DA KITCHEN CAFE - KAHULUI, MAUI

DA KITCHEN

KAHULUI, MAUI

DA KITCHEN

TRIANGLE SQUARE

425 KOLOA STREET, #104

KAHULUI, MAUI, HAWAII  96732

808-871-7782

808-871-7784 FAX

EMAIL:  DaKitchen@hawaii.rr.com

www.da-kitchen.com

HOURS:  Monday - Saturday 11:000 AM - 9:00 PM

                 Sunday Closed

We often pop into Da Kitchen in Kahului, Maui for lunch.  The placed is always packed so we try to get in before 11:30 when all the tables fill up quickly.  There is a menu but also a huge wall that displays dozens of daily or weekly specials.  This trip I went off the menu and ordered the Fish Tempura Sandwich ($16.49).  This is a massive fish sandwich with not one but two large pieces of Mahi Mahi fried in Tempura Batter.  Oh how I wish they would serve this without the batter.  The sandwich comes with your choice of French Fries or a Salad.  Think there was an up charge to go with the salad but cannot remember.  The sandwich is served with Tarter Sauce and Lettuce, Tomato and Onion plus two types of melted cheese.  When you put all of this together on the bun it is huge and barely fits in your mouth.  After a few bites the entire sandwich falls apart leaving you finishing it with a fork.  I would rather pay half the price and get one piece of fish and a sandwich that you can handle.  I loved the flavors but did not enjoy the mess.  My friend went with Da Kitchen Burger ($9.49).  He said it was great.  I like Da Kitchen even though the prices for lunch are a bit high.  The upside is that the quality and portions are top notch.  You will not leave here hungry.  The staff of mostly young girls in tank tops gets the job done with smiles.  They have a good system of teamwork that gets the food out quickly with a little bit of good old Aloha Spirit.

DA KITCHEN CAFE

DA KITCHEN CAFE IN KAHULUI HAS BECOME VERY POPULAR
AMONG LOCALS AND TOURISTS.  ALWAYS BUSY.

ALWAYS CROWDED AT LUNCH TIME

DA KITCHEN CAFE - ONLY PORTION OF THE MENU.  LOTS MORE SPECIALS
POSTED ON THE BOARD DAILY

THESE MASSIVE MOCO DISHES LOOKED GREAT

PLATE LUNCHES 

BURGERS AND SANDWICHES

DA KITCHEN BURGER SERVED WITH SIDE SALAD

 FISH TEMPURA SANDWICH IS $16.50

LOOKS AND TASTE GREAT BUT IS SO BIG EVERYTHING FALLS APART AND YOU
HAVE TO EAT THIS WITH A FORK

RUBY'S DINER - KAHULUI, MAUI

RUBY'S DINER

KAHULUI, MAUI

RUBY'S DINER

QUEEN KA'AMANU CENTER

275 KA'AMANU AVE #1GO3

KAHULUI, MAUI, HAWAII  

808-248-7829

808-871-8361 FAX

EMAIL: kahului@rubys.com

www.rubys.com

HOURS:  Monday - Thursday 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM

                 Friday 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM

                 Saturday 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM

                 Sunday 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

                 Kids Eat Free Tuesdays After 4:00 PM

As you will note from this blog, I am not a big breakfast eater.  While on a recent trip to Maui we decided to have breakfast at Ruby's Diner in the Queen Ka'amanu Center in Kahului.  I was surprised to find the place quite empty during prime morning hours on a weekday.  Denny's in Kahului is usually packed at this time as is Marco's Deli nearby.  I opened the breakfast menu and saw Huevos Rancheros.  Done deal in about two seconds.  My friend went for the simple Egg, Toast and Potatoes.  We ordered and waited.  Waited some more and noticed that the three tables of diners sitting around us did not have their food either.  We wanted to eat and run so the wait seemed like forever.  The food started rolling out to the other tables and we quietly drank some coffee and buried our faces in our IPhones and email.  When my Huevos Rancheros ($9.79) arrived at the table, I was shocked on the size.  The thing was massive.  There is no way I can eat this thing I said to myself.  I won't even put a dent in this.  I took the first bite and was surprised that they fried the tortillas.  Another reason to put down only a few bites I thought.  I took another bite and said "wow" this is delicious.  Another bite and "shit" this is good.  Another bite and another expletive.   This thing is the bomb.  Delicious!  When I came up for air, half the Huevos Rancheros was gone and I was loving it.  This was supposed to be a light breakfast and I was only going to eat a few bites.  This is too good not to eat so I pretty much finished it but left the potatoes.

