A New Week Begins

Saturday, Nov. 10th - One week down. One week to go. Today marks the halfway point of our stay. We have new people coming to the island. There is Rockin’ Girl and Bikin’ Boy.

Before meeting our company at the airport, Hubby earned a Haleakala-sized pile of Brownie Points by driving me up to Makawao to buy the carton of Haupia ice cream I saw last week. We put our ice packs in an insulated grocery bag I didn’t know we had and stored all of that in the condo unit’s cooler. Double insulation!

Makawao was about a half hour side trip to the airport. Zip we’d fly in, grab the ice cream, and zoom we’d head off to the airport. Except... driving into bucolic Makawao wasn’t anything like we’d seen before.

And Kamoda’s was spilling over with customers. There was a line out the door. From where had all these people come? Hubby could not find a place to park. He drove down Baldwin Ave. to the end of town and circled back through the residential streets, meeting me in front of Kamoda’s where I packed the ice cream in the insulated bag, strategically arranging the ice packs around the carton, then placed the bag in the cooler where it would sit for the next two hours.

The airport parking lots were packed with people. The airport was packed with people. Packed. I’ve never seen so many people on this island, ever.

After we collected Rockin’ Girl and Bikin’ Boy, we headed to the condo. You will recall there is a carton of ice cream in the back of our car that needs to go in the freezer. The ice cream, which melted very little, found its home. Our company settled in and we headed out for a bit of lunch.

At 4pm we headed upstairs for Mai Tais before heading out to dinner. We returned to Spago at the Four Seasons Resort for the last night of Restaurant Week. The resort grounds were beautiful. The terraced patios, flowing fountains, multi-leveled pools all lead down to the beach level where many people stood around watching the magnificent sunset. We saw the torchlighter running across the patio in his loincloth stopping occasionally to blow his conch and light the torches.

I think Gordon Ramsey must have invaded Wolfgang Puck’s Spago and caused some trouble because the restaurant seemed to have some real problems. The food was good but very, very late getting to the table.

When they set a fork and spoon at each of our places for “complementary dessert,” I felt as if I were being held captive. I just wanted to go home. On our way out, we saw the mass of people at the bar, in the waiting area, and outside near the podium. It was nearly 8pm when we left. I wonder if those people ever made it to the table for their supper.

Hitting the Road

Tuesday, Nov. 6th - Today we’re heading up to Makaowo. We travelled up through the middle and hung a right at the Spreckels Sugar Factory and headed north. As we drove along the North Shore, we saw a sugar cane field burn.

We parked and strolled up and down Baldwin Ave. browsing through the shops. I was glad to see some of my favorite places were still there, including my favorite place: Kamoda’s Bakery. Not only is Kamoda’s my favorite place because of its donuts on a stick, but it had the only carton of Haupia I’ve yet to find.



I realized I could not get it home without it turning into a puddle of Haupia deliciousness. The only way to enjoy it was to buy a spoon, sit on the sidewalk in front of the store, and dig in. No. I did not do it.

I did consider highway robbery when I saw this rolling down the street. I’m serious.

We got back in the car and stopped by Ho’okipa Beach to watch the surfers. There weren’t any wind or kite surfers when we arrived and only a few were in the water by the time we left.






We enjoyed, really, really enjoyed, lunch at Mama’s Fish House. I’ve been here several times before but today might have made it to the top of my Favorite Restaurant list.

Very soon after ordering we were served a fresh petite loaf of their honey-wheat with poppy seed bread followed by an amuse-bouche: Asparagus Taro soup. 

Jane was absent when it arrived. She missed the waiter reciting the ingredients list so we made her guess. She was just about spot on.

We shared wasabi crusted calamari. As a rule I don’t care for calamari but I tried this. I was surprised how yummy it was. Then there was that hint of wasabi. Yes, it was oh, so yummy.






Then came the entrees. We all had different types of fish. I had Grilled Ono with fried bananas, papaya salsa, and coconut rice. I almost had to cry. It was one of the best things I ever ate.

