Consider this a hana hou for our summer vacation photo contest, which concluded last week. These images of deliciousness were captured on excursions on the neighbor islands.
Star-Advertiser staffer Diane S. W. Lee captured these images on Maui:
LEODA’S KITCHEN AND PIE SHOP
Lahaina
As a kid, I enjoyed Marie Callender’s frozen chicken potpies, ready in minutes after nuking in the microwave. I’d like to think my taste buds have become more refined.
Leoda’s makes homemade sweet and savory pies with flaky crusts. The hearty chicken pot pie ($10), filled with chicken breast, peas, carrots and kale, brought back memories of small-kid time.
STILLWELL’S BAKERY & CAFE
Wailuku
It’s a risk to try Chinese food at a restaurant that’s not, well, Chinese. I decided to take a risk with the veggie chow funn ($10.50) from Stillwell’s, known for making desserts, pastries and pies. I was surprised when I tasted the noodles, which had just the right amount of seasoning and vegetables. I devoured the entire plate.
STAR NOODLE
Lahaina
My motto when eating out: Always leave room for dessert.
My friend and I treated ourselves to dinner at chef Sheldon Simeon’s Star Noodle. These savory petite malasadas ($8) were served with sweet sauces (chocolate, mango and miso caramel). A delightful ending to our weekend trip to Maui.
ULU OCEAN GRILL & SUSHI LOUNGE
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Kailua-Kona
This was the starting dish of our Mauka to Makai meal at Ulu. It featured kona kampachi cut up to resemble noodles. It sat on a bed of tomato gelee and a drizzle of green garlic oil.
— Shane Arakaki
MO ‘ONO HAWAI’I
Maui
Anybody who knows me well knows I’m not that into fruit, let alone acai bowls — until this one.
— @_i_grinds (via Instagram)
HOLOHOLO GRILL
Koloa, Kauai
What a treat to dive into Sam Choy’s Poke Bowl at the chef’s HoloHolo Grill! Fresh ahi poke, spiced up with a dash of Sriracha aioli, over local veggies and seaweed salad. (I opted for more local veggies instead of the usual furikake rice.) It’s all garnished with some crispy fried onions on top. Nice to also munch on some crunchy namasu at the bottom. The pickled cucumbers were not too sweet, not too sour, but jus’ right. In Hawaiian, “holoholo” means “a pleasureable journey of discovery.” Could not have said it better. Sometimes the best food in the world can be found right here at home.
— Heidi Chang
