Is there good pizza on Maui?

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You know when you’re vacationing on different islands, sometimes you don’t feel like local food or some expensive splurge, you just feel like a good old fashioned pizza. We have found over the years that pizza on Maui is, to us, severely lacking. We tried Pizza Paradiso in the Honokowai area and were unimpressed. We heard really good things about BJ’s Chicago Pizzeria and felt it was a little bland and expensive. Vinny’s Pizza was probably the worst pizza we’ve ever had…anywhere. It said “authentic New York style pizza”…I beg to differ. NY style is thin but not thin as rice paper, barely any sauce and it was SWIMMING in grease. We went through 3 paper towels soaking the grease off of it. Pizza Hut is just awful anymore, it’s certainly not what it was back in the 80’s. It tastes distinctly manufactured over the past 10 years so you can’t even rely on the big chain pizza places for good food anymore.

We’re really not that picky when it comes to pizza, I swear! This year we’re going to try Round Table Pizza in Kihei. It looks good and while we don’t stay in that area, we’re making a special trip because we’re that desperate! I still get sticker shock when I see pizza prices like $25 for their “Maui Zaui” pizza.

We’re beginning to think a good zesty pizza pie just isn’t possible on the Valley Isle but we’d love to be proven wrong! So does anyone have any suggestions?

Restaurant Review: Pele’s Other Garden

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When you go to the small island of Lanai, you’ve got a few choices for grabbing grinds. You’ve got the big resorts where you can pay big prices or you can go into Dole Square and eat where the locals eat and stretch your dollar. (Tip: If the locals eat there, stop in, you’ve found the best eats!)

One of the stops on one of our excursions to Lanai was to a little deli called Pele’s Other Garden. We tried the Italian hoagie, the meatball sub and our friend got the pizza hoagie. I love Italian subs and if a place offers them up, I’m all over them. This was a great hoagie and decent portion size for the money. (If I remember correctly they’re from the Pittsburgh area and they know how to do deli sandwiches right.) My husband liked his meatball sub as well but after a bite of my hoagie he said he knew what he was getting next time. My friend couldn’t finish all of her french bread pizza so she gave it to us. (Research people, research!) I still dream about that pizza. It was GOOD! The sauce, which we all know is key, is perfect. Robust and zesty, I wish they sold it by the jar. Lunch entrees start at $5.99 and hoagies average $7-8 depending on what you get. (Salads start at $4.99)

Now in the evening, this place transforms into a little Italian bistro. I’m not able to vouch for that portion of the dining experience but you can get a good feel for it from these reviews from other patrons. Reservations are strongly recommended for both lunch and dinner because of limited seating (you can make them online) but you can also take it to go which is perfect if you’re getting ready for a big day of exploration on the island. (There are picnic tables in the middle of the square.) Prices for dinner are more expensive with main entrees starting at $16.99. (Salads and pizza a little less) Now this wahine hopes that is some magical spaghetti and meatballs for $16.99 and I don’t think a side salad comes with that so when we go for dinner sometime, I’ll let you know if it was worth the price. If anyone has been there for dinner (or at all), feel free to add your 2 cents to this. All in all, I’d recommend a stop at Pele’s Other Garden if you’re on Lanai and not in the mood for a local dish.

Pele’s Other Garden
811 Houston St
Lanai City, HI 96763
888-764-3354
http://www.pelesothergarden.com/
Cut off time for online dinner reservations 3pm.

The downhill spiral of a great restaurant…

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I never thought I’d have to write these words but it’s a last desperate plea to restore a restaurant that many visitors and locals are quickly warning others to stay away from. When we found Oki Diner in Lihue, we thought we’d struck local food gold. Sure, the rundown location was less than appealing and the snail-like service was a little irritating but you put a plate lunch of teri beef, kalua pig, fried noodles, sticky rice and a scoop of mac salad in front of us and we were happy haoles. When they moved to a new location on Rice Street that looked to be a step up, we were very excited. That excitement was short lived.

We have had nothing but bad luck with Oki Diner ever since they moved there. They no longer give you the cornbread, they refuse substitutions now and charge outrageous prices to sub out one meat for another, when I say the service is slow…I mean the diner has 3 tables of customers and it takes an hour to get your food and it’s overdone like its been sitting and then reheated. Add a rude, lazy and sometimes neurotic wait staff and you have a recipe for disaster for this former favorite. I used to recommend this restaurant to EVERYONE who was going to Kauai. I told them to ignore the hole in the wall feel and call the order in to avoid the slow service but now there’s no way I would send anyone there. I’m not the only person who feels this way, the reviews on TripAdvisor for Oki have never been great but they are now consistently negative.

