Great food and view for any meal at The Plantation House
DESCRIPTION: Maui has many wonderful restaurants, but The Plantation House in Kapalua is my favorite. Unlike most of Maui's top restaurants, The Plantation House allows you to enjoy their fabulous food at breakfast, lunch or dinner. And the view is gorgeous to matter which meal you choose. For breakfast I like any of their five varieties of Eggs Benedict. The sun rises behind the restaurant and in the morning it shines directly on the ocean and islands in the distance. On winter mornings this early sun lights up the whales spouting off shore. For lunch I like their fish sandwich. The Sun is overhead at this time of the day and the beautiful grass of the Plantation Golf Course that surrounds the restaurant glows a bright green. Dinner. Ah, dinner! Each evening The Plantation House offers three kinds of Hawaiian fish in your choice of five different preparations. How can I choose between a "A Taste of Maui" (pistachio crusted), "A Taste of the Mediterranean" (Maui onion mustard crusted), and "The Plantation Oscar" (topped with asparagus and crab)? I can't study these and the many other choices on the menu because I'm watching the extraordinary sunset view. The sky turns bright orange as the setting sun backlights the pine trees on the distant hills and then settles into the ocean behind the island of Lanai. When the sky darkens and the stars come out, I finish another amazing Plantation House dinner with their Bananas Foster dessert, big enough to share. Reviews of many other Maui restaurants in all price ranges are on the Restaurants tab of this website: http://www.mauihawaii.org
DATE: 2005-11-08
FOODRATING : 10
SERVICERATING : 10
AMBIANCERATING : 10
OVERALLRATING : 10
RECOMMENDED DISHES : Fish 'Taste of the Mediterranean,' dessert Bananas Foster

DESCRIPTION: Palomino is a casual/chic eatery with a convenient downtown location overlooking the water. The menu offers many choices of appetizers, salads, gourmet pizzas, and entrees with a spotlight on the wood-burning oven. I am not a big fan of mussels, but I had the mussels on the half shell with sizzling garlic butter, and they were outstanding. The crab-artichoke dip is a must, and the thin crust pizzas are also a great starter. The pasta choices are good, I once had the grilled seafood ravioli, and was pleasantly surprised with a large saucer-sized ravioli, filled with identifiable chunks of seafood. It was very fresh and flavorful. I have also had the pasta with fresh tomato and garlic. The oven fired prawns are also a winner, as are the fresh, abundant salads. The chopped salad was refreshing. I started off with a bloody Mary, which must have stood a foot tall, garnished with a large shrimp, made spicy by request. I also enjoyed a selection from the wine by the glass menu, and they have a fresh sheet daily to spotlight the chef's recommendations. In fact, the menu rotates to reflect what is market-fresh, but many of the stand-bys are always available. Save room for the molten chocolate dessert, and if you simply don't have room, you can still enjoy the no calorie fortune presented at the end.
DATE: 2003-02-10
FOODRATING : 8
SERVICERATING : 6
AMBIANCERATING : 8
OVERALLRATING : 6
RECOMMENDED DISHES : crab-artichoke dip, sizzling mussels