Capische?

A perfect end to a great trip.  Capische?

I'm now sitting at home and my ride to work this morning was opposite of what we have been used to seeing in Maui the past week and a half!  Snow!  Yep, it snowed last night on the hills and a bit in Concord.  I went from 80 degrees and sunshine to 36 degrees and snow.  My body is in shock.

Anyway, for our last night on Maui, we decided to pay a visit to my brother's home turf - Capische? - the restaurant where he slaves five nights a week as a food runner.  This is the infamous restaurant that I first bragged/blogged about last year and I have come full circle to review it once again.  This time, it was even better believe it or not.

We got there about 8:00 p.m. after a day at the beach and my brother had us all set up at the bar, champagne poured into our glasses the moment we sat down.  A nice touch if I do say so.  It takes a moment to settle in and admire the ambiance that this restaurant exudes.  Dark and quiet; secluded up in the Wailea hills; candlelight; servers dressed in black; and live piano playing in the background.  My brother, unbeknownst to us, had us all set up with our first course, the "apps."  As a reminder, they serve fresh baked bread (I mean HOT when you tear into it) and olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  To die for.

• First up, gazpacho.  I've never had it before.  Its a cold soup of watermelon, tomato puree, and mint...I think there may have been some onion...also with the watermelon and tomato chunks.  He brought us a taster of it in a dainty little cup.  It was good, surprisingly (cold soup?) and the flavors were very unique together.
• First on the triple appetizer platter was the caprese salad.  Soft and creamy bufala mozarella imported from Italy with a Kula tomato wedge garnished with garden basil, Maui onions, and a coriander vinagrette.  The cheese was great, almost melt in your mouth good.  How can it not be, it came straight from Italy?!
• Next we had what I deem my favorite thing from Capische, the mushroom truffle risotto.  This may be strange to some who know me, and know that I despise mushrooms.  This CREATION includes tasty risotto in a sauce of white truffles, summer truffles, oyster mushrooms, and parmesan.  If you can ever have a dish where truffles grace your taste buds, DO IT.  To anyone that visits the island of Maui, please come here, even to taste the risotto.
• Finale of the apps was the gnocchi - usually prepared pumpkin flavored; however, my brother advised against that for the evening.  He had us set up for the lamb ravioli...but he didnt know that we couldnt quite eat the little babies. So he called it off at the last minute (Aaron, so sorry, its my conscience) and had the gnocchi prepared with the ravioli sauce...it was delish.  Roasted red peppers...mmm.

My mom was done for after the appetizers.  But me and Rachel werent.

• Entree 1, Moani:  Shrimp Carbonara (mind you I had a tough time choosing between this and the fresh catch of the day, onaga, herb crusted with whipped potatoes).  Aaron warned I should get the 1/2 portion for fear of pure amount of FAT loaded in this dish.  Uh uh.  Full order for me.  Three HUGE delicious shrimp atop the carbonara penne, loads of cream, panchetta, and Maui onions.  So rich and creamy and a perfect compliment to the shrimp.  I ate the whole thing - it was challenging, but there was no way I was wasting any of that meal.
• Entree 2, Rachel:  Meat and Potatoes:  Filet mignon with a gorgonzola cream sauce, served with whipped potatoes and an onion jus and thick stocks of asparagus.  I had to taste it, of course.  My God.  I have never seen, tasted, or heard of a better prepared steak.  So tender you could cut it with your fork.  Perfectly cooked.  Serious kudos to the chef who prepared that steak.

We sipped on Capische Cosmos and lemon drops in between bites of our heavenly meals and thought we could not eat anymore.  Well, we wanted the tirimasu.  I advised my brother.  Here is what we actually got (thank you brother, for adding 10 pounds to my waistline):

• The tirimasu....oh man....so soft and fluffy, so flavorful.  Creamy and coffee.
• Freshly made banana ice cream swirled with nutella and chopped hazelnuts.
• Chocolate mouse topped with hazelnuts (so rich!).
• And the vanilla creme brulee served with Gran Marnier (spelling..sorry) soaked strawberries as your last bite.

Wow, we could not even finish the dessert sampler he brought out for us.  We rolled home.  Thank you so much to my brother for his food suggestions and pairings.  They were amazing once again.  To everyone else, EAT HERE.  It may be a little more $$$ than some other places, but well worth it.  The atmosphere is so amazing, great for a romantic evening for couples too.  Like I said, a perfect ending!

Worst Breakfast - EVER!

