Anthony's of Little Italy

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As far as community fairs go, I’m not a fan. Because my interest is mainly food, I think it’s safe to say that having a bunch of carnies serving up fried dough doesn’t really have much appeal to me.

We actually ended up at the Feast of the Assumption celebration in Little Italy, on Thursday. You see, my sister is a teacher at Holy Rosary Montessori and wanted to show us the space for her new classroom. Since I had never been to the FOTA it was a perfect opportunity to do both.

Without going into too many specifics, there was a lot of Italian sausage, sheet pizza, and cavatelli with meatballs being served (just what you want on a hot summer night, right?. Most of what was being served was much of the same at each stand. There was a guy selling mussels and clams but I didn’t think it would be very easy to eat with a plastic fork – but they get an A for effort.

I will say this; the desserts had a fair amount of variety from stand to stand. Many were homemade Italian originals being served with much pride. Other stands were of the traditional county fair, tow behind trailer, elephant ear variety – no pride.

We decided to err on the side of lower fat and all got some gelato from Anthony’s of Little Italy. My wife and I are gelato/ice cream freaks. The bar was set exceedingly low for what Anthony’s was serving up. Our reasoning was:

a) We had never heard of them.
b) La Gelataria is the only gelato maker in Cleveland we’ve ever heard of.
c) Since we aren’t fans of La Gelataria (which is widely considered the best in Cleveland), then Anthony’s must be a couple clicks below the place we already don’t like.

Let me start by saying that I’ve been to Italy. I’ve tasted the gelato there. It’s awesome, however that was eight years ago (before I had a true appreciation for food). I think the secret is actually pretty simple: get the freshest damn gelato you can find. I don’t think the stuff at Anthony’s had been sitting around for very long. The first taste coated my tongue with the smooth taste of chocolate. Moments after putting it in my mouth you could still taste it.

The next night we had dinner with a couple at L’Albatros and skipped dessert to go to Anthony’s, it’s that good. The best I’ve ever had is from Capigiro in Philadelphia, Grom in Greenwich Village is up there as well. The only criticism I have is that they don’t have very original flavors. If you happen to be in the University Circle area you’ve got to give Anthony’s of Little Italy at try.

Anthony's of Little Italy
12018 Mayfield Rd
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216) 791-0700
www.anthonysoflittleitaly.com

Flatbread Company (Paia)

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Update: February 15th, 2011

Flatbread still has it. When you're staying at the Paia Inn, it's pretty much the most convenient place to eat, (just downstairs). "The Mopsy" is THE Hawaiian pizza. In fact, if there's a better one I'd like to taste it. Regina was very adamant about getting her nightly fix of brownie and Roselani haupia ice cream with chocolate sauce. The brownie gets warmed in the oven and develops this charred goodness on the bottom. Even if you can't get to Flatbread, you've got to pick up a carton of that ice cream. It's available at any supermarket in the Hawaiian Islands.

This was the first trip that we had ever stopped at Flatbread in Paia. Located on the corner of the infamous Hana Highway and Baldwin Avenue, this pizzeria is THE meeting place for locals and tourists alike in Paia.

While Flatbread appears to be a product of this town’s liberally slanted residents, it’s actually the lone outpost of a small chain of restaurants that started in New England. My guess is that there was no shortage of volunteers to open the one in Hawai’i.

If there was a pizzeria that had to open in a specific town, this would be the perfect marriage. Organic ingredients, as many locally sourced ingredients as possible, and donating a portion of profits to charity are the tenets of Flatbread Company.

When we first walked in about six o’clock the place was almost filled. There were probably more locals than tourists, (which was a good sign). There were actually a lot of families with children, this is a very kid friendly kind of place.

Large and in Charge Wood Fired Clay Oven

The wood-fired clay oven is one of the first things you see when you walk through the door. As we sat down I could just smell these pizzas coming out of the oven, one right after the other. Since we were fairly close to the oven we got a sneak peak at what they were serving up. *Seriously…my stomach is growling right now just writing about them. There is literally saliva filling my mouth as we speak. Gross, but true.* I caught a glimpse of the kalua pork pizza and knew straight away that I was going to get it. My guess is that this is obviously is exclusive to the Paia Flatbread Company. It was absolutely the best Hawaiian pizza I’ve ever tasted. Where most incarnations have just pineapple and ham, this one had kalua pork, red onions, and pineapple. It tasted every bit as good as it looked.

