Maui Part 2; Jackson Browne

Maui Part 2

Found Yee's fruit stand in Kihei. It is a non- descript stand. Yee has the best mangos anywhere. They are ripe when you purchase them. We bought 2  varieties haden and goldneye. Mangos like you have never tasted. They are not cheap, about $3.50 per pound but they are great.

Shaved ice. Where has Ululani's http://www.ululanishawaiianshaveice.com/ been all my life. The ice is smooth and almost creamy and the flavors are real not artificial. We had a huge portion with passonfruit, coconut and pineapple with some macadamia nut ice cream under the ice. Wow.

Snorkeling cruises. We took Kai Kanani. http://www.kaikanani.com/ We took it because we wanted to go to Molokini and they leave from Makena which is 20 minutes from Molokini. Other boats leave from Maalea which is more than an hour away by boat. If you are staying in Wailea it makes sense to take the boat from Makena. The waters and winds around Molokini are tough so on many days the boats divert to other location.

The cruise is not cheap, around $150 per person. The boat is nice and the crew great. However the boat was crowded and the wind was bad on the day we went. They tried to go to Molokini and we snorkeled for about 5 minute on the other side of the island but it was too rough. We ended up anchoring at a spot about 100 yards from where we had first boarded. I did complain when I got home about the trip and they agreed that their boats maybe too crowded and they may correct that. However they said the weather is always unpredictable.

Pet peeve advice while on vacation. Many things that you do at beach spots are dependent on the weather. Your initial assessment of a situation is usually correct. In Kauai we took our one and only helicopter ride. It was pouring rain when we got on board. Things looked bleak. They told us that the weather is unpredictable and it might be better over the next ridge. It never got better. The ride was a waste and it was expensive.

Same issue with Kai Kanani. Our cruise left at 9 am. They have a 6 am cruise to Molokini that docks right before we leave. They knew the conditions. They do this every day. Same thing with the helicopter. These things are expensive and once in a lifetime events for you. Why can't these operation tell you to come back another day if  you want a better experience.  I know it would hurt business but not everyone would cancel and we should have an option. However Kai Kanani was the only boat that tried to go to Molokini the day we went and they specialize in Molokini. We wanted to snorkel at Molokini. Follow your instincts, if things look bad, don't go.

 Molokini.

Paia fish market. http://www.paiafishmarket.com/ Still great and reasonably priced. They have 2 locations --Paia and Kihei. The town of  Paia is jammed and parking is a nightmare so be warned. Mana Foods http://manafoodsmaui.com/in Paia and it the best healthy food market I know of. It is funky, has good stuff and is reasonably priced. A truly unique place.

Cuatro http://www.cuatro808.com/is restaurant in the Foodland strip mall in Kihei. It is low key, small and very good. Service is friendly and they don't have a liquor license. You can get wine and beer at Foodland. They charge a $10 corkage. The food was inventive fusion. Their signature dish is Ahi nachos.

 Ahi nachos. Yum.

Fish of the day -swordfish.

BTW Costco and Whole Foods are doing well in Maui. At Whole Foods you can usually get Hawaiian beef at reasonable prices. Costco has local fish, cheap gas, great wine, sunscreen and other stuff you may need for the trip.

A word about Open Table the reservation app. Marketfresh Bistro http://marketfreshbistro.com/ in Makawao has a special dinner every other Thursday. I made a reservation through their site which used Open Table. Open Table confirmed my reservation and sent several e-mails confirming our dinner but I never did hear from the restaurant. Anyway we went to the restaurant at the appointed time and it was closed. It appears that OpenTable  just blindly takes reservations. Maybe the restaurant did something wrong. I never called to find out. Just one of life's mysteries.

Makawao is upcountry in Maui. We went to their fair one day. Interesting. They had a 4H livestock auction, a rodeo, local food and other vendors. We had fun and it was free except for $5 parking.

Jackson Browne

We saw Jackson Browne at the Beacon Theater in NYC last night. He was great. I had never been to the Beacon. It is a good venue for concerts. Not too big. We sat in the 3rd row of the loge and it was fine. BTW the Beacon is gorgeous. It is extremely ornate inside. Be forewarned, there are very few women's toilets. The women were taking over the stalls in the men's room.

Before the theater we ate a  Parm  http://www.parmnyc.com/on Columbus Ave. It is run by some of the trendiest restaurateurs in NYC. They are supposed to have the best meatball parm sandwich anywhere. It was good not great. The place is larger and fancier than I thought but is is still very casual. We had chinese ribs, (go figure), faro salad and a small meatball parm sandwich. Would not really go back. Reasonably priced., good ingredients, ok wines but noisy and they have no outdoor seating.