I can't blame my mom because she did not know, but she suggested North Shore Cafe in Haiku because they have some cheap breakfast.  They have a Hawaii Five-O and the 808 menu, meaning $5.00 and $8.08 (he, like the area code).  Price sounded great.  Boy were we in for a disappointment.  The atmosphere is very country like, relaxed, and had a lot of locals there.  Lots of people should mean a great place right?  The first thing I noticed were the dirty stained chairs, then we sat at a table that was not cleaned off yet for 20 minutes before flagging someone down.  They came and wiped our table down - sort of.  We took note of the fact that they didnt really care about cleanliness.  They turn the cups upside down on the table after wiping it off with their nasty, dirty rags.  Thats going to make people sick.  Well then we ordered and waited forever for our food.  Then it came.  Cold.  And gross.  My mom got the benedict and her Canadian bacon (if you want to call it that) was about the size of a quarter.  My omelette was a pile of eggs scrambled with a bunch of not so great tasting veggies, and my toast was cold and soggy.  Top that off with a nice glass of water?  No.  Top it off with a nasty lukewarm glass of tap water with the dirty rimmed cup from the nasty wiped table.  I couldn't even choke it down.  And the ladies working in there were rude and sloppy.  The worst!  I will never go back there again.  You certainly get what you pay for, cheap CRAP.  Spend a few extra dollars and go across the road to Colleen's for a HOT breakfast that is most delicious and in a clean and beautiful cafe with attentive waitresses.

At least we got to have one last date with the beach, and I got to see my friend from when we were kids...she is more like a cousin really, just removed (more like my brother's cousin - but who's keeping track?).  We did have to drive out to Kahana but thats ok.  So long beach.  I will miss for another year.

Upcountry Wine

Today is Friday, the eve of the eve before we leave.  So sad to see the end of my trip coming.  Today, my mom made us breakfast.  We had omelettes stuffed with cheese, avocado, red bell pepper, cilantro and onions, topped off with a scoop of sour cream and Tiffany's suave salsa with a side of sausage link and Portuguese sausage (could have done with a little spice to those).  A great way to start of the day - with a homemade breakfast by your mother.

My brother decided he would like to hang with us today so we went and visited DAD...well, his real dad my sort of adopted dad.  He's got a nice property in Haiku with two houses (mostly rented out to vacationers) and a huge gulch.  Very nice view of the ocean and other parts of the island...we used to live there for a bit.  Its nice to get back to Hahana Road where I grew up and assess my "roots."  Also pet the pups for a bit.  I love dogs!  I love animals!

We then headed for a drive Upcountry through Makawao and Pukalani, and then on to our desitnation for the day, the Tedeschi Winery in Ulupalakua.  We had one main objective, to secure boxes of Pineapple Snow....mmm mmmm.  White chocolate infused with pineapple wine covering macadamia nuts.  Only sold at the winery, and quite pricey.  But, a very worth-it delicacy.  We had to do the wine tasting, of course - its free, who wouldn't?  Started off with the Rose Ranch Sparkling Wine (delish - we bought three bottles).  Then the Mele (only sold at the winery as well).  It had a great flavor - a nice red wine with hints of berries and chocolate, as well as coffee.  A serious steak wine if you ask me.  Mama bought one bottle.  Then we tried the sparkling pineapple wine...not as good as the Rose Ranch.  Finished off with the Raspberry Framboise, a dessert wine, 20% alcohol and sweet as heck.  They suggest topping off a dessert like ice cream or cheese cake, like using it as a syrup.  Lots of pretty pictures up there to be taken, especially of the jade vine growing.  So pretty.  We also stopped at the Ulupalakua Ranch Store for some refreshments before trekking back down the mountain.

Aaron had some time to kill before heading off to his job, so we detoured to the Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm for a bit.  Its great there.  The smell of lavender lingers in the cool air of Upcountry.  The drive Upcountry is recommended to anyone who wants to experience a slice of undeveloped Maui.  Green green green, and flowers - lotta cows and goats though.  Gives you a great view of the island, and some of the surrounding islands as well.

As I sit here drinking my Stella Artois, Im anticipating my Hawaiian dinner of pork and chicken lau lau (steamed in taro and ti leaf), rice, poke (fresh, raw ahi chunks with soy sauce and onion), lomi lomi salmon (tomatoes, onion, and fresh salmon), and kim-chee (mmmmm cabage pickled/fermented in chili sauce).  Yum.  Rachel will have to be brave for this one.  Tomorrow is my last day here.  Sadness is setting in.  :(

