Visit Maui: Pau Bakery

I always love going to bakeries, so when my Maui foodie friend, Julie, mentioned Pau Bakery, I made sure to stop by during my recent Maui trip. 

In addition to typical bakery offerings, like cinnamon rolls, cookies, and muffins, they offer locally-inspired treats, as well as a nice variety of empanadas and alfajores.  

Ham & Cheese Empanada

The empanadas are nicely sized and are quite filling.  I enjoyed the golden, crisp crust.  

Chocolate Chip Cookie

The cookie was good.  I've had better at places, but it was still a decent cookie.

Smoked Salmon Toast

My friend enjoyed the Smoked Salmon Toast (minus the sprouts).

Whether you're craving sweet or savory, check out Pau Bakery!

Pau Bakery
3636 Lower Honoapiilani Rd

Lahaina, HI 96761

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Visit Maui: Mala Ocean Tavern

While on Maui, I had dinner at Mala Ocean Tavern.  It was one of the numerous businesses that experienced damage from the Lahaina fires, but it has since re-opened and the business is thriving.  

The menu features much less Mediterranean-inspired dishes than before, as I experienced on my last visit during lunch, and focuses more on seafood, as the name would imply. 

Hood Canal Oyster Shooter

Crispy Brussels Sprouts

The Crispy Brussels Sprouts appetizer was a huge portion.  It was delicious, with a nice burnt honey shoyu glaze.

Seared Scallops

The scallops were fantastic, and I loved the accompanying Parmesan risotto. 

Pan Fried Mahi Mahi

The Pan Fried Mahi Mahi was accompanied by a black bean garlic ginger butter sauce.  It wasn't like the Chinese-style black bean sauce that I had expected, but it was still so flavorful, and the mahi was cooked perfectly.

It was super busy, and service was on the slower side, but the manager would check up on us whenever he noticed us waiting for our server.

Reservations highly recommended!

Mala Ocean Tavern
1307 Front St
Lahaina, HI 96761

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Visit Maui: Mala Tavern

On a recent visit to Maui, we decided to go to Mala Tavern for lunch.  We scored immediate reservations on OpenTable, as well as parking in a nearby lot, so it didn't take much effort for us to get a great oceanside meal.  

Mala Cristo

I love breakfast foods for all meals, so I ordered the Mala Cristo.  The Mala Cristo is essentially a Monte Cristo - ham and cheese sandwiched between Hawaiian sweet bread, dipped in an egg batter and fried, and dusted with powdered sugar.  I loved the sweet and savory flavors!

Lamb Pita

Calabrese Flatbread

Margherita Flatbread

Everyone enjoyed the food (the Lamb Pita had the most rave reviews), the service was friendly, and it was a nice, impromptu lunch spot!

Mala Tavern
1307 Front St

Lahaina, HI 96761

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Visit Maui: Maui Ku`ia Estate Chocolate

An impromptu stop at Maui Ku`ia Estate Chocolate resulted in one of the best desserts I've had in a very long time.  

Our group had some time to kill before an event, so we decided to visit the chocolate shop, and possibly taste some chocolates and buy some omiyage.

As luck would have it, Wednesday is Happy Hour ALL DAY, which means 50% off certain items.

One of those items is the brownie of the day! And even better - you can add ice cream!

Guava Brownie with Salted Caramel Ice Cream

I ordered Guava Brownies with Salted Caramel Ice Cream for everyone.  The brownies were so amazing!  They were warmed, soft, and luscious, and with just a hint of guava flavor.  The Salted Caramel Ice Cream gave it that extra dose of indulgence.

Also on Happy Hour special is the Tasting Chocolates.  Cat hosted all of us with a tasting, which included nine chocolates that you try at your pace.

We were all way too stuffed from lunch and the brownie, so we took most of the samples home with us to try later (one of us couldn't leave without tasting a chocolate while there.

There is a nice upstairs dining area where you can savor your chocolates (or brownies), and don't forget to pick up some omiyage on the way out!

Maui Ku`ia Estate Chocolate
78 Ulupono St Suite 1 Suite 1
Lahaina, HI 96761
(844) 844-5842

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Maui Day Trip Stop 8 - Leoda's

Although Nadia & I have both been to Leoda's before, it's hard to resist their pies, so we stopped in for a quick bite.

Hand Cut Fries

Turkey Pot Pie

Banana Cream Pie

The fries were addicting!

The Turkey Pot Pie consisted of in house roasted turkey, turkey gravy, carrot, onions, celery, and potato.  It was yummy!

I loved the pie too.  Banana Cream Pie is my favorite kind of pie, and Leoda's banana cream is absolutely delish.

Whether you're in the mood for something sweet or savory, stop at Leoda's!

Leoda's Kitchen & Pie Shop
820 Olawalu Village Road

Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 662-3600

Mahalo to Island Air.

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Maui Day Trip Stop 7 - Breakwall Shave Ice

A visit to a neighbor island just wouldn't seem complete without stopping for shave ice, so Breakwall Shave Ice was on our itinerary.

But we didn't stop for just any shave ice - we made sure we were there for "adult" shave ice happy hour!

Pina Colada

Mai Tai

Since I love all things with rum, I went for the Mai Tai.  It was good, and I could really taste the rum, but my favorite part was the macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom (I really love ice cream)!

You have to eat the shave ice at the counter, and there was plenty of counter space, but it was quite a mess to eat!  The employees said they may have put too much rum, which made the shave ice easily collapse, so we were given cups to scoop the shave ice into since we were making a huge mess!

