The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali has hit it out of the ballpark by reinventing its lobby as part of a multimillion-dollar resort transformation. What was once just a waiting area with concierge desks is now The Sandbar with an expansive, wraparound lanai and wide-open views of Puu Kekaa, more commonly known as Black Rock. It officially opened Friday.
The Sheraton also brainstormed to better use extra space by bringing part of the hotel’s porte-cochere inside and combining it with an old atrium for a bar that doubles as a buzzing breakfast spot serving Starbuck’s coffee, house pastries such as poha berry Danishes and lilikoi-caramel cinnamon rolls, and light bites from 6 to 11 a.m. daily.
“It’s Kaanapali’s only lobby bar,” said Public Relations Director Katelyn Mayer, who gave me a sneak peek last week. “Now you can check in and essentially have a drink in your hand at the same time.”
Relax in rocking chairs facing the ocean, sit at rough-hewed monkeypod tables or on cushy chairs and couches with phone chargers. Order a bottle of, say, Rombauer chardonnay, and it comes in a retro teal cooler. Elevated craft cocktails will surprise and delight.
“For our Sandy Bottom cocktail, we use a Flavour Blaster gun to create an edible aroma-filled bubble that sits on top of the cocktail and bursts into smoke upon sipping,” says Sarah Brown, director of restaurants and bar.
The I‘a Ekolu ($24), or fish three ways, really jumps out in what looks like a three-tiered igloo. The top tier has fresh snapper poisson cru; the middle tier, ahi poke; and the bottom tier, mahimahi ceviche with Kamuela tomato, mango salad, goat cheese and black-lava Hawaiian sea salt and a nice-size container of house-made, crunchy taro and sweet-potato chips.
The Sandbar’s hurricane spicy tuna cones ($16) will give the ones at Wolfang Puck’s Spago a run for the money, and the miniature beef sliders on freshly baked Portuguese bread rolls ($15) will keep you coming back, too. All is perfectly prepared by executive sous-chef Mitch Cooper and his culinary staff.
Bar hours are 3 to 10 p.m., and until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with food service from 4:30 p.m. until later than almost all other Kaanapali establishments. Live entertainment runs 3 to 5 p.m. daily. For more details, call 661-0031.
THAI BOOM SHAKALAKA
Kahului can boast a slam-dunk with not one, but two new Thai restaurants to attract people craving the exotic fare of Siam.
On a rainy day last week, my husband and I hunkered down over a steaming bowl of tom yum soup in the dark and intimate My Thai Maui, which opened in November in the old Bistro Manila, easy to find at the corner of 230 Hana Highway and Wakea Avenue.
Served in a beautiful black ceramic bowl, the tom yum soup ($17) arrived brimming with Thai herbs, rice noodles, vegetables and ground chicken, shrimp and scallops topped with crisp won ton strips. Flavorful and soul-satisfying on a rainy day, it was reminiscent of the warming soup I slurped daily at my favorite eatery on Koh Samui island when I got stuck there for 10 days in a monsoon.
We also enjoyed the deep-fried (I know, shame on us) appetizer combo ($15) of whole shrimps wrapped in egg roll skins and other egg rolls; organic, non-GMO tofu; and onion rings all crisp and golden brown but not too greasy — served with a sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.
Owner Matthew White also presents northern Thailand specialties of sai ua, or Mom’s sausage, sliced and served on a cutting board with pickled vegetables; Crying Tiger mixed grill; and a dessert of green sticky rice and ripe mango in a pool of sweetened condensed milk. It’s BYOB.
Our expert server, Andrew Anthony from Vegas, just started two weeks ago. He said he also works at the Drums of the Pacific Luau at the Hyatt in Kaanapali. Vegas has some of the best service around, and Anthony brings it here. Dinner is packed at My Thai Maui, with lines out the door. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. except Tuesdays. Call 877-8887.
Aloha Thai Fusion has expanded into Kahului in an unlikely location fronting the old SuperStop minimart and gas station on Dairy Road. With another food truck and a restaurant in Kihei, owner Josh Martin of the former Sharkey’s also brought in a Kraken Coffee cart in what will become a food truck court. Where the gas pumps were is now a canopied and shady dining area with 12 picnic tables. There is plenty of parking and the prices are right.
“This food is crazy good and large portions,” Guy Fieri of “Diners, Drive Ins and Dives” once said of the Kihei location. Highlights are hand-rolled spring rolls, fresh jumbo coconut shrimp with lime sweet mango, and red curry chicken from a 100-year-old recipe. For more details, call the main number at 855-0650 because the food truck line isn’t hooked up yet.
THIS JUST IN …
Lahaina Gateway announced that popular South Maui breakfast eatery Kihei Caffe will open on the west side in the spring with dinner service, too. Owned by Barry Allison, the new restaurant will encompass a whopping 4,374 square feet at the corner of Honoapiilani Highway and Keawe Street.
MACC HAPPENINGS
Bring the kids to a free screening of “Abominable” at the latest Starry Night Cinema on Friday at Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and the popular animated film starts at 7 p.m. Bring low-back beach chairs and blankets, and spread out on the A&B Amphitheater lawn. If the weather is inclement, seating is first-come, first-served in Castle Theater.
Loren Tilley and Mike Guzalak perform pre-show, and there will be free keiki art activities. Food and beverages from Da Nani Pirates, Star Anise, Sumo Dogs, The Corn Project and Grandpa Joe’s Candy Co. should appease both adult and tiny tummies. No coolers allowed. Call 242-7469 for more details.
Veteran journalist Carla Tracy pops the cork on Maui’s dining and entertainment scene in her weekly column. Email her at carlatracy808@gmail.com.
