Frog Blog

What is all this talk about the Road to Hana? If you don’t already know, driving the Road to Hana is one of the best things to do in all of Maui.  Personally, I don’t like to drive at all, but never the less, you’ll find me making the journey at least once a year. Why, you ask?  The sights and smells of the lush rainforest and it’s many waterfalls and coastal views make the Hana Highway one of the best drives in the world.  Where else can you pull off a jungle road to swim under a waterfall while watching the ocean crash in front of you?  The Road to Hana is magical for many reasons, and this is why you’ll find so many people taking advantage of the excursion. 

What’s the best way to see the Road to Hana? Get up EARLY and make the drive with an open mind and patient demeanor.  Passengers will get the most out of this trip, so taking turns from driving are important.  The best way to do Hana is by taking a Road to Hana Tour.  Knowledgeable locals guide these tours from air-conditioned luxury vans.  Everyone along for the ride is able to enjoy the uninterrupted views. 

If you’re driving it yourself, make certain to prepare for the journey.  The more prepared you are, the better you’ll enjoy the trip.  Some of the many Road to Hana tips to consider include getting rest the night before, leaving early, bringing bug spray, filling your gas tank, and bringing a camera.  If you drive yourself, think about buying a Road to Hana CD.  These helpful CD’s will guide you to the best of the Road to Hana.

Drive safe and have fun!

Aloha,

Below we’ve listed some great casual as well as fine dining restaurants in Maui that we think you’ll enjoy. 

Wokstar International Noodle Cafe

Located across from the big whale at Kalama Beach Park, Wokstar is a small casual open-air restaurant serving affordably-priced delicious meals off of South Kihei Road.  Next door to Life’s A Beach, Wokstar offers a healthy alternative to the many over-priced restaurants around Maui.  Impressed equally by the quality of the food as we were with the professional attentive service, we recommend this Maui restaurant to everyone we meet.  A Maui-Must-Do! 

Chez Paul

Located halfway between Maalaea and Lahaina next to the Olowalu General Store, Chez Paul’s Restaurant Francais is one not to miss. This extraordinary restaurant has first-class French Cuisine and tremendous wines too. Lunch and dinner are both incredibly satisfying with Hors D’Oeuvres such as cappuccino of lobster bisque with cognac and entrees like Shoyu and Grand Marnier carmalized pacific salmon with citrus beurre blanc. Chez Paul is a great spot to stop at on the way to or from Lahaina. It’s only a short scenic drive from Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kihei, and Maalaea. Chez Paul has quickly become Boss Frog’s favorite restaurant on the island.

Stella Blues

Stella Blues Cafe’s theme was highly influenced by the Grateful Dead and their contemporaries in the Music scene. It’s an attractive restaurant with a full bar and savoury meals. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Kihei next to the Long’s Shopping Center, Stella Blues has inspired live music and enticing food. After your first meal here, you’ll see why this restaurant a local favorite.  www.stellablues.com

Fred’s Mexican Cafe

You don’t need to go South of the border to find South Maui’s favorite Mexican restaurant. Fred’s is conveniantly Located in South Kihei only a few blocks South of Dolphin Plaza. Fred’s is an easy-going place and perfect for getting some good Mexican for lunch or dinner. Extremely popular on Tuesday nights, you’ll want to get there early for the “taco Tuesday” prices and fun.

Mulligan’s on the Blue

On the Wailea Blue Golf Course across from the Kea Lani, Mulligan’s is the best Irish pub and restaurant in Maui. Irish owned and ran, you’ll get everything that you need from traditional Irish cuisine to a thick pint of Guiness. The views from the large outside courtyard are awe-inspiring. During whale season, humpbacks are visible breaching in the distance. The live music can’t be beat, which makes Mulligan’s another local favorite.  http://www.mulligansontheblue.com/

Roy’s Bar and Grill

With two great locations in Maui, both Kihei and Kahana Roy’s Bar and Grill will prepare you some of the best fish you’ve ever had. One of the finer restaurants in Maui, mom and dad will love this romantic incredible meal. Their entrees are delicious, the service is professional and friendly, and the ambiance upscale and comfortable. Roy’s is only open for dinner.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

On Maui’s West Shoreline, This Jimmy Buffet themed restaurant fits in perfectly with the relaxed, fun atmosphere. Located on the water on Front Street, Cheeseburger in Paradise has fun, lively atmosphere and is in the heart of Lahaina. With fun live music and 2 stories with views, you’ll love this casual restaurant.

Cool Cat Cafe

Come to Cool Cat Cafe for an authentic American Diner experience. Located in Lahaina, With a mid century theme, the atmosphere holds smells of good food and great nostalgic memories. Cool Cat Cafe has been voted #1 on the Island by Boss Frog employees.