If you want a boozy treat, be sure to stop at Breakwall Shave Ice!


Breakwall Shave Ice
658 Front St #104

Lahaina, HI 96761

Mahalo to Island Air. 

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Top 10: Reasons Why The Westin Ka`anapali Ocean Resort Villas is Great for Families

I loved staying at The Westin Ka`anapali Ocean Resort Villas.  This property is ideal for families, especially for those on an extended vacation.  Here are my top 10 reasons why The Westin Ka`anapali Ocean Resort Villas is great for `ohana.

1. Large villa - spacious rooms for families!

2. Full kitchen - cook breakfast, bake cookies, whip up dinner!

3. Washer dryer - pack less clothes; do a load (or two) before departing so you don't need to do laundry when you return home!

4. Fantastic pools - lots of pools with plenty of room for both adults and kids to play.

5. Market & general store on site - shop for all of your grocery needs, or order groceries online and get them delivered to your villa for a small fee!

6. Beach - just steps away is the beach!

7. Family-friendly dining - several family-friendly dining options on property!

8. Activities - lots of activities for families to play on property - shuffleboard, mini golf, and more!

9. Westin Family Kid's Club - for a fee, parents can sign up their kids for full- and half-day camps.

10. Playground - kids will love playing on the playground when not at the pool (and parents can sit under the shade!).

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Visit Maui: Leoda's Kitchen & Pie Shop

On our way to our hotel in Ka`anapali, we decided to stop by Leoda's Kitchen & Pie Shop for lunch, and of course - pie!

Since we were eating at a pie shop, I thought I should try one of the Hand Held Pies for lunch, so I chose the Savory Mushroom.

Savory Mushroom Hand Held Pie

It was $7.75 for a little pie that included Hamakua mushrooms, shallots, and Parmigiano cheese.

Inside the Savory Mushroom Hand Held Pie

It was really tasty, and I loved the flaky crust, but it did not do much to satisfy my hunger. Thank goodness I also ordered fries, which were especially yummy when dipped in the accompanying aioli.

Hand Cut Fries

Roast Pork

My husband liked his Roast Pork sandwich, which included garlic sauteed choy sum and provolone.

A "kids at heart" menu is offered, but two of my kids opted for items off the regular menu.

Kids Hot Dog

Baked Mac n Cheese

Upcountry Dog

The Upcountry Dog consisted of housemade potato bun, Hawaiian Portuguese sausage, pickled onions, and mustard.

My oldest son really enjoyed the Mac n Cheese, which had several different types of cheeses and was topped with a Parmesan panko crust.

For dessert, the kids chose MacNut Chocolate and Banana Cream.  

MacNut Chocolate

Banana Cream

The pies are pricey at $8.75 each for a 5-inch pie (mini pies are also offered at $4.75), but they were very good.  My favorite of the two was the Banana Cream.

Although I thought the prices were pretty high for the food, everything was delicious, and all of the employees were very friendly.

Leoda's Kitchen & Pie Shop
820 Olawalu Village Road

Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 662-3600

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Visit Maui: Olowalu General Store

While heading back to the airport from our hotel in Lahaina, we decided to make a stop at Olowalu General Store to pick up some SPAM Musubis for lunch.

They offer a variety of musubis - regular, teriyaki, and even some with fried rice.

Teriyaki SPAM Musubi

SPAM Musubi

Yummy!

The musubis were still nice and hot by the time we got to the airport to eat them.

Olowalu General Store also offers shave ice, groceries, and lots of made in Hawaii items.

I couldn't resist picking up a few made in Maui chocolate bars.

Olowalu General Store is a great stop to pick up a quick bite, or for gifts to take home for friends and family!

Olowalu General Store
820 Olowalu Village Rd

Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 667-2883

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Visit Maui: Koa's Seaside Grill

For one of the best sunset dining experiences in Lahaina, visit Koa's Seaside Grill.

Located right on the ocean, Koa's Seaside Grill offers family-friendly dining while the sky lights up in pinks, reds, and oranges.

Maui Onion Rings

To start off our dinner, we ordered the Maui Onion Rings.  They were so good - light and crisp on the outside and seasoned perfectly.  The accompanying Hawaiian chile aioli had a nice kick to it.

Wagyu Burger

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

For my entree I had the Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi. It was served atop a beautiful Molokai sweet potato mash, along with asparagus and a lemon beurre blanc sauce. The entire dish was fantastic.

My husband ordered the Wagyu Burger, which was topped with cheese, Iberico pork belly and a Hawaiian chile aioli.

Keiki Macaroni & Cheese

Keiki Coconut Shrimp & Fries

The kids ate up their keiki meals, and we all indulged in dessert.

Lilikoi Cheesecake

Chocolate Decadence Cake

For dessert we shared the Lilikoi Cheesecake and the Chocolate Decadence Cake.  The Chocolate Decadence Cake was very rich, and was topped with chili dust.  My favorite of the two desserts was the Lilikoi Cheesecake.

The manager, James (aka Del Rey, whom we met earlier in the day during our Outrigger Canoe Tour with Maui Paddle Sports), was so terrific during our entire meal.  When the sky was ablaze, he offered to take our family photo, and took photos of any other guests who wanted to capture the moment.

He even showed us how to get the many puffer fish to start swimming around in the ocean down below, right next to the restaurant.

We had a delightful meal at Koa's Seaside Grill.

Mahalo to James for the hospitality and generosity!


Koa's Seaside Grill
839 Front St,

Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 667-7737

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