GREAT EATS HAWAII

Sunday, October 23, 2011

GRAND DINING ROOM - GRAND WAILEA RESORT

GRAND DINING ROOM

GRAND WAILEA RESORT

WAILEA, MAUI

Mom hit the spa early in the morning so me and the Boss went to the Grand Dining Room for breakfast. The Grand Dining Room is well known for their great buffet meals but we were not in the mood for a large meal. We both settled on having the Yogurt and Granola Parfait ($10). This was not only delicious but very filling. Yogurt, honey, granola, fresh and dried fruit. We loved the bananas and strawberries that were fresh but did not much care for all the dried fruits. We split a Bagel with Creme Cheese and were done. Just a beautiful, relaxing meal in paradise. Very blessed for this moment and day with the family.

BREATHTAKING VIEW FROM DINING ROOM

LARGE VAULTED CEILING OPEN AIR SEATING

BEAUTIFUL PAINTINGS AND ARTWORK

BREAKFAST PARFAIT

BAGEL WITH CREME CHEESE

THE BOSS LOVES THE BREAKFAST AND RESORT BIG TIME

HALIIMAILE GENERAL STORE - HALIIMAILE, HAWAII

HALIIMAILE GENERAL STORE

HALIIMAILE, HAWAII (MAUI)

Bev Gannon, the owner of Haliimaile General Store is one of the founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. She is probably the most accomplished and recognized female chefs in Hawaii. She now has at least four restaurants on Maui but the Haliimaile General Store was her first and most iconic restaurant. The setting is a pineapple plantation field basically in the middle of nowhere. Miles off the main highway sitting near a few small homes and shade trees. The dirt parking lot is usually full so you park across the street near what looks like old storage warehouses. When you arrive here you are transformed to another era. The days of sugar cane harvesting and plantation workers. The Halimaile General Store was originally a store where the workers could by meat, produce and just about everything else that was available at the time. The time was 1987 when Bev Gannon purchased the store. On Oct 14, 1998, there were over 100 people waiting to get in her new restaurant. At the time, the restaurant only had five or six tables and 30 chairs total. Since that day the restaurant has been expanded and you don't know who you will run into when dining there. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alice Copper, Sharon Stone and Rachel Ray are among the dozens of celebrities that visit here. The menu changes here during different seasons so Bev can utilize the bounty of fine food products grown in the area. We were seated at a nice table close to the cooking area with a view of the main dining room that is like sitting on someones porch or veranda. The room was filled with smiling faces and conversation. We began our meal with the Duck Tostada appetizer ($14). Delicious pieces of duck meat perched between crunchy tortillas and covered with a cole slaw type salad. A bit of Hoisin Sauce complimented the duck. This was good but was missing something to make it great. Next we tried the Beet Salad with Tempura Fried Goat Cheese ($14). Local greens topped with very fresh colored beets and served with a fried ball of Goat Cheese. The cheese was tart and added a big punch when mixed with the beets and greens. Would have liked a little more aggressive dressing on this one. The Seafood Sashimi Napoleon ($18) was a tower of mixed sashimi (mostly ahi tuna and salmon) between crunchy tortilla like stuff. Bev Gannon herself came to our table when this dish was presented. Her and her husband both showed us how to crunch the dish up and eat it. Bev asked if we liked the meal and we all said "yes". That was very nice of her to stop by. The Lobster Roll ($6) was an appetizer that was shared. Nice pieces of lobster with a little too much mayo served on a delicious bun. This was good. The Seared Scallops ($38) came to the table looking beautiful. Perfectly seared scallops on a bed of Risotto. The scallops were a little under seasoned but cooked perfectly. I loved the risotto but did not know why there was a quarter inch of oil on the bottom of the plate. All the oil kind of spoiled the dish. The Kids BBQ Rib Meal ($12) was a huge hit. Fall of the bone ribs smothered in a sweet bbq sauce that was delicious. Served with mashed potatoes and coleslaw. Everything on this plate tasted great. For Dessert we shared the Chocolate Truffle Cake ($10). Simple delicious. Chocolate and more chocolate. Could not improve on this dish. We all loved it. I highly recommend the Haliimale General Store. Great atmosphere, service and food.
Click link below for updated post on Haliimaile General Store;
https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2017/07/haliimaile-general-store.html

HALIIMAILE GENERAL STORE

BEV GANNON'S HALIIMAILE GENERAL STORE

HALI'IMAILE GENERAL STORE ON MAUI

RELAXING FAMILY KITCHEN ATHMOSHPHERE

OPEN KITCHEN TO SEATING AREA

SMALL BAR IN MIDDLE OF DINING ROOM

KITCHEN OVERLOOKS DINING ROOM

FRESH BAKED ROLLS ARRIVED WARM AND SOFT

DUCK TOSTADA WITH COLE SLAW

BEET SALAD WITH TEMPURA CHEESE BALL ON TOP

KIDS BBQ RIB MEAL

THE REVIEW WAS EXCELLENT ON THIS DISH. LOVED IT

SASHIMI NAPOLEON WITH AHI TUNA AND SALMON

LOBSTER ROLL

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH RISOTTO AND A LOT OF OIL

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE - YUMMY!

PICKED UP A COOKBOOK BY BEVERLY GANNON

COOKBOOK SIGNED BY THE GREAT HAWAII CHEF

Saturday, October 22, 2011

GRAND WAILEA RESORT - WAILEA, MAUI

GRAND WAILEA RESORT

WAILEA, MAUI

The Grand Wailea is probably one of my favorite places to stay on earth when with the family. It is a truly amazing property that transforms you into another world. From the moment you enter the grand water filled lobby you know this place is special. The pools and water features are the best in Hawaii. Great place to take the kids. Don't think I would stay here without the family. Would be real lonely strolling around this place without them. We were lucky to get a great rate for a convention I was attending. Otherwise, this place is too expensive for a weekend getaway. I had a great front desk person named Noreen check me in. Noreen set the bar for excellent service. She smiled, joked, asked questions and diligently went through the computer to find me a room that was available before the scheduled check in time. Noreen also set me up with some other perks that are just fantastic. THANKS NOREEN! When I got my key for the room, the bellmen told me that he would put the bags in the room and thanked me for staying here. Nice way to start the weekend. I love the Grand Wailea.