Hawaiian Pizza (The Real Deal)

If there was one downer to our visit, it’s that I didn’t bring my ID. They’re pretty adamant about checking birth dates, so if you want to drink - don’t forget license. The server was not willing to take one of my gray chest hairs as proof of age. Oh well, it’s my fault for not bringing the damn thing with me.

Chalkboard Showing Suppliers

The one aspect of the restaurant I thought was really cool is the chalkboard that lists the companies of the locally sourced food. Chef Michel Nischan at The Dressing Room in Westport, CT actually incorporates little blurbs about his purveyors in his menu. I’ve never understood why more restaurants don’t provide the provenance of their locally sourced food (unless of course it isn’t as local as they would want people to believe). Why not educate your customers about the various growers who are supplying the restaurant? Once people taste good produce and no where it’s coming from, I’m thinking they’re going to want to go to restaurants that cook with it.

As we left, the place was packed and there was a wait. As I said before it’s wildly popular with local families as well as tourists, but if you arrive around six or so it wasn’t full yet. The vibe is awesome, the service is friendly, and most importantly the food is awesome. If you’re hungry bring some stomach room, and if you’re thirsty bring your ID.

Flatbread
89 Hana Hwy
Paia, HI 96779
(808) 579-8820
www.flatbreadcompany.com

Barcelona

A well designed outdoor space can make all the difference when it comes to deciding on a place to eat. Here in Ohio, especially if you live in Cleveland, beautiful weather for eating outside a very few. When I do get those kinds of nights I, and everyone else, look to take advantage of restaurants with nice patios.

Before we even knew if there was going to be a beautiful night or not we made a reservation at Barcelona in German Village. We had driven past it numerous times in the past, but kept driving because we were broke college students at the time. Word on the street was that Barcelona has the best patio in the state capitol.

As it would turn out, the wonderful patio experience had to wait. It was raining pretty hard when we arrived and continued throughout the whole meal. If we had wanted to wait a half an hour we could have actually eaten outside under the roofed area. I didn’t feel like eating in the cold wet air.

The patio design was extremely well thought out. One of my biggest pet peeves is brick pavers or rough uneven pavement under my chair. Here the have a smooth finish with a slight roughness to it (like a tennis court), that you can actually slide your chair in and out on. The pavement also doesn’t give you a wobbly chair or table. There is no absence of privacy. A tall fence runs the perimeter of the area with plants everywhere to help soften the starkness of the fence. Finally, there is a whole row of tables that are under a roof so that it provides protection from the hot sun or the rain.

The interior of the building is no slouch, either. Housed in the typical German Village brick commercial building, Barcelona has seating the length of the restaurant down the right wall. A bar is on your right as you walk in, and then seating extends all the way to the back of the dining room. One of the neat touches I noticed was curtains that had been slung over the central duct work along the ceiling. It appeared that they could be brought down to separate different tables for privacy.

When I think of Spanish food we immediately think of Amada, in Philadelphia (if you’re ever there you’ve got to go). While Amada is more of a pure tapas restaurant, Barcelona offers a mixture of tapas (served as simply appetizers), soups and salads, and entrees – two different approaches, both Spanish, both delicious.

Regina ordered the Tapas Tasting Menu, which was comprised of eight separate items. Most weren't more than a few bites. I thought it was an excellent way to sample the range of the menu, and not have to order just one thing. For her, the corn salad, pan seared scallop, smoked trout salad, and deviled eggs were the most memorable. The tapas tasting runs $30.

On the servers recommendation I opted for the ever popular Paella Barcelona - basmati rice, chicken, spicy chorizo, shrimp, squid, clams, mussels, sofrito, roasted peppers, and peas. What can I say other than it was a gorgeous dish. The flavors were really popping in this thing, not to mention the monster portion. If you come here somebody has got to order this dish, it's absolutely fantastic (and it reheated very