All is not lost for Oki Diner though. It’s going to take owner Barbie Oki, a beloved staple of the Kauai community, throwing herself into commiting to the kind of quality and quantity she used to be known for. It can be done. I hope it WILL be done because I’ll be the first person to send people back there and would gladly amend this review to rave about its positive change. But in a business that is already fickle in the islands where long time, neighborhood staple mom and pop restaurants seem to fold like a deck of cards after years of consistently good service…how long can the open sign stay lit for the once great Oki Diner?

Remembering one of the last great tiki bars

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While growing up in Columbus, Ohio going out to a really fancy restaurant was a big thing. It was an even bigger thing when you got to go to the Kahiki Polynesian Supper Club. (I encourage you to click on the link and go to the Kahiki Supper Club Video in the bottom right corner to see the inside of this historical building.) Now this tiki bar was in it’s heyday back in the 60’s and 70’s and it never really updated…ever. But the kitschy appeal as time went on made it that much more fun. I remember going there for my birthday once, for prom, for family gatherings and my first really fancy date with my husband. The outside of the building was beautiful and resembled a war canoe. Large Easter Island statues stood on either side of the entrance with their “hair” aflame every night. As you walked in, there was this really cave-like entrance with a black light and the water that ran down the lavaesque walls looked like milk. To the right was the gift shop, which I loved to stroll around as a kid and then the Beachcomber Bar. To the left were the restrooms which had huge clamshell sinks ala old Coco Palms style and portholes. If you walked a little further, there was a staircase leading down to the disco which later became the banquet/party rooms. Man, if you were able to sneak down there it was just the coolest thing as a kid. Right in front of you is this big fountain shaped like a head.

As you enter the restaurant, there are various huts named after the Hawaiian Islands, things like puffer fish lights on the ceiling, high back wicker chairs, heavily varnished tables and booths that sat you either on the aquarium wall or the “rainforest” wall. The centerpiece of it all was a HUGE 80′ tall mask fireplace. It looked downright evil yet entrancing. Now before my honeymoon in 1996, this was my only exposure to “polynesian” culture. Now that we’re more than well versed in many aspects of Hawaii and Polynesian tradition, we know that some things weren’t exactly representative of Hawaii. Like I don’t remember hearing steel drums in Hawaii…ever. But they have a wonderful steel drum band there. The food is more Chinese, American and I suppose a tad of what is now known as Pacific Rim but nowhere were there real Hawaiian dishes like a plate lunch, kalua pig, huli huli chicken or any of the things you’d come to expect on a regular menu at a local restaurant. But there were “tropical” dishes so I suppose that’s close enough as you’re going to find in the midwest! The rainforest side of the restaurant was basically a pipe over the windows that would leak during the “storm” while the “wild birds” (aka-sparrows and robins and a few other birds) flew around. Do I wish they had more authentic representations of the islands? Sure. But whatcha gonna do? Well, if you’ve got big business in the form of Walgreen’s breathing down your neck because you’re sitting next to a CVS pharmacy, then you take your business of 39 years and fold the restaurant. Yes, this beautiful restaurant that lumbered over our city since the 60’s and intrigued everyone to react whether positive or negative, to its closing day was reduced to rubble so Walgreen’s could compete next to CVS. It was an atrocity. We went for our last dinner in it’s final, crowded weeks when everyone came from cities near and far to say their alohas to this central Ohio landmark. The owner was sure they would reopen downtown on the riverfront but this did not match our mayor’s vision for the city and he would not green light the project. It saddens most central Ohioans or anyone whose ever been there because they’re a dying breed and our dreams to seem to be on hold for ever seeing Kahiki restaurant reborn. Kahiki Foods, their frozen food subsidiary, have done incredibly well and can even be seen in Hawaii grocery stores. But for those who crave Kahiki’s restaurant menu, what is a person to do?

