We continue to encourage others to support Maui in its time of need, mainly by going over there and dining out as tourists.
A Gem Most Would Overlook
Just like some of the colleges in the Seattle area, Maui College has an excellent culinary program, https://maui.hawaii.edu/programs/culn/. Maui College’s culinary program sponsors several dining options run by its students and faculty, including a food court for students and a gourmet lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays: Leis Family Class Act Restaurant, 310 W Ka’ahumanu Ave, Kahului (Maui), https://mauiculinary.sodexomyway.com/dining-near-me/class-act. (This is on the college campus, across the street from the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.) The program was disrupted by the recent fires, after already having been closed down by Covid, but we understand they will be returning to OpenTable by the end of January. https://www.opentable.com/leis-family-class-act-restaurant?page=1. We were lucky enough to get in for one of the examination days, and we had an excellent multi-course lunch.
The fine dining restaurant rotates through American, Asian, Italian and French influenced menus. We were there for a French and Italian influence menu for our five-course lunch. The first course was Hamachi crudo (a species of jack often called yellowtail when used for sushi) on brioche croutons, and that description does not do it justice; we tried asking for more of them as an alternative dessert (we all liked them). Next was a fine tomato bisque followed by a salad of Kula greens (Kula is an upcountry district in Maui), with tomato, cucumber, fried focaccia with a ricotta spread and a Meyer Lemon vinaigrette — once again no complaints. Then came a choice of Yukon gold potato gnocchi with either lamb ragu or an arugula mushroom cream with parmesan, sage, basil and pine nuts. A third choice was pan-seared salmon with lentils, green beans and mustard seeds in a Dijon cream sauce. Most of us had the gnocchi and we were happy with both the lamb and the vegetarian options.
For dessert there was a choice of lemon olive oil cake or coconut ice cream. Most of us went for the ice cream which was served in a lime meringue with toasted coconut flakes. The olive oil cake was a less sweet option with basil ice cream and balsamic whipped cream. They also served same-day chocolate truffles with dessert, also very good. As you can see, they are teaching these students some fine dining options to balance out the other dining establishment they help run for the students.
Most of the dining options were around $50, plus beverages, but the pricing seemed appropriate, if not low. This was a fine dining experience with excellent service, all in a college campus. (Of course, they were being graded on the service as well as the food.) Before the disruptions caused by the fires, OpenTable named this restaurant as number one overall for Maui, number two for the State of Hawai’i and in the top 100 nationally. It is worth your time to get over there for lunch on a Wednesday or Friday. Brief summary: very enthusiastic to return.
A Brand-New Option (in Maui)
Next, you may recall that a few months ago we included a link to a Washington Post article about West Maui restauranteur, Joey Macadangdang, who fed thousands in need after the fire. Well, of his two established restaurants, Joey’s Kitchen in Napili Plaza is open but Joey’s in Kaanapali is listed as temporarily closed. However, Joey has just opened a third restaurant on the other side of the island, near the airport. Balai Pata, 425 Koloa Street, Kahului (Maui) is only five minutes from the airport (or less than five minutes from Costco if you want to stop for a bite after your mandatory first stop on the island).
We took the advice of the server and tried the seafood patong as a main and the Maui Nui Venison and Shrimp Lumpia for a starter. Balai Pata locally sources whenever possible, and we understood the venison was local and the shrimp from Kauai. The patong had prawns and a fairly large scallop, clams and a semi-soft-boiled egg over a bed of vegetables and noodles. The seafood was fresh but the seasoning was more subtle than we are accustomed to for similar dishes. The Lumpia was long, thin and crispy and served with a spiced vinegar sauce. The shape spread out the venison and shrimp filling so it was somewhat overcome by the pastry shell. Overall, the ingredients tasted very fresh, but the preparations were a bit less flavorful than we expected, at least on the items we tried.
Balai Pata is located in a strip mall, so the prices might surprise you for some of the items as mains can range from $30 to $45. Brief summary: worth a try, need to sample more of the menu before reaching a final conclusion.
Back Home in Seattle, or, Well, Factoria
In the ‘80s it seemed Szechwan restaurants were all the rage in Seattle, but that craze faded. However, it turns out there are now a few really good Szechwan restaurants offering authentic cuisine that many of us rarely get to try. We tried one such place recently in Factoria: Tian Fu, 12816 SE
38th Street, Suite K, Bellevue, 425.502.9238, and they appear to use Order To Go for their Website: https://www.ordertogo.com/restaurants/tf_factoria/mesh.
We tried some items that many raised in Seattle might not, starting with the pork intestines with scallions and peppers (that is jalapeño peppers, and a lot of them), together with one of their signature dishes, the hot and spicy braised fish and tofu stew that is served more like a soup, and the Sichuan hot and spicy eggplant. The server made a point of making sure we were aware that these were truly hot and spicy, possibly because we were the only patrons in the restaurant speaking English. But she also spent considerable time with us going through the entire menu and answering our questions.
All three dishes were great, assuming one has a tolerance for hot and spicy. And, we suspect they toned it down for us a bit. The fish and tofu is one of their featured dishes, but we really liked the pig intestine with peppers and the eggplant. The former was somewhat chewy if you have never had that cut before, but with good flavor and some real heat. The eggplant was also spicy, but
it has a sweet flavor and was a good offset for the hotter dish. The featured fish and tofu was good, but neither as flavorful nor as hot as the other two. We made a second trip to the Tian Fu in Northgate, 300 NE Northgate Way, 206.363.3292 and discovered the hot and spicy pork intestine was prepared differently there, with sweet peppers and celery. It was not quite as spicy, but still very flavorful. We also sampled the sautéed hot and spicy chicken, and it was both flavorful and hot (spicy), and the Szechwan green beans which tasted great and were not as spicy as the other dishes (but still spicy).
We plan to make this a regular and to check more of the dishes that we have not been exposed to culturally. The prices are not inexpensive, but the portions are quite generous, making the overall pricing seem reasonable. Expect to take home leftovers. There are also Tian Fu restaurants just North of Northgate, in Redmond, 8102 161st Avenue NE, 425.502.9238, and in Seattle (U. District), 4500 9th Avenue NE, 206.420.3129. Brief summary: very enthusiastic to return (and already have done so) but you need a good tolerance for hot and spicy to enjoy the food.
Dining Out is brought to you by Christopher Howard, now retired from law firm life, but still dining out, together with friends and family who help choose and sample the restaurants. Send comments and suggestions to him at chh@f2t.com or 206.669.5956.
