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
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Hope to see you here in Maui soon!
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