Well, you head on up to Hilliard, Ohio (northwest central Ohio) to Tropical Bistro where the chefs and employees of Kahiki, with the blessing of Kahiki bigwigs, now prepare the exact same menu! Some of my personal faves are the crab puff pupu, Hong Kong Steak, Malagasy Chicken, the Tahitian Mermaid *yum!*, Islander Flaming Beef Teriyaki and Teriyaki Chicken. They have a great lunch buffet if you want the basics. My only complaint is the Pina Passion drink is served in a ceramic pineapple and they used to be served in a whole pineapple which was half the fun. One of the highlights of this wonderful restaurant is their ukulele player Francis who lived in Kona and played for Jamesons. He is a delight, filled with aloha spirit and loves to talk story.

Aloha and A hui hou Kahiki. We hope your treasures will one day be unveiled to bring your ambience and menu together again. Mahalo Tropical Bistro for allowing the Kahiki loyalists to have a place to go to reminisce and make new memories as well!

Update: Sadly The Tropical Bistro has closed. It was in a horrible location and we knew it wouldn’t last long there. One can only hope they might choose a new location but I won’t hold my breath. Sigh.

(To see the heartwrenching pictures of Kahiki being dismantled, click here)

Kahiki Restaurant picture courtesy of Kahiki.com

Restaurant Review…Bubba Burger

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If you’ve been to Kauai, chances are you’ve either seen a commercial on KVIC or passed Bubba Burger. There are 2 locations, one in Kapa’a and one in Hanalei across from Ching Young Village. We were anxious to try this place the first time we went back in 1996 because they just touted these burgers like they were the best thing ever! You’ve got your Bubba Burger, Double Bubba, “The Slopper”, Italian Sausage and the like. I have to say…not overly impressed with the burgers. The better half gave them another shot on the burgers and said they were a little overly greasy. It’s one of those places that you really should try because we all have our own ideas of what a great burger should be and since it doesn’t break the bank, I’d encourage you to give it a whirl. But one place we feel they really shine and something we crave is their chili dogs and chili cheese fries. It’s one of a select few places we may rush to hopping off the plane because of them. The chili is the perfect consistency, just the right amount of heat- not too little and not too much. Slather that on with some cheese and onions and you have one of the tastiest gastronomical time bombs on the island. That being said, it would be smart to load up with Beano or Gas-X prior to that much chili…that’s about as far as I’m going with that one and your traveling companions will thank you. (Well, they should thank me!)

Now it has to be said if you go to their website you are in for a time trip back to the days when cheesey graphics, midis and ill conceived websites were king. I believe the copyright on the webpage is 1995 and I’d be willing to be the format hasn’t changed since then. I suppose it has a charm of sorts but we’d really love to see an updated webpage from Bubba’s with the same sassy content…just organized. I did notice however that when the now defunct Kihei, Maui location was removed a few years ago, so was the “Bub Club” program where you could print out this little card and receive 10% off. You could also buy some of their merchandise and receive either a discount or a free drink…can’t remember which. That’s a shame they did away with that, it made it unique and was more of an incentive for visitors to the islands to go there. Maybe we were the only people who used it?

But organized webpage and Bub Club or not, Bubba’s has reasonably priced good food and great locations whether you want to eat in or grab it to go and head across the street to the beach (Kapa’a) or drive a few blocks to the beach (Hanalei). We recommend you swing by Bubba’s and see what item strikes yer fancy!

Bubba Burgers

4-1421 Kuhio Hwy
Kapaa, HI
(808) 823-0069

or

5-5161 Kuhio Hwy
Hanalei, HI
(808) 826-7839

Lava Rock Cafe in Volcano Village

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When you stay in Volcano Village, one of the things you notice other than the misty mornings, cool nights, the occasional –okay, more than occasional showers and quaint stores is the lack of restaurant choices. There are probably about 5 decent restaurants in Volcano and if you’re not a lover of thai cuisine, then 4 restaurants. We have a place in Volcano and our favorite restaurant is Lava Rock Cafe. My favorite dish is the teriyaki beef. The teriyaki sauce is almost a teriyaki gravy, it’s thick and flavorful and is great to mix with the sticky rice. The other half gets the shoyu chicken which he absolutely loves. If you want breakfast fare you can get sweetbread french toast or the “a’a three egg omelets” and other delights. You can get good filling food for a decent price. We usually get it to go because it’s such a short commute and honestly, the service can be a little flat. It’s not that they’re not nice, they’re just indifferent and not willing to substitute anything so if you stick to the menu, you’re fine. I think they could really profit from combo platters like teri beef and kalua pork, which I asked for and was told “sorry, no combos.” It would be to their benefit to reconsider. So we got a kalua pork platter on its own and divided it up between us and the lady said “are you making a combo platter anyway?” and he said yes and she almost seemed to resent we bucked the system. Sorry…that’s what foodies do sistah! We want what we want! If you need to check your email, it is an internet cafe so drop your friends or family a quick “aloha!”