Enjoy.

Maui Part 1

Maui 

We returned to Maui several weeks ago and had a great time. We stayed in the Wailea-Kihei area which is becoming our favorite place. I had time to discover a few low key food spots since we had no set agenda. No need to revisit Haleakala, Hana or Kaanapali.

We stayed at the Marriott at Wailea for 3 nights. It is being renovated but we had a great time. The 2 main restaurants are closed and they only have Kapa open. It is around the family pool. We did not try it. Migrant was one of the restaurants closed. The chef, Sheldon Simeon, opened up a small storefront breakfast and lunch place in Kahului near the airport. There is no sign on the store. We found it through Yelp. It is called Tin Roof. https://squareup.com/store/tinroofmaui The food comes in small bowls and the menu is small but the place is great. It is no fly by night place. The kitchen is humming and they are organized. The food is delicious and reasonably priced.
Menu of day

 Ono.

 Mochiko chicken

 Picnic table.

There is only a small counter to eat at but I would not recommend it. We went to Kanaha Beach Park near the airport. http://www.co.maui.hi.us/Facilities/Facility/Details/101 You actually go through the airport to get to the beach. The beach is one of the more spectacular beaches in Maui and there are not many people there. A great place for a picnic.

We also ate at the Monkeypod Kitchen. http://www.monkeypodkitchen.com/ The restaurant is trendy, loud and serves very good eclectic food. It is run by Peter Merriman a top chef in Hawaii. You can get burgers and pizza or more sophisticated dishes. The prices are reasonable. They have lots of beers on tap and they have a good but pricey wine list. However on Sundays they have all sparkling wines at half price and they have 2 happy hours every day. 3pm to 5pm amd 9pm to 11pm. It is the happening night spot in Wailea.

The food is very good and the service is friendly. Outside is much quieter than inside and they usually have musical entertainment.
 Fish tacos with mahi.

 Squash ravioli which was an appetizer and it was very good.

 Our half priced Champagne. Regularly about $88, we paid $44. Not bad.

 They all sorts of cream pies for dessert. This was their strawberry cheese pie. It was light and good.

If you stay a the Marriott, stay near the adult pool. Our room overlooked the pool and the ocean. It made the stay there  great. We have stayed in the high rise building several times and it is a different experience. Specify the room if you stay there.
View from the room.

After the Marriott we stayed at a private home that we found through Tropical Villa Vacations. http://www.tropicalvillavacations.com/ The house was great. Bird of Paradise is the name of the house. It is also on VBRO. 2 bedrooms and a pool with ocean views. It was about a 5 minute drive to the beach. TVV was reliable, organized and everything was great.

A word about the beaches. The beaches in Maui are public and open to all. Most have bathrooms and parking and some have lifeguards. The beaches are immaculate and very accessible. In Wailea, between every top hotel,Four Seasons, Fairmont etc, there is a public access parking lot and bathrooms. It is a 50 yard walk to the beaches and the beaches are incredibly beautiful and the swimming is superb. Ulua, Wailea and Keawakapu,Polo and Mokapu are all great.

Wine Alert

Costco Kirkland Signature wines are really improving. The 2014 Premier Cru Chablis at $14.99 is very good. Typical Chablis, acidic with fruit enough to balance it. A real bargain.
The 2014 Kirkland Signature Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir  $14.99 is also really good. Usually Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs under $25 are not too good. This wine has body, complexity and flavor. It is light to medium bodied. Costco wines disappear quickly so be warned.

My garden is starting get going.
Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

 Kale

 Potatoes.

More on Maui soon.

Enjoy.

Chicago, Costco Wine

Costco Wine

Just went to a Costco with wine. In NJ wine due to state liquor laws there are only 2  Costco stores with wine. The store I visited had the largest selection of Costco Kirkland Signature brand wines that I have seen at Costco. I bought

Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Reserva 2012 for $8.69
Kirkland Signature Premier Cru Chablis 2014 for $14.99
Kirkland Signature New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2015 for $7.89
Kirkland Signature Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2014 for $14.99

These wines come from some of my favorite areas for wine and the prices are crazy low. The Kirkland Signature wines that I have tried in the past have been a mixed bag - some good, some bad. Conceptually the concept of Kirkland Signature wines goes against my basic instinct -- that it is the person that cooks or makes a wine that counts. Pedigree or good by association to a person or place is usually not that helpful. That being said Costco has a good reputation and they probably try to bring good products to their  customers. I maintain hope that maybe I will find lightning in a bottle i.e. a great bottle for a low price. I will let you know.

