Sometimes honesty wins out over refinement.
We noticed an odd and moderately disconcerting thing about the
Maui Prince Resort, namely that it was rather a quiet place. There weren't too many people around, and at no point did we feel like it was too noisy or lively or crowded. Maybe it's not good for the business there, but gosh was it a relaxing atmosphere.
Just the same, though, we always find it more than a little odd when we walk into a restaurant - especially without having booked a table - at dinnertime and lo, there are many tables available. In fact, when we arrived at the
Prince Court dining room at the hotel a little bit before sunset on the Sunday night, we kind of wondered what the heck was going on.
The good thing was, we got a prime table by a window to see the gorgeous sunset
over the water and distant Lana'i. The menu came, the specials were read, and we were still kind of wondering, is the sunset might be about all that could be going for the place. The descriptions were a little basic, after all, and still no other customers were coming in.
Looks are deceiving. So was the first course. I had kampachi, and I wasn't wowed. I was fine, but not a winner. Conrad, however, really loved his ahi tuna cakes, and our wine, a
Foley Pinot Noir, was going down mighty fine. Given that, and a lovely sunset (because it was), I didn't mind not being wowed.
The main course, however, wowed me. You know how you scan a menu and certain things jump out at you? That was the case here. The menu descriptions were neither lengthy nor flowery, and that left a minimal number of keywords to catch my eye. Kim chee. Yep. Korean fermented/pickled cabbage. Used to coat red snapper. Oh, I HAD to try that.
Good choice. The chef makes his own, and uses it with a sparing touch on the fish, a wonderful decision given that it imparted just the right amount of "what IS that I'm tasting" to the very properly cooked snapper. Brilliant.
Conrad like his fish
(
uku, I think?) a great deal as well, though I think he had to listen to me raving about mine rather much.
And dessert? We shared the Myer rum cake.
Another home run. Of course, the bottle of wine (after a mai tai each up at the golf clubhouse) didn't hurt matters, but the dessert was moist, sweet, and tasty.
So there we were on the Monday, driving around Maui, thinking of dinner options, and really circling around the inevitable: we would go back to the Prince Court. Again we enjoyed a mai tai up at the club house (you know, we NEVER drink those anywhere else in the world, do we), then back down to the Prince Court. They knew to expect us, and they were smart. Happily, they were expecting several tables - some quite large - that night, and they could have put us at the window for sunset again. However, Barbara, our waitress from the first night, was not taking that section. The host, Gio, guessed that we might prefer to sit in her section rather than enjoy the sunset so closely, and he guessed very correctly.
That night, I loved my appetizer, more. Oh, my fish was quite fine. A good sear on it, and very moist inside - the kitchen there knows well how to cook fish well. And meat, for that matter. Anyway, my fish
was fine, if a little plain, and the risotto with it was a little more al dente than I'd like. Not a bad dish, but, well, back to the appetizers.
What's funny is that I think Conrad's appetizer, a salad with heart of palm,
had the same orange vinaigrette as my roasted vegetable salad rolls.
That's fine - it tasted fine on each plate.
Dinner came (and yes, the same wine as the night before - if it ain't broke... ), and Conrad's stole the show. A filet mignon,
and gosh was it tender. Cut with a plastic butter knife tender. I was a little envious of his foray into red meat, and I was glad he shared some.
Dessert was no less a high point than it was the night before.
A tart of white an dark chocolate with caramel and, gosh, I forget now. Kind of a candy bar molded round for us. It made us want to order another - we behaved, however.
All in all, if I look back objectively, I have to say that it was good, not exceptional. The plating was akin to what I do in my kitchen at home, and the service was not polished. But you know, sometimes honestly counts for so much more. It came through in the food, a sincere desire by the kitchen that we have a good meal. It came through all the more in the charm and friendliness Gio and Barbara showed us. Convenience and curiosity brought us to the restaurant the first night. An utterly satisfying and COMPLETE experience brought us back. Truthfully speaking, we rather regretted that we splurged on dinner on Friday at Spago at the Four Seasons (I have yet to blog it) instead of coming and enjoying our own hotel dining room.
over the water and distant Lana'i. The menu came, the specials were read, and we were still kind of wondering, is the sunset might be about all that could be going for the place. The descriptions were a little basic, after all, and still no other customers were coming in.
Good choice. The chef makes his own, and uses it with a sparing touch on the fish, a wonderful decision given that it imparted just the right amount of "what IS that I'm tasting" to the very properly cooked snapper. Brilliant.