Overall the Lava Rock Cafe is a sensible choice for good food and good prices in a town with limited culinary offerings.

Old Volcano Road
(behind Kilauea General Store)
Volcano, HI
96785

Phone: 808 967 8526
7:30a-4p Su, 7:30a-5p M, 7:30a-9p Tu-Sa

Scotty’s Beachside BBQ in Kapa’a, Kauai

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The better half and I went by this restaurant to see if the BBQ lived up to their hype. If you’ve ever read the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, this restaurant popped up in their last edition saying that they had an interest in the establishment. While they stopped short of giving it an “ono” to be fair, they thought it was pretty good.

We decided to each get a combo meal and split them so we could try an array of items. I got the rib and chicken combo and he got the pork and brisket combo. We both got the baked beans (their “pride and joy”) and french fries and one of us got the garlic bread while the other got the cornbread. The pork and brisket are both smoked and they’re both a little too smoked for both of us. They tasted almost the same despite being two separate animals and personally I think the smoking process on meat should compliment it, not overpower it. Just a preference. So a miss on those…onto the ribs and chicken. The chicken was hmm…it wasn’t really plain but it wasn’t well seasoned either. It was like they boiled the chicken and sprinkled some spices on it when it came out. I dipped mine in 2 of the BBQ sauces we got (the original and the plum) and didn’t care for either of them and didn’t finish it. The ribs were good because they give you the sauce on the side but I did want a good BBQ sauce on them, it just wasn’t coming from them. But on their own the ribs weren’t bad. Now the baked beans we differed on opinion. He said they were okay because he’s had baked beans like that before but I don’t like every cajun seasoning in the book dumped in my beans so I didn’t eat more than 2 bites. I grew up with brown sugar and bacon baked beans so this wasn’t appetizing to me. (You give me a can of Bush’s Country Style baked beans and I don’t need to doctor them up) The garlic and corn breads were good.

Oh I didn’t mention how much we paid for this meal, did I?
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What I wouldn’t give for some U-Top-It!

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When I visit Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, I have to say as a foodie that I’m not always impressed with their offerings. I’m always on the look out for some new place to try because if it’s local food, I’m game! I did a search for the best Kona restaurants before making a trip over and a newer restaurant called U-Top-It came up. The draw of the restaurant is their Hawaiian Taro PanCrepes and you can top them almost any way you like from ono local foods to sweet desserts like Pele’s Passion that has chocolate hazelnut spread, raspberries and passion fruit. We came toward the beginning of the lunch rush around 11:30am and were lucky enough to snag a table inside though there were outdoor tables and you can get it to go as well. The better half had the Kanack Attack which featured portuguese sausage, spam and onions in the rice and 2 eggs on top of a crepe. I one upped him by getting the Mo Loco Attack which was the same as his except add a homemade 1/2 lb beef patty and the thickest, most delectable brown gravy you’ve ever had in your life. You ever take a bite of something and sink back in your chair as you chew it and smile? Yeah, that good. It was one of those meals that when they bring it to you, it looks like a good sized portion but as you’re eating it brings new meaning to the phrase “locals eat until they’re tired not full.” It just didn’t seem to end and even when I was tired and full–I still found myself shoveling in every last bit of that wonderful rice. To be honest, I barely ate the crepe because by the time I got to it I was exhausted. We had big plans on trying the Pele’s Passion but never made it, which is a good excuse to go back. Here’s the kicker, between the two of us for such a filling and wonderful meal, we paid just under $20 with tip! At current writing, the most expensive thing on the menu is $13.95 but most entrees averaging in the $7-10 range. (Prices are subject to change) U-Top-It has restored our faith in good old fashioned local food at good prices and we can’t wait to go back.

U-Top-It is open for breakfast and lunch from 7:30am-2:00pm Tuesday-Sunday and closed on Mondays. Located in the Ali’i Sunset Plaza next to the Coconut Grove Marketplace. Access from Ali’i Dr or Kuakini Highway. Free parking in the back on the Kuakini side.
75-5799 Ali’i Drive Suite A-4
808-329-0092

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