Cheeseburgers, Breakfast & Fish Tacos

Wellllll.  On Wednesday we headed out to Lahaina for a little Front Street browsing.  Picked up a couple of shirts for my hubby and wandered up and down the street, stopping in all the little shops to take a peek at what they had to offer tourists.  The most important item on the agenda was to have lunch at the famous Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant.  They absolutely have the best cheeseburgers.  We popped in and had a couple of photos taken with their like 5 pound fake cheeseburger.  Cheesy, I know (no pun intended).  I ordered the guacamole burger and Rachel got one with the works (including mushrooms and guacamole).  We also got a side of seasoned fries.  We were not quite bold enough to go for the onion rings or chilli cheese fries that day!  But we were hungry enough to each devour our entire cheeseburgers.  The first bite into my cheeseburger was a slice of heaven.  I love that first moment when all the flavors come together and dance around in your mouth!  Savory.  Washed that down with a couple of Kona Ales (the best!).  Then we headed off to the beach (smart idea after packing our tummies full of burger).  A nice afternoon on the beach altogether, until a shark decided to swim up.  Yes, I'm serious.  Good thing we werent in the water.  It was probably harmless though, just a small sand shark or something - but the fin in the water is enough to scare anyone regardless.

The next day (yesterday - Thursday) we opted for breakfast at Colleen's, a local bakery and cafe just around the corner from my mom's house.  Great place for breakfast, and I love to support the local businesses.  We even walked instead of drove to enjoy the fresh morning air!  I got the Hangover Cure (no, I did not need it for that specific reason).  It was delicious seasoned potatoes, ham, green bell peppers, onions, and cheese - served up after being skilleted - and with a side of whole wheat toast, sour cream, and salsa.  In the words of Rachael Ray:  Yum O.  Rachel go the stuffed croissant sandwich with scrambled eggs, tomato, and muenster cheese.  Mmm.  I had half.  I've only ever been there for breakfast but she has got some delicious things on the menu for lunch and dinner as well.  Go to http://www.colleensinhaiku.com/ to check our their menu.  We then scooped up my madre and headed out to Ulua Beach in Wailea for the rest of the day (did I mention that we love the beach?).  This is sort of a great undiscovered beach for me.  Never been, but now will go back every time!  Not to crowded and sheltered from the wind.  Nice hot sun too...got a little careless about the sunscreen application and ended up with a handprint burned into my back.  Oopsie.

On the way home from the beach, we stopped at Milagros for a late lunch in Paia.  Ever since we walked by the restaurant the other day, I had been craving fish tacos.  I just had to have them.  Again, Milagros was another first for me!  Lovely little Mexican place with a nice patio for people watchin.  Me and mum got the fish tacos, delicious ahi with a sweet chili sauce with shredded lettuce, salsa, and guacamole - with a side of black beans and rice!  It was worth it.  I had a Li Hing Mui Margarita to start and then topped off my meal with a Wailua Wheat Beer.  YUM.  Rachel had the shredded beef tacos.  Gotta love shredded beef.  A great find.  I will definitely return here as well.

Topped the night off with some fresh banana bread from Paia, a glass of chardonnay, and an episode of So You Think You Can Dance.   Ahhhhh, I love vacation.

Paia Flatbread

Yesterday was a leisurely day.  Headed downt to Paia to browse some of the shops and have lunch.  Cute little town.  We decided on Flatbread Pizza Co. for lunch.  I have eaten here one time before and it was delicious!  My mom wanted a beer so we thought this would be the best place for that - pizza and beer, yum!  Its a very popular eat spot on the island.  Everything they have on the menu is organic and their pizzas are cooked in a traditional brick pizza oven.  So cool!

We ended up getting two 12 inch pizzas and split two different kinds of pizzas on each one, and a salad made of organic Kula baby greens, carrots, seaweed, and a ginger soy vinagrette.

Pizza No. 1:  The Meat Pizza

• First Half:  Nitrate-free maple fennel sausage with sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and mozarella.
• Second Half:  Mopsy's Kalua pork with pineapple, red onions, and chevre goat cheese (from the Surfing Goat Dairy on Maui) with a yummy mango BBQ sauce.
• I have to give this one two thumbs up.  The sausage was one of my favs.  So flavorful!  I love the combination of everything on the slightly crispy flatbread.

Pizza No. 2:  For the veggie in us

• First Half:  Pele Pesto:  Pesto macadamia nut sauce with kalamata olives, fresh tomatoes, and goat cheese (again from Surfing Goat Dairy - Flatbread restaurants use all local organic ingredients).
• Second Half:  The special of the day - Pizza Margherita, which is mozarella, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and a tomato sauce drizzled with balsamic vinagrette.  Yum!
• This pizza was equally delicious.  I especially loved the balsamic drizzled over the margherita and the macadamia pesto was amazing!