(uku, I think?) a great deal as well, though I think he had to listen to me raving about mine rather much.
Another home run. Of course, the bottle of wine (after a mai tai each up at the golf clubhouse) didn't hurt matters, but the dessert was moist, sweet, and tasty.
was fine, if a little plain, and the risotto with it was a little more al dente than I'd like. Not a bad dish, but, well, back to the appetizers.
had the same orange vinaigrette as my roasted vegetable salad rolls.
That's fine - it tasted fine on each plate.
and gosh was it tender. Cut with a plastic butter knife tender. I was a little envious of his foray into red meat, and I was glad he shared some.
A tart of white an dark chocolate with caramel and, gosh, I forget now. Kind of a candy bar molded round for us. It made us want to order another - we behaved, however.
but they were in abundance on the roadsides. Meanwhile, up on in North Vancouver, Oregon grape decorated a park.
Another morning in the city we were struck by the gorgeous blue hydrangeas thriving all about.
Little ones, growing wildly on spindly canes, but ripe and sweet.
Still, we saw the silvery clumps on some of the upper slope areas and were delighted to have picked them out in from among their surroundings.
will still be another week gone. Next Tuesday he'll be home, and then we can once again be goofy together.
The décor is just the right side of cheesy, and the place is huge. We showed up at about 4:15 hoping to get a table easily for the start of dinner at 5. Well, it’s a popular place, and we ended up in a bar area by 4:30. Not a problem. Our waitress Heidi was very good, very friendly, and I mean to send a note to the restaurant just to tell them so. As for food and drink, well, better than anywhere else on Maui, though the prices may cause sticker shock to some. Coffee for $8 after dinner? $15 for a cocktail?
I guess that’s Maui. It was good, as I said. We shared beef satay (looking quite fine in a grilled half-papaya),
shrimp wontons,
and a tasty salad of island tomatoes and onions.
Francis opted for duck for dinner,
whereas the other three of us all ordered the ahi tuna speared and cooked on sugar cane. The sides that included a green papaya salad provided some delightful heat to go with the sweetly glazed fish. This entrée may have been the best that I had while on Maui.
Sorry to say, but though we loved the hotel, we weren’t wowed by the restaurant. All hotel guests get a very good discount at this French eatery, and it is a delightful setting with the hotel verandah and garden set aside for the tables. But the food was only okay when it should have been outstanding. Moreover, the plating was not always that attractive. They may have been trying for bistro, but the effect came across as something about what most of us can put on a plate with just a hint of ambition. Appetizers for us ranged from puff pastry with mushrooms (Kim),
to foie gras (FXK)
to escargot (Conrad)
to seafood consommé with shrimp (me).
I think Kim quite liked hers, but no one else raved. For dinner, Francis had a pork dish that came with condiments and sides galore,
Conrad had a fish that he enjoyed,
Kim had some mess of a gratin that looked like a sloppy crust of baked-on potatoes around a soup of cream and chunks of seafood,
and I had some disappointing sweetbreads.
The three chunks of meat on my plate were not too large (fine, it’s rich organ meat, I know), looked like fish from fish and chips, were not especially rich or tender or melting in my mouth, and came with a nondescript sauce and a plain salad. It wasn’t bad, no, but it was disappointingly plain. I had some wonderful sweetbreads at Bayona back in June, and these were nowhere near as good. A real pity. Dessert salvaged the evening for me – a banana tart tatin.
Kim liked her crème brûlée. I think Conrad and Francis had some reasonable ice creams, but again. Ah well. Our wine was a Sancerre; our waiter was very nice.
Yeah, you’re all thinking, "Um, Peter, not your usual gourmet place." Thanks, I know. So what? I’m really not a food snob the way people think I am. I have great appreciation for home cooking, though friends seem disturbingly intimidated to cook for me. Feh. I turn out crap from my kitchen more often than I’d like, so I’m not going to set myself above any home cook. I do have high standards for restaurants, though. Surprisingly, fun is one of them. I mean, come on, why not go to a place where they cook your food to order in front of you and dish out very very corny jokes and routines?
I’m on holiday, you know! So there I was, gathered around the flattop, awaiting my dinner. Some steak and scallops, rice and some veggies. Was it incredible food? Nah. It was fine. I like the way the scallops sear, and the steak was reasonable. A few too many mushrooms involved for my liking, ah well. Conrad’s salmon was woeful, I also have to say. But it was a hoot, and I enjoyed it because it was meant to be enjoyed.
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