Also, see Boss Frog’s Maui restaurant guide will give you all the good info you need to make the best choices about what to eat while you are on Maui. Choose from Lahaina, Kihei and Wailea or Kahului and Wailuku. The Maui restaurants are grouped by price range for your convenience. Also be sure to check out our Maui secrets and picks page for some local favorites. Click below for more options in Maui for great restaurants.
 

Last night a large crowd of music lovers eagerly awaited the performance of Hip Hop artist Lauryn Hill at the MACC (Maui Arts and Cultural Center.)  The Big Island’s Pepper opened for the eight time Grammy winner for Bob Fest 2007.

As far as venues go, the MACC is rarely paralleled.  This open-air forum holds views of the sun setting through the high clouds of the West Maui Mountains.  It often surprises residents when big names decide to play here due to the MACC’s inability to accomodate large audiences.  When a big name like Lauryn Hill does play here, it’s truly a treat for those able to attend this small venue.

Among many artists to open was Pepper.  From Kona, Hawai’i, these three alternative musicians made our neighbors on the Big Island proud.  Their unique sound pulls from punk, reggae, ska, and rock n’ roll.  Judging by their enthusiastic applause and committed lyrics, the crowd confidently chose Pepper as their favorites of the night.  Pepper’s standout performance made fans out of the most unlikely audience members.  We’ll all be seeing much more of these three talented young men in the future.

The anticipation for our headliner was enormous. Once the fast paced singing/raping from Lauryn Hill’s soulful voice began booming through the warm Maui air, the entire crowd began to dance.  Though after playing Oahu then the Big Island in succession, her voice had been stretched past it’s limits.  It seems that the sound system on the Big Island was poor, and she had to make up for it by pushing her voice harder than what was regularly necessary.  Unfortunately, this made for a raspier and less beautiful singing from this incredible artist.  This came not from a lack of trying; I’ve never seen a singer push so hard to give an audience what they wanted.  If it had been anyone else, the performance would have been stunning.  It’s a shame that most of us know what she’s normally capable of.

All in all, the Bob Fest show was a success.  Big names or small, any show at the MACC really shouldn’t be missed.

Go to MauiArts.org for future show times.

     Well put my blog foot in my mouth! Less than a day after informing the world that there was only one authentic Chinese restaurant in West Maui, I learned that the owners of China Boat had opened a new location. The new location is right off of Highway 30 in Ka’anapali at the Fairway Shops mall.

     China Boat has been a long time favorite so we decided to give it a shot last night. China Bowl is set in a comfortable casual luncheon style setting and the menu is quite different from the China Boat menu. The new menu features 13 appetizers including pineapple coconut fried shrimp, pot stickers and cream cheese crab wontons, 5 soups and three salads. The menu also includes some rice meals and some noodles as well as ramen, udon and saimin. The signature dishes are offered a little bit different than the usual. First you choose your chicken, beef, pork, seafood, vegetables or tofu, then you choose from one of nine different sauces. The choices include sweet and sour, spicy black bean sauce, curry, garlic broccoli and the China Bowl Special ( a dark ginger sauce with vegetables that can be spicy or not) among others.

     We had already had a small early meal so we decided to stop in for a small snack and check out some of the apps. We started off with the hot and sour soup which was nice and thick, served hot and pretty spicy for a normal hot and sour ( a big plus in my book). We tried the veggie egg rolls next. They were fried nice and crispy with a light shell and served with sweet and sour and spicy mustard. The final dish we tried was the spicy wonton with chinese green. This was awesome, the broen sauce was thick and sweet with a great spicy zing. The wontons were filled with just the right amount of meat and the greens were cooked but still a bit crispy.

     Every thing was great and the service was excellent! We made a new friend with the owner’s son Victor and had a great snack. We will definately be returning here often.

China Bowl

808-661-0660

Fairway Shops at Ka’anapali on Highway 30

    Tucked away on Lower Honopi’ilani Road in Kahana, it would be easy to miss China Boat even when you are driving past. If you are in the mood for traditional Chinese this is the only place in West Maui, so it is definitely worth seeking out.

     The menu offers a tremendous variety to choose from for appetizers, soups and entrees. You will find a wade variety of traditional dishes with poultry, seafood, beef or pork, as well as a huge list of vegetarian offerings. Some of the chef’s suggestions include crispy fish filet in butter garlic sauce, sweet and pungent shrimp, kung pao three flavor and sesame beef or chicken.

     The decor at China Boat is your pretty standard Chinese restaurant setting, with a few Maui ocean pictures thrown in for good measure. The seating is comfortable and not too crowded in, and even with several diners around us the restaurant does not feel to busy.