Chicago

I was recently in Chicago and had the opportunity to dine at Sepia http://www.sepiachicago.com/. The restaurant is beautiful and the food quite good. It has a star from Michelin which is impressive but I find that Michelin is great in France and so-so in other parts of the world.
I asked the Somm, Arthur to recommend a wine based upon some criteria that I gave him and he came up with this wine from the island of  Mallorca. It is made from grapes I have never heard of but the wine was very good. Medium bodied, good tannins but lots of fruit. It was not heavy or grapey and was only 13.5% alcohol. The wine was made by Anima Negra and is a 2013 vintage.

Petit fours to end the meal.

The interior of the restaurant.

Amuse bouche to start the meal.

A chicken entree.

Spinach fettuccine with smoked white fish with Kosho butter(butter mixed with Japanese condiment) appetizer.

My main course of duck breast.

 Dessert of semi-freddo with shortbread cookies.

In Chicago I also had the opportunity to visit Eataly https://www.eataly.com/. It is open until 11 pm every night. I went late and it was empty. It is 2 floors of everything Italian food. It is part of a chain all over the world. NYC has a store. The chain is partly run  by Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali. The NY store can be very crowded. The Chicago store was fun and food looked very good and not crazy expensive. They have a number sit down casual restaurant on the second floor in a big open space. The restaurants specialize in fish, meats, pizza, cheese etc. they have a fancy restaurant in a separate space- Baffo, a play on Babbo, Mario Batali's restaurant in NYC.They have a large wine shop with a very good selection of Italian wines.They also have a pastry bar and coffee bar on the first floor.

Enjoy.

Wine Alert,Garden Time, Freek's Mill

Wine Alert

The Languedoc region in Southern France is covered by Jeb Dunnock robertparker.com for the Wine Advocate. Recently I tried 2 wines that he has raved about and I agree with opinions on these wines. Both wines are great bargains and are not that high in alcohol.

2014 Jeff Carrel Coteaux du Languedoc Les darons $10 Granache
Nice bouquet, medium bodied, good fruit balanced with acid, not grapey but no wood used, complex and stays interesting as you drink it, great value, will,drink again, drank with grilled,loin lamb chops.

2014 Penya Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes Grenache Blend, Grenache $8
Good stuff, pure fruit, no wood, nice bouquet, good structure, medium bodied, not high in alcohol, lots of flavor, some complexity, hard to find a wine this straightforward but interesting to drink, drank with ribs and wings, will drink again, great value, right on JD.

Other wine news 

It probably makes sense to keep an eye on Languedoc wines since they so good and reasonable. BTW 2014 seems to have been a pretty good year in many parts of France. I would generally avoid 2013 French wines.

Domaine Drouhin (DDO) has come out with another brand of wine from the Willamette Valley called Drouhin Oregon Roserock. http://store.domainedrouhin.com/Roserock They make a 2014 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. Both are $35 from the winery. I have not tried them yet and I am not sure where they are distributed. The 2015 Domaine Drouhin Rose is also now available. I usually like this wine, have not tried it yet.

I love  DDO wines but the shipping from Oregon can  be up to $10 a bottle, which really inhibits my purchases.

Lettie Teague recently wrote an article on a restaurant in Brooklyn, Freek's Mill, http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-brooklyn-toasting-beaujolais-and-chenin-blanc-1461700837?tesla=y&cb=logged0.7471766197326268that specializes in wines of Beaujolais and the Loire Valley in France. The wine sounds good; she did not write about the food. I hope to try the place in the near future.

Garden Time

Unfortunately the Knicks and the Rangers are toast but my garden is beginning to take shape. We have planted kale, herbs, spinach, onions and will planting potatoes and eggplant this weekend. It has been a cool spring and this weekend is actually quite cold.

This is a tough time of year for fresh veggies in the Northeast. Asparagus and ???. I have been experimenting with many different grains to accompany food.  Rice (red, black, arborio, sushi, basmati), quinoa (red and white), millet, buckwheat, sprouted mixed lentils and farro (a type of wheat) to name some favorites. Costco has some of these at ridiculously cheap prices and they many times have blends of grains that are quite good. The only problem is that if you find something that you like, you may never find it again at Costco.

Recent Food

A recent meal that I cooked for friends. Bake oysters and salad were the first course. All fish from the NJ waters. Swordfish, scallops, saffron rice with clams and chorizo and grilled asparagus.

Chocolate cake from a recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook. A favorite source for recipes.

Chocolate covered fruit.

Assembled dessert with citrus sorbet.

 Homemade sushi from another meal. My son makes the rolls. The tuna is NJ tuna.

Doughnuts from Montclair Bread http://www.montclairbread.com/home, lemon meringue, bananas foster, jelly and an almond croissant.

Hawaii beckons again. 

Enjoy.