I couldn’t have dessert after that meal. I wanted my tastebuds to remember it forever. Jane ordered, and we all shared, the Black Pearl chocolate dessert. The pearl is as big as your fist. No joke.

We headed home. There was no need for dinner. We sat up watching election results.

Out and About

Tuesday, November 9th:

There was a complex plan laid out for today. Everyone had their own time schedules and all 10 of us would meet at 1pm at the Kula Lodge for lunch.

It involved some of us heading up the volcano. Some were out running or biking. Others reading or swimming.

Then there were others of our group who felt under the weather and had to stay home.

We had lunch by two in the afternoon and then headed down to Makawao. I headed to Maui Masters Jewelers, my favorite jewelry store in town. They always have interesting gems and settings. They had a pair of pink sapphire earring that temped me but really . . . I consider myself too old to wear pink.

We had to rush to Komodo’s Bakery, they didn’t have much left by the time we got there. We managed to purchase a dozen, or so, cream puffs and many stick donuts. I just found out they’re only open Mon-Tues and Thurs-Fri. I think one needs to be there when they open at 7am to get the best selections. Many items sell out fast.

Our group split again and a pair headed off into the jungle. The rest of us weren’t sure we’d see them again. There were some bets that they wouldn’t be back until the next morning. Some of us thought they would never arrive at their destination.

We made it home just in time to rest a bit before we headed out to dinner. Yes, it seemed to me too that we had just eaten. This evening we had reservations at MaLa located at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort. Julie waited on us. She was a real kick. We asked for the Restaurant Week Prix-Fixe menu.

The table was divided over drinks: 2 chi-chis and 2 pina coladas. The consensus: chi-chis were better

All of us chose the Crispy Coconut Shrimp. They served two, which were some of the best I’ve ever had, but it seemed more like there were four.

Two of us had the grilled Rib Eye steak, Hubby had the Avalon Seared Sashimi, IT WAS RAW, and I ordered the Chicken Balinese Stir Fry.

I supposed dessert they offered was outstanding because there wasn’t a choice. Mala’s Key Lime Pie. I’m not a huge fan but this was really, really good. Yes, they were right, no choice was necessary.

Start of a new week

Monday, November 7th

Sunday was a late night for everyone. We're all moving slow.

Dirtboy and Mrs. Dirtboy drove to the Iao Needle. It’s still there for those of you who are wondering. Not sure what other adventure they may have run into on their way home.

We met upstairs at 4pm for drinks. The ladies were at the dining room table occupied at various pursuits: embroidery, solitaire, reading, and crossword puzzles. The men were on the lanai trying to stir up trouble. There was much discussion over dinner plans and we used Open Table to arrange our reservations.

We are lucky enough to be here for the start of Wailea Restaurant Week, where each participating restaurant has agreed to make a contribution to the Maui Food Bank for every prix fixe entree sold.

Our choice for this evening was:

Mrs. Dirtboy and I started with chi-chis. The boys... beer and wine. A BIG downside to ordering beer and wine are... they don't come with little paper umbrellas.

There were seasoned rice cakes and crushed edamame garnish to sample while we decided what to order.

We ordered: Tempura Ahi Oichi Sushi and "Lumpia" (pork and chicken spring rolls)

NOTE: Tempura sushi is one of the best things I've eaten. I don't even like sushi.

Ono and Walu prepared: grilled, macadamia nut coated, and seared pan-fried.

I've decided I like Ono better than Walu. Only took me two years...

This picture shows the purple potato puree our MidWestern guest LOVED.

For dessert: Portuguese Sweet Bread Pudding, Wailea Estate Chocolate Baked custard and Plantation Pineapple Cake

I have to say that the Pineapple Cake is one of the best things I've ever eaten. However . . . it did not make me cry.

Dirtboy had such a good meal he wants to return. I reminded him that there are 15 other restaurants that participate in Wailea Restaurant Week. We have our work cut out for us.