We sat out on the lanai (the patio) and had a round of Mai Tais and then a nice cool Kona Ale.  Perfect lunch.  Nice laid back atmosphere.  The pizza was amazing!  I definitely recommend anyone try this place if you are a pizza lover.  The toppings are unique to Maui and most delicious.  Of course, I photographed the pizza for everyone else to salivate over.

On the way back to the car, we stopped off at Ono Maui Gelato for some, of course, gelato.  Sort of like ice cream but not.  I got lilikoi (passion fruit) and coconut mixed together, and Rachel got the coffee crunch.  Perfect, light dessert after the pizza.  Mmmm.  I really like gelato.  That was my first experience (although a bit expensive).

Hali'imaile General Store

Most people would think that Hali'imaile General Store (hereinafter referred to as HGS - who can type that over and over again) is what it appears - a store.  Well, its a nice plantation style restaurant converted from its former self - a store :)  My brother used to be a food runner here as well.  We came up on a free $200 gift certificate so we decided now would be a great time to put that to use.

Its funny, of course, that Aaron has to greet half the staff first.  It sure pays to know people around here thats for sure!  He recommended I try the mangorita for my first drink and we proceeded to order a slew of appetizers!  They were:

• Asian duck tostada, which is Asian spiced duck confit with ginger chili cream slaw, cilantro, green onions, carrots, sun dried cranberries, and Macadamia nuts.  This was all layered with several crispy tostadas!  It was pretty good, though we had to separate it because it was like a leaning tower.  No easy way to eat that sucker.
• Kalua pork and goat cheese wontons:  Crispy wontons in bamboo basket with mango BBQ dipping sauce.  These would have been better had they been stuffed a bit more.  Most of the wontons were air.  The mango BBQ dipping sauce was excellent, however.
• Cajun Spice Dusted Crispy Calamari served on a bed of spinach tossed with Thai garlic dressing drizzled with a citrus aioli.  Normally I do not care for the texture of calamari - a bit to chewy for my likes.  This one was pretty good though.
• Tiger Shrimp Crab Cake - Yum!  I have to say that in the past few years I have become obsessed with crabcakes and when I see them on a menu, I have to try it!  It was very delicious - I mean fried crab = YES!  My mom did butcher it a bit trying to portion it out though, oh well.
• We also got the HGS House Salad, which included fresh island greens, oranges, toasted walnuts, shaved Maui onions, and balsamic vinaigrette with buttermilk blue cheese crumble.  A very nice touch to compliment the rest of the dishes.
• Finally, the BEST appetizer award of the night goes to:  Sashimi Pizza.  What is that you say?  Well, its a thin flour crust spread with edamame hummus, topped with sashimi ahi and toasted sesame seeds drizzled with soy sesame aioli.  There was also some sort of fish egg (maybe tobiko?  It was red - you'll see the pics) and some sprouts.  All the flavors and textures combined in this dish really make it a winner.  My brother often stops in just to get one of these babies to go.

Did we dare to order entrees after all of the above?  Yep.  You betcha.  Well, my mom was pretty full at that point but we made her a sampler plate of our dinners.  Up on the table for entrees was:

• Rachel and Lena:  Braised Boneless Short Ribs with root vegetables (potatoes and carrots) and a truffle "mac and cheese."  This dish was amazing and the best tasting of the night.  God, thank you for providing flavors and textures so delicious.  This dish makes you appreciate our sense of taste.  The beef practically melted in your mouth it was so tender, and flavorful too!  The truffle mac and cheese was amazing.  Noodles and cheese = heaven.
• Me:  I had the Macadamia Nut Crusted Fresh Catch, which happened to be monchong.  I don't believe I have ever had this fish before but it had a great flavor and texture, nice flaky white fish that is comparable to Mahi Mahi in firmness, but slightly better.  This was served with a mango salsa, mashed PURPLE sweet potatoes, and a mango lilikoi (passion fruit) butter sauce.  Sauces rule.  The mashed potatoes were the best and very unique.
• Aaron:  Had the blackened ahi with a sweet Thai chili sauce, wasabi, tobiko tossed greens, mashed potatoes.  The fish was blackened on the outside and rare on the inside.  The best way to eat ahi in my opinion!
• We had a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley that complimented our dinners very well.  I can always appreciate a nice bottle of wine...although you know they mark those things up like 50%.  Whatever.

We were much too full for dessert, although they had some mouth watering selections.  We had some pumpkin pie squares that we had baked a few days earlier that we needed to eat up!

All in all, a very delicious dinner with my family.  Thank goodness we had that gift certificate.  This place is not exactly on the cheap.  I would definitely go back there again!  Thanks HGS for a great night.