GREAT EATS HAWAII: LAHAINA GRILL

Sunday, May 22, 2016

LAHAINA GRILL

LAHAINA INN

127 LAHAINALUNA ROAD

LAHAINA, HI 96761

808-667-5117

HOURS: Daily 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

www.lahainagrill.com

www.facebook.com/lahainagrill

www.yelp.com/biz/lahaina-grill-lahaina

Lahina Grill is a place where reservations are a must on weekends and even most weeknights. The restaurant was named one of The Top 100 Restaurants in America by Yelp and Best Restaurant in Maui for 23 years in a row. Trip Advisor named Lahaina Grill one of the Top 25 Restaurants in the U.S. in 2015 so the awards and accolades for this place are many. Whats my take? Well first off the restaurant is beautiful. Absolutely loved the warm colors, paintings and overall feel of the dining room. Just so relaxing that you feel good when you enter the place. Service while a bit slow when we first were seated improved and ended on a high note. We began with the Ahi Poke ($25). Liked the fresh Ahi but there were no onions in the Poke and I like onions in my Poke. Pretty bland flavor. The Cornmeal Crusted Fried Oysters ($21) were good but why the heck would you fry a fresh Oyster? Glad I tried them but would not order again. The Wagyu Beef Ravioli ($22) was probably the star of the evening. Everyone at the table had one piece and loved it. Perfectly cooked pillow of pasta filled with a savory mixture of perfectly matched ingredients that bursted with flavor. Loved it!

Two people at our table ordered the Maui Onion Soup ($15) and loved it. Said it had the perfect amount of bread inside the soup and cheese on top. They pretty much went silent while devouring the soup so I know it was good. My friend LOVED the Baby Spinach Salad ($14) and said it was "delicious" and one of the best. The Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese Salad ($18) seemed to please my friend. I ordered the Salad of Dungeness Crab ($26). This entree priced salad looked good and I loved the four pieces of Crab. The rest of the salad was pretty much uneatable for me as I did not like the bitter greens under the Crab. Didn't get the purpose of Asparagus on the plate either. For my entree I ordered the Chef Special "OMG" ($79) This was two Kona Lobster Tails with Foie Gras and Mashed Potatoes. The plate looked like a total mess and really dampened the moment. Lobster was good, loved the Mashed Potatoes but the Foie Gras was totally lost in the dish. Big disappointment for the price. My friend ordered the Sautéed Mahi Mahi ($44) and said it was delicious. I don't even remember the desserts so I will not comment on them. I actually liked Lahaina Grill and would like to return to try some other dishes. The prices are high but hey you are in Lahaina on Maui where everything is expensive.