thank me later!

View of Lahaina Harbor from Ruth's Chris

Ruth’s Chris Steak House of Maui – 5.0 miles away 9 minutes by car

900 Front Street,Lahaina, HI 96761-2325
Phone: 808-661-8815

You know you can’t go wrong with Ruth’s Chris – there are two of them on Maui – on in Lahaina and one in Wailea.  We once had 4^th of July Dinner at
Ruth’s Chris as the fireworks started in Lahaina Harbor – a cruise ship came in and it was a night to remember.  Best steaks on Maui by far.  For some of you who visit Ruth’s Chris all the time you probably will want to visit another fine restaurant.

You see the Lahaina Harbor from your table and it’s fun to watch all the boats/ships in the harbor.  Ruth’s Chris is right next to Warren and Annabelle’s Magic Show and makes a wonderful evening of dining and then the magic show.

In Whalers Village Ka'anapali

Hula Grill – 1.7 miles away, 3 minutes by car

2435 Kaanapali Pkwy # P1
Lahaina, HI 96761-1981
(808) 667-6636

Located in Whalers Village in Ka’anapali the Hula Grill offers 5-star dining just steps from the Ka’anapali Beach.  The servers at the Hula Grill can recommend the catch of the day, how it’s prepared, and a fine bottle of wine to complement the meal.  Kids will love the items on the menu for them.

Pacific'O is on Front St in Lahaina right on the water

Pacific’O Restaurant

505 Front St # 14
Lahaina, HI 96761-1187
(808) 667-4341

Located on the ocean on Front Street in Lahaina Pacific’O is a great restaurant that we frequent on each visit to Maui.  They have a patio where you can be over the ocean or more secluded within the restaurant.  The views of Lahaina Harbor are great as are the many dishes for the entire family.

This should be enough to get you going – there are so many world-class restaurants on Maui that I’ll write many follow-up articles.

Glistening moi is caught off leeward Oahu, then wok-fried with Kula vegetables and topped with mango-lychee blackbean sauce. Deep-water ahi is hooked by Kamaki Everett outside his home port of Hana Bay, then peppercorn grilled with Hamakua mushroom-basil sauce and served with a side of sweet potato “mash.”

Mama’s Fish House reigns as royalty in 2009, when it comes to serving the Best Seafood on Maui. Readers voted for this landmark restaurant in Kuau, not only because of the sheer volume it serves, but because it utilizes only the freshest local products. And, you know it remains consistent as it’s a multiple previous winner in this prestigious classification.

“It’s nice to work for owners who care more about quality than price,” says longtime Executive Chef Perry Bateman. “We have no limitations, really, when it comes to buying the best. We serve the most expensive lobster in the world, from isolated Tristan Island (part of great Antarctica) and we buy the freshest catch from local fishermen.”

Mama’s even has its own “fish guru,” Mike Pascher, who examines fish brought in to the loading dock in front of his chilled Fish Room. After an intense inspection, his team slices and fillets countless whole specimens from the deep, and then Mama’s go on to sell it — and no other restaurant in the state of Hawaii can top its volume.

For those who want a taste of Polynesia, try the fresh mahimahi and pork laulau steamed in a ti leaf package, which is opened tableside by the waiter, who then pours aromatic coconut milk into it. The laulau is accompanied by grilled Hana banana and tropical fruit. Mama’s presentation of this timeless Hawaiian dish takes seafood to a whole new level.

First place:
Mama’s Fish House
799 Poho Place
Kuau, Maui
808-579-8488

Second place:
The Maalaea Waterfront Restaurant
50 Hauoli St. • Maalaea • 808-244-9028

Third place:
Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar
1881 S. Kihei Road • Kihei • 808-879-0004
115 Bay Drive Unit 115 • Kapalua • 808-669-6286

“Life is one long weekend,” so Tommy Bahama Tropical Cafe upstairs in the Shops atWailea is the place to hang your hat for awhile. Sip an Island Estate margarita, munch Habana Cabana pork sliders, and listen to themusic as the cool breeze brushes past in the open-air dining room with the huge, rectangular bar.

“We have what we call, Island Time, which is Tommy’s version of a happy hour,” says General Manager Beau Moore. “It runs every day from4 to 6 p.m. and again every evening from 9 to closing. The drink prices are almost chopped in half. But we use all top-of-the-line ingredients. The pupu are priced at only $6. It’s a real deal, but unlike some other establishments, ours has an air of sophistication to it.We also feature livemusic daily from 5 to 9:30 p.m.

“We make our sour mix from scratch. And, all of our juices are fresh pressed eachmorning,” says Moore. “It makes all of the difference.  Tommy’s also has its own line of rum distilled in Barbados. The light rum is called White Sands and the dark is called Golden Sun. The two are our own proprietary blends.”

First place:
Tommy Bahama’s Tropical
3750 Wailea Alanui Dr.
Wailea, Maui
808-875-9983.

Second place:
Mala Wailea
3700Wailea Alanui Dr. •Wailea, Maui • 808-875-9394

Third place:
Longhi’s
888 Front St. • Lahaina, Maui • 808-667-2288
3750 Wailea Alanui Dr. • Wailea, Maui • 808-891-8883

Tommy Bahama Watch

No other Maui restaurant sizzles like this multiple winner, and its two Maui locations win hands down — each and every year. Sink your teeth into prime cuts of beef and chops, broiled in 1,800-degree incendiary ovens to lock in natural juices, flavors and tenderness. Pair them with big, red wines and sides of say, creamed spinach and potatoes Lyonnaise.

Martinis are shaken and poured tableside, booths are cushy and plentiful and service is impeccable due to the high standards of founder Ruth Fertel.
She’s since passed on, but her New Orleans-inspired dishes remain, such as shrimp remoulade, mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat, and bread pudding with whiskey sauce and creme Anglaise.

Of course, since this is Hawaii, fresh catch such as mahimahi in lemon buerre blanc, whole lobster and scallops all are popular choices. The owner is Randall Schoch, who operates all of the Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses in the state. Whenever possible, Ruth’s Chris uses the freshest, Hawaiigrown
ingredients possible.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
The Shops at Wailea: 808-874-8880
and
Lahaina Center, 808-661-8815.

Second place:
Outback Steak House
281 Piikea Ave. Ste. 121 • Kihei • 808-879-8400
and
4405 Honoapiilani Highway Ste. 218 Lahaina • 808-665-1822

Third place:
DUO Steak and Seafood
Four Seasons • 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr. Wailea • 808-874-8000