RUBY'S DINER MAUI

RUBY'S DINER IN THE QUEEN KA'AMANU SHOPPING CENTER IN KAHULUI, MAUI

1950'S AVIATION THEME

EAT AT THE OLD FASHION SODA BAR

WAITRESS WEAR CANDY STRIPE DRESSES

RUBY'S IS MAKING UP A MEAN HUEVOS RANCHEROS

LIGHTER MENU

FROM THE GRIDDLE

OMELETTES AND EGG DISHES

HUEVOS RANCHEROS WITH POTATOES

HUEVOS RANCHEROS - THIS WAS GOOD....REALLY GOOD

BASIC EGG, POTATOES AND TOAST

MAUI BEACH HOTEL - KAHULUI, MAUI

MAUI BEACH HOTEL
KAHULUI, MAUI

MAUI BEACH HOTEL

170 KAAHUMANU AVENUE

KAHULUI, MAUI, HAWAII  96732

808-954-7421

808-871-5797

www.mauibeachhotel.net

Had a business function at the Maui Beach Hotel that ran into the evening.  This meant spending a night in Kahului.  When staying in Maui, the Maui Beach would not be my first, second or third choice for a hotel stay.  It is good if you need a place to sleep that is close to the airport but that is about it.  Frankly I cannot sleep good here because the window type air conditioners in the guest rooms are so noisy.  All you hear is rrrrrrrrrr. glunk.   rrrrrrrrrrr. glunk as the air conditioner compressor comes off and on.  Usually takes me a few glasses of wine or half an Ambien to knock out here.  This trip I just turned the a/c off all night.  The rooms are pretty basic but clean.  The television is from the 70's and the furnishings are kind of miss match.  I hated the soap and shampoo dispensers in the bathroom.  I went out and bought my own bar of soap to shower and used shampoo in a bottle that I had packed in my suitcase.  The hotel has closed the restaurant except for Saturday nights and the hotel bar is closed every single night.  We wanted to have a cold one before retiring and were told we would have to walk across the street to a local bar.  We stayed in and went without.  Kahului is the business center of Maui.  It is quite industrial and close to the harbor.  Maui's only shopping mall is within walking distance but don't book here if you are looking to lay on the beach.  There is no beach at the Maui Beach Hotel.  The plus for this hotel is that it is five minutes from the Kahului airport and inexpensive for Maui with rooms going for around $140.  Wanted to post this because I would not want some honeymoon couple from Kansas booking here and thinking they are on the beach in Maui.  

MAUI BEACH HOTEL IN KAHULUI, MAUI 

FRONT OF MAUI BEACH HOTEL

BACK VIEW OF HOTEL

COURTYARD WITH VIEW OF KAHULUI HARBOR

TWO STORY BUILDING IS A BIT DATED

LOBBY FRONT DESK

LOBBY ACROSS FROM FRON DESK

GUEST ROOM

SMALL DESK AREA AND REFRIGERATOR 

DESK HAS NO ELECTRICAL OUTLET FOR PHONE OR COMPUTER

1970'S STYLE TELEVISION

SMALL CLOSET WITH IRON AND IRONING BOARD

WINDOW TYPE AIR CONDITIONER IS LOUD.  HAD TO TURN IT OFF TO SLEEP

SMALL BATHROOM AND SHOWER

BATHROOM IS BASIC BUT CLEAN

HATE THIS TYPE OF SOAP AND IT IS ALL THEY OFFER

SHOWER GEL (NO SOAP) AND SHAMPOO FROM DISPENSER

BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP - PRESSURE COOKER RECIPE

 BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP

PRESSURE COOKER RECIPE

I went to the old Pressure Cooker to cook up some Pork Ribs that I have had in the freezer for weeks.  Did the 15 minute BBQ recipe in Bob Warden's Cook Book called Great Food Fast.  You can find the Pressure Cooker BBQ Rib recipe on this blog.  While looking through the Bob Warden book, I flipped through the pages and found a Broccoli and Cheese Soup recipe.  I remembered that we had just bought a huge bag of broccoli at Costco and decided to make the soup because we had everything on the shopping list here at home.  I assembled the ingredients and in less than 20 minutes we had a great tasting soup that I will make again and again.  This soup is good.  I mean really good.  Smells up the house a bit with the fumes of broccoli but other than that this is a very easy, fast and delicious recipe.  I am sold on the Pressure Cooker and Bob Warden's book.
You may buy the Bob Warden cookbook on Amazon via the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/Presents-Wardens-Ultimate-Pressure-Recipes/dp/1934193798

BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP

BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP RECIPE FROM BOB WARNER "GREAT FOOD FAST" COOKBOOK

ONE ONION CHOPPED - ONE CUP SHREDDED CARROTS - 1 1/2 CUPS OF SHREDDED SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE - BROCCOLI FLORETS FROM SO ONO FRESH FARMS IN HAWAII

HEAT PRESSURE COOKER ON BROWN SETTING AND ADD 2 TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER UNTIL THE BUTTER IS SIZZLING

ADD ONIONS TO BUTTER AND COOK 4-5 MINUTES

ADD CARROTS, BROCCOLI, FOUR CUPS OF CHICKEN STOCK AND 1/4 TEASPOON
OF BOTH GARLIC AND ONION POWDER 

EVERYTHING IS IN THE PRESSURE COOKER WITH EXCEPTION OF HEAVY CREAM AND CHEESE

PRESSURE COOK ON HIGH (15 PSI) SETTING FOR FOUR MINUTES

AFTER FOUR MINUTES USE THE QUICK RELEASE AND LET THE STEAM ESCAPE

AFTER COOKING IN PRESSURE COOKER FOR FOUR MINUTES THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

ADD ONE CUP HEAVY CREAM AND ONE AND A HALF CUPS OF SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE.
I ADDED THE 1 1/4 CUP OF CHEESE THE RECIPE CALLED FOR BUT THEN ADDED MORE TO TASTE

ADD SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE AND STIR THOROUGHLY 

BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP COOKED IN A PRESSURE COOKER.  BOB WARDEN'S RECIPE
IS EASY, FAST AND DELICIOUS!

BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP SERVED WITH GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
ON A COOL (70 DEGREE) HAWAII EVENING