Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Adventures in Dining | January/February 2002

Adventures in Dining
By Jessica Ferracane

Quintessential Sunset Dinner

At Leilani's on the Beach in Ka'anapali, Maui, you enjoy a superb dinner while watching cruise boats sailing by and twinkling stars casting their light over a calm sea

From Leilani's beachside open-air dining room, you get a gorgeous view of Ka'anapali Beach.

I confess. I've always considered Leilani's on the Beach in Ka'anapali on Maui as a place to take out-of-town friends or family for the quintessential sunset cocktail-sipping drinks while enjoying the dazzling sunset, golden sand and bikinis. I never really thought of it as a place for dinner.

Thank goodness I was set straight recently. My boyfriend, Steve, and I had anchored his sailboat in the calm, turquoise waters off Ka'anapali Beach and were wondering where to go for dinner. The aroma wafting out to the boat from Leilani's was irresistible.

We were led upstairs just prior to sunset and scored a "window" seat, although there are no real windows. The beachside restaurant is open air, with high, vaulted ceilings, koa woodwork and Hawaiian prints and memorabilia. Not that we noticed right away-we were too dazzled by the sunset, golden sand and bikinis.

That is, until we opened our menus. The wide range of entrees at Leilani's includes fresh Island fish, Alaskan king crab, rack of lamb, lobster, several kinds of grilled steaks and kiawe-wood-smoked baby back ribs.

I perused the one-page wine list, but opted instead for a Leilani's Lemonade. This beachy drink, made with lemonade, cranberry juice and citrus-flavored vodka, really hits the spot after a day in the sun.

We started with an artichoke fritter pupu (appetizer), which we dipped into a deliciously creamy currant and Dijon mustard sauce just as the sun dipped between the Neighbor Islands of Moloka'i and Lana'i. Some pupu are greasy, but this deep-fried delicacy was crispy without a trace of oiliness.

Dinners at Leilani's include an ample tossed green salad with an anchovyless Caesar dressing and rice or baked potato. Includes the salad? This is so unheard of nowadays that I had to double-check with our server.

We gazed out at Moloka'i and Lana'i, buttering chunks of piping-hot, house-made sourdough bread before our entrees arrived. Several dinner cruise boats sailed by in the purple afterglow of sunset. Tiki torches blazed under coconut palms. The first star twinkled, casting its light onto the sea. I ordered another Leilani's Lemonade, while Steve sipped his martini.

Leilani's has been part of the Maui scene for 18 years, one of a dozen eateries in the wildly successful TS Restaurants group, whichincludes Kimo's in Lahaina and Hula Grill right next door to Leilani's on Maui, Duke's Canoe Club on O'ahu and Kaua'i, Keoki's Paradise on Kaua'i and several restaurants in California.

I had heard that at Leilani's, Chefs Michael Barry and Greg Gifford do a dynamite rack of lamb, so I ordered it. Normally I don't like lamb, because it can taste gamy, but that's not the case here. The lamb arrived perfectly medium rare, lightly draped in a superb Madeira mushroom sauce. After the first few bites, I wanted to pick up the bone and gnaw off the remaining meat, but I restrained myself. I didn't want to embarrass my partner.

As if. Across the table, Steve was busy diving into a tender, juicy filet mignon with peppercorn sauce. I gave him a longing look, and he growled at me like an animal guarding its kill. I reminded him this was no time to be territorial, so we swapped plates.
I have another confession. We ordered a third entree, a mahi mahi marinated with sesame oil, Dijon and shoyu, and grilled to perfection. I mean, you have to try the fish, right?

Although I was stuffed, the dessert chamber in my stomach demanded Hula Pie, a recipe borrowed from Kimo's.

Hula Pie is a dessert so large it needs its own ZIP code. It's made from a mountain of vanilla and macadamia nut ice cream molded into an Oreo cookie crust and garnished with macadamia nuts and chocolate fudge sauce. It's enough to feed a small nation, but Steve and I polished it off before finishing our coffee.

Waddling out of Leilani's and into the night, I felt a little silly. Steve asked me why, and I said because we had missed out on years of great meals at Leilani's. But we'll be back. For sure.

Leilani's on the Beach, Whalers Village in Ka'anapali, Maui. 661-4495. Dinner 5-10 p.m., cocktails and light menu at the beachside grill 11 a.m-11 p.m. Major credit cards.

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