Food in Maui

It’s safe to say that one doesn’t immediately associate Maui, or Hawaii for that matter, with wine. But looking out the car window on the not-always-paved back road from Hana, it's easy to see dramatically see how varied Maui’s climate it is -- from steady rainfall creating lush tropics to a total lack of precipitation creating an arid volcanic desert. There are also stark differences in temperature -- this I'd learned on a previous visit to Maui, when I went to the top of Haleakala.

The wine-minded would think that someone could certainly take advantage of these microclimates for viticulture, and Tedeschi Winery has done just this. In addition to several vinifera varietals – pinot noir, chardonnay -- the winery creates a couple of wines out of – yes – pineapples.

Do not curl your lip, oh wine snobs, for when the cheerful winery staff assures you that its sparkling Hula O’Maui is a lovely brunch beverage on its own or in a mimosa, they are making a good point. It’s surprisingly crisp, and not at all like drinking pineapple syrup. (Closer to that flavor profile is the very sweet Maui Splash, a pineapple wine mixed with passion fruit.)

A visit to Surfing Goat Dairy always yields interesting information. Like, for example, a male goat in breeding season pees into his beard to attract a mate. And since this pee can extend five feet, according to a posted warning sign, it is best to keep your distance from him.

I followed this advice, and also heeded the sign that asked visitors not to allow baby goats to suckle on your fingers – the problem with this was explained by the woman running the free cheese tasting: if you happen to have something like suntan lotion on your hand, the baby goat could die! Keep your hands to yourself, because even the hardest-hearted will want these goats to grow up and produce some of Surfing Goat's amazing cheeses.

A free tasting included a sampling of chevre infused with different flavors -- lavender, sun dried tomatoes, herbs – but my favorite was a chevre called “Udderly Delicious” – the cheese unadorned with nothing but sea salt. Runner up for favorite was the farm made goat cheese truffles, which also come in different flavors. I sampled only one, the Hawaiian chili pepper, which had a bit of a kick to it. Highly recommended.

The Monkeypod Kitchen is one of Peter Merriman’s latest concepts – Merriman being one of the chef pioneers of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine.

This casual restaurant focuses on using locally sourced ingredients to create casual dishes, to be washed down with one of 36 craft beers on tap.

I skipped the beer (I was on duty, after all), but very much enjoyed the poke “tacos”, served on a wonton, and the sumptuous pumpkin patch ravioli made with local roasted squash, chevre, spinach, and a generous wash of sage brown butter.

I was also tempted to skip dessert, but the restaurant is especially known for its pies, and I was glad my server talked me into the coconut cream pie. Very glad.

For my last two nights, I checked into the Maui Sunseeker Resort in Kihei. This is a GLBT resort – I was traveling with my good friend and colleague Andrew Collins, About.com’s Gay Travel Guide. Now as an old (straight) married lady, I’d never stayed at a gay resort before. What I learned: places like Sunseeker are more than welcoming to all guests, regardless of their sexual orientation, and in fact, many straight couples stay there because the chances of having to share the pool with a kid are far less than at your typical resort. (Conversely, the chances of encountering a person going clothing optional at the pool is higher. I’d rather look at a naked adult than someone’s naked kid, but that’s just me.) Our penthouse suite was giant --1,800 square feet -- and had a full kitchen.

So why not call in a celebrity chef to prepare dinner? Chef Raja Shortell, a Maui native who competed on The Food Network’s Extreme Chef, commandeered the kitchen and prepared a four-course menu that was both delicious and creative, including a shredded papaya salad topped with tomatoes and peanuts an served with perfectly steamed Chinese dumplings.

Do not eat breakfast on the day you’ve booked with Tour da Food. It’s probably okay to have some coffee, but nothing more!

Writer and tour guide Bonnie Friedman has been everywhere on Maui looking for the best local food – she will deem no place too unlikely. Not a gas station, the source for a perfect manapua. Not a paper and chemical company that happens to have a delicious food counter, where she'll select octopus poke, sesame chicken, teriyaki sausage for you to sample. And all of this comes after the breakfast spread that she brings to help you understand Hawaii’s cultural mélange -- Portuguese malasadas, butter mochi, Chinese Dry Mein, Spam musubi -- but before lunch, a venue which she selects after getting to know you and your tastes.

Her choice was spot on for me, as we went to Tokyo Tei, a small restaurant and a local favorite, for tuna sashimi, a shrimp omelet (served with macaroni salad) and impossibly light tempura.

The Fairmont Kea Lani’s premier restaurant Ko is undergoing an extensive renovation, set to be complete in Spring 2012.

Until then, Ko’s menu is available at a different restaurant on property – said menu taking its inspiration from Hawaii’s sugar plantations, where workers from many different countries and backgrounds labored together, and often shared food. But for now, and even when the restaurant re-opens, there’s a special option you can pre-arrange for a special celebratory meal. Called “Twilight Dinner”, the staff will set up a private table at a remove from the restaurant, in a pool-side canvas gazebo, all lit with lanterns and candles.

As the name implies, many of these dinners are served to catch the sunset, but you can also choose to eat later. It’s an alternative to an on-beach dinner – apparently local regulations make it impossible to eat dinner on the beach if you also want to have wine or other alcohol. I especially enjoyed Ko’s Filipino spring rolls, crispy rolls of chicken, mushroom and green papaya, served with spicy dipping sauce. A relaxing last night, and a fitting ending to what had been a very busy Maui trip.