Hawaii ~ the great food!

One of my favorite things about our trip to Hawaii was the awesome food! I wanted to share the highlights. I'll still be posting a review and details of the trip later. But the food deserves its own spotlight!

#1 - The Pineapples! Once you eat a fresh Hawaiian pineapple it'll ruin you for life :) There are lots of roadside fruit stands selling pineapple and other local fruits, including coconut drinks - looks like a big coconut with a straw jabbed in it.

#2 - Shave Ice! To say that this is a local delicacy seems a little out of proportion, but Hawaiians and tourists alike all LOVE shave ice. Lots of hole in the walls similar to ice cream & smoothie shops line the pedestrian friendly beach loving streets. We stopped for some on our way out of town and it was really good. I got 3 flavors (coconut, mango and pineapple).

#3 - Hula Grill at Whaler's Village (Maui) - great location, great view, toes in the sand, nice service, live music, good food, and very affordable. We ate there twice and tried fish 'n chips, Thai chicken pizza and coconut shrimp. We loved the Chili Pepper Water (it's a light sauce) to dip things in, and ended up buying a bottle to bring home. Here's one pic from a sunset after we came off the beach.

#4 - Kimo's. This steak and seafood restaurant has a prime spot on busy Front Street in Lahaina (Maui), overlooking the harbor. It was already dark when we went, but if you are ever there then consider going to watch the sunset. Since Lahaina is on the western side of Maui, you'll get a great view just like the one above. Food was really good and it felt like a great date night. Definitely save room for the Hula Pie. It's heaven!

                                 

#5 - The Gazebo at Napili Beach (Maui) - it's literally a wooden gazebo turned into a small restaurant. After reading great reviews in our guide book, we knew we had to find this place. It's inexpensive and SO worth it. Awesome food, very friendly service and great ocean front view with open air seating. I took a chance and went with the recommended Fried Rice dish on the breakfast menu. Oh my god, I want to find a similar recipe and make this at home! Michael got a Monte Cristo and then ate the rest of my rice! After this lunch, I was surprised our snorkeling didn't turn into us being weighted to the bottom of the ocean by our full bellies! I can't believe it buy we cleaned our plates.

#6 - Buzz's Steakhouse (Kaulua, Oahu) - our friends Heidi and Mitch, who live on Oahu, took us to Buzz's on our first night. This was by far the best meal of our trip! We started our vacation on the right foot with a strong margarita and a calamari steak (to die for!). Michael got a great fish entree and I had an Ahi tuna salad.

#7 - Old Lahaina Luau (Lahaina, Maui) - saved the best for last! We booked our reservations 2 weeks before our trip, and this was for sure a favorite in the whole Hawaii experience. Old Lahaina Luau is known as the best one of the island, and it was very impressive. Definitely go if you're ever there. We sat at a table with 3 other couples. The meal was buffet style, but started with the Imu ceremony (Hawaiian version of a pig roast). I was very surprised that they had an open bar. I don't have much else to compare this luau too - never having been to a traditional luau before - but I can tell you to go based on the fact that we had a fabulous time! Prepare to eat a lot.

#8 - Shrimp Trucks (all over Oahu) - the picture will explain a lot better than words. You can get a whole heaping pile of fresh shrimp and rice for about $12. Not bad. These trucks were scattered about the island. There were a lot on the North Shore side. Giovanni's was a popular one.

Honorable Mentions:
Sansaei's Sushi at Napili Beach
Shore Bird Restaurant (at Outrigger Reef on Waikiki Beach)
Lahaina Coolers