     For starters we ordered Hot and Sour soup for two. The soup arrived quickly and was nice and hot. Next we tried the appetizer sampler which includes an eggroll, crab lagoon, shrimp toast and BBQ ribs. This is a great starter giving you a chance to sample a variety of different tastes. The eggroll is crispy and fried hot, the shrimp toast is nice and fluffy with egg and shrimp goodness, I didn’t try the crab, but the dish also featured a surprisingly large serving of short ribs, which were a little fatty but still tasty.

     For entrees we tried the sweet and pungent shrimp and the beef with broccoli. The sweet and pungent shrimp is one of my favorite dishes on the menu. It is similiar to sweet and sour shrimp, except that the shrimp are fried in a much lighter batter and the sauce is almost clear while being sweet and a little sour. The preparation is just a little lighter overall and not quite so candy sweet like the traditional sweet and sour sauce. The beef and broccoli was cooked just right with a nice slightly sweet brown sauce.

     If you are in West Maui and craving good Chinese food, head on up to Kahana for Chinese done right.

China Boat

4474 Lower Honoapi’ilani Rd

808-669-5089

     For the second straight week, the highway between Ma’alaea and Lahaina was closed due to brush fires. After a comical attempt to head around the North of the island that ended in a ginormous traffic jam at Honokahau Valley, we decided that instead of waiting two plus hours in traffic to get home, we would head to Kihei for some shopping and to get some dinner.

     First we stopped at the Kihei Kalama Village to wander through the open air market. Here you can find silver jewelry, unique imported goods and all the nick-knacks you might need at reasonable prices. Don’t be afraid to haggle here as most of the prices are negotiable. After wandering around a bit we decided it was time for dinner and decided to head on over to Stella Blue’s.

     Stella Blue’s is a Grateful Dead themed restaurant located in Azeka’s Mauka Shopping Center in Kihei. If you are looking for a moderately priced high end dining experience to rival some of the resort restaurants Stella Blue’s is a great choice.

     The menu at Stella Blue’s is quite large featuring several salads including a caprese and a classic caeser. Appetizers range from crispy crabcakes to the funky mahi and ahi nachos. The choices for entrees include shrimp scampi, fresh local fish prepared in any of four different styles, NY steak, stir frys and a tofu red curry.

     For our appetizer, we selected the eye’s of the world roll. This is an ahi nori roll dipped in a tempura batter and lightly fried. The ahi was amazing, with the melt in your mouth texture that you just have to love. Natalie decided to try the special of the day, which was NY steak with a blue cheese demi-glace. The steak was good, and the bleu cheese was excellent. I meant to ask if it was a maytag but I forgot. I tried the coconut shrimp which came with 9 huge shrimp on three skewers with a steamed veggie mix and mash potatoes. The mashies were the best I’ve had since coming to Maui!

     Overall it was a great meal, in a surprisingly upscale feeling restaurant (given that it is a Grateful Dead themed place). The seating is comfortable, and the vintage posters on the walls are fun and entertaining. We will definitely give them another visit in the near future.

Stella Blue’s

808-874-3779

Kihei Azeka II Shopping Center on South Kihei Road

Hope to see you here in Maui soon!

      Whenever we are on the North Shore, the Paia Fish Market is going to be a stop. Don’t get me wrong, there are several other great restaurants in Paia. The Paia Fish Market is just the one we choose almost every time.

     Located on the corner of Baldwin and Hana Highway in Paia, the Paia Fish Market is a small place it would be easy to miss if you were not looking for it. The restaurant is airy with several long wooden tables with bench seating. Seating is first come first serve, and you will likely be sharing your table with others so take advantage. Talk to a local and learn what’s going on or maybe talk to some tourists to see what they have enjoyed doing the most. There are no servers here, you just cue up in line and make your order, when your food is ready they will call your number and you can pick it up from the window.

     The fish here is always great, they will have several different types of fish to choose from which can be prepared in any of about 5 different ways (I like the cajun style or just grilled). If you are not sure about what type of fish to try, ask at the register and they can point you to the fish that is right for you.

     The menu is written on a large chalkboard above the kitchen window and features many choices. My favorites are the fish tacos, the fish burger, fish and chips or the fish plate. The fish tacos come two to a plate and are huge served with lettuce, cheese, tomato and salsa. The fish burger isn’t really a burger, it’s grilled fish of your choice served on a bun with coleslaw and tarter sauce. The coleslaw is served on the bun and it really helps make this “burger” one of my favorite Maui meals. The fish plate is a HUGE serving of fish prepared in the style you choose with your choice of rice or fries.

