This restaurant was about half way on our way back from our little road trip to Hana. So we made early reservations and brought a quick change of clothes in the car. The view of the little grove was absolutely gorgeous and we were seated before sunset, so the light was still nice and warm out. We had a good appetite and were excited to have our first nice dining experience in Maui. Service was excellent - very attentive and very informative about the night's specials and other menu highlights. We ordered a bottle of Riesling and nibbled on some fresh bread while we decided on our meal. After we ordered, we enjoyed an amuse of carrot ginger soup, which had delicate bright flavors that left me wanting more than just the sip. To start, we ate the fresh ono ceviche since we skipped it during lunch. It was exotically presented in a coconut shell with tons of citrus goodness and with taro and breadfruit chips. Next, the stunner of the night were the amazing crispy fish cheeks. Literally, the side gill/fin area of the fish, grilled with the skin on so they are crispy on the outside and tender and flaky on the inside. Lots of flavor - not fishy at all!
For my main dish, I chose the meaty peppercorn crusted Ahi tuna steak presented with sugarcane "bones" to create a chop and served with a sinful Hamakua mushroom sauce. Keith loved the creative presentation of my fish so much. He chose the Hawaiian classic of Ti-leaf grilled swordfish with coconut rice and grilled bananas. The papaya salsa and coconut combination was a bit too sweet for his tastes, but everything was cooked very well that he still enjoyed it. For dessert, we were swayed by the advertised lilikoi creme brulee that was featured on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate". It had classic flavor in the cream with just a hint of the passion fruit drizzled on top, but was not outstanding so we did not understand what was so "best" about it. At the end of the evening, the manager came out to greet us and gave Keith a flower lei to present to me. It was a very sweet gesture and a great ending to our first amazing meal in paradise.
Total Rating: 4.5
Food: 5, Price: 3, Service: 5, Ambience: 5, Accessibility: 3
What I ate:
♥Carrot Ginger Soup♥
♥Ono Ceviche♥
marinated in lime and coconut milk, in a fresh coconut
♥Crispy Fish Cheeks♥
with chili, soy, cucumber dipping sauce
Peppercorn Seared Ahi Steak
with Hamakua mushroom sauce
Lilikoi creme brulee
with baked banana, papaya salsa and coconut rice
♥Ono Ceviche♥
marinated in lime and coconut milk, in a fresh coconut
♥Crispy Fish Cheeks♥
with chili, soy, cucumber dipping sauce
Peppercorn Seared Ahi Steak
with Hamakua mushroom sauce
Lilikoi creme brulee
Plus Keith ate:
Ti-leaf Grilled Swordfishwith baked banana, papaya salsa and coconut rice