     The menu is extremely reasonably priced with a fish burger running $8, tacos about $10 and the fish plate between $12.95 and $15.95 depending on your choice of fish. If you want to try some of the best fish on Maui in a laid back atmosphere, be sure to check out Paia Fish Company.

Paia Fish Company

110 Hana Highway

808-579-8030

     The Taste of Lahaina, Maui’s largest epicurean festival, celebrates 15 years of food, music and fun this year. Come visit at Lahaina Recreation Park II, just off of Highway 30 behind the Lahaina Aquatic Center. The party starts Friday from 5PM to 10PM and Saturday from 4PM to 10PM.

     Over 25 local restaurants will be represented, serving up some of their favorite dishes in competition to be named best of Lahaina. Some of the dishes to look for include CJ’s Machico chicken, Leilani’s crusted island fish and Sansei’s spicy tuna nachos.

     Friday night Pito Xavier, Ekolu, Makaha Sons and Henry Kapono will be on hand to entertain. Saturday’s performers include Makana, Crazy Fingers, Conscious Healing and Willie K.

      Come on out and enjoy yourself in Lahaina with plenty of food, music, drinks and fun!

Wow … that is about all I can say. It has been just a little hectic around here. New ads going out, new pages going up … if it is work and it takes up the time I hoped to use to blog, there it was!

On the other hand, I finally got a new computer so I can work from home some (not sure if that is good or bad )

Anyway hope to finish my article from last week soon, and I have a bunch of new stuff to write about, including a trip to Oahu!!!

Don’t forget about the forum posting contest … our top poster will receive two free morning Molokini snorkel tours!!!

     Sleeping in a little does not mean you can’t still explore the island and have a great day. In real world terms, Maui is a really small place and you can get anywhere on the island (with the exception of Hana) in under two hours. So even though we decided to have a lazy Sunday morning it couldn’t stop us from taking in quite a bit for the rest of the day and heading down South to Wailea.

     The last thing you want to see when you start out to Kihei from Lahaina when you are starting a late day is traffic for miles. That’s exactly what we got though! Just past Launiopoko traffic light the traffic ground to a halt, bringing the question to turn around or try to wait out what could be an hours long situation. Eh, it’s Maui what ya gonna do? So we decided to wait it out, since traffic was at least moving a little. Now, this whole issue could drive me into a five page tirade about Maui’s complete lack of planning for future traffic and questions about whether or not we really need to close the main highway for five hours plus, every time there is a fatality from a traffic accident, but I will leave that for others. After moving along at a snail’s pace for about a half hour traffic finally broke and we were on our way, but now we were REALLY hungry.

     I don’t usually think of stopping at Ma’alaea for lunch, since most of the restaurants are a bit pricey, but there is this little Mexican joint there …  So we decided to have a stop and try Fiesta Time. There is a Fiesta Time in Wailuku that is more of a take out kinda place that serves some of Maui’s best Mexican food, so I hoped the sit down version would be as good. We ordered at the counter from the menus painted on the wall (on the left hand wall are all the standards and on the right you can find a chalkboard with the specials) and took our seats in the restaurant. In a few moments we were served chips and salsa. The chips weren’t quite as crisp as I would have liked, but the salsa was excellent. In a few minutes we were served our entrees. It was lunch, so we weren’t too adventurous, I ordered the two cheese enchilada plate and Natalie ordered the chile relleno plate. Both entrees came with rice and beans, the rice was nice and soft with a good flavor and the beans were creamy had flavor and were topped with cheese, good stuff I could eat everyday. The sauce for my enchiladas was nice and thick with a smoky and spicy flavor, maybe the best enchilada sauce I have had on Maui, but then again it’s hard to mess up cheese enchiladas. Natalies rellenos were large and fried to perfection with a smoky tomato sauce. The portions were huge and the prices were very tame and we both left stuffed. Since we are purchasing yearly memberships to the Maui Ocean Center, I’m sure we will be back to eat here more than a couple of times.

     Next week I will write more about the Maui Ocean Center, but I can say quickly that it is a great aquarium and at $45 for a yearly pass it is one of the best deals going on Maui!

     With our bellies full, we decided it was time to head down to Makena for some beach time! With a young one in tow (who is not always so into the sand) it’s nice to be able to find places where we can take short walks where Cassidy can cruise along without having to work as hard as he does in the sand. The Makena nature walk is short but is perfect for letting him ramble where he wants and explore the world in safety.

I took some photos of some of the flowers we saw out there with my cell phone, so please excuse the image quality. The beach here is great and usually not too crowded. There are also picnic tables for having a snack at the overlook. We also watched people setting up for weddings and thought that this was a great spot for a beautiful wedding. The beach here is small and very private.

    Speaking of being late …. I am running out of time for this post … I guess I will have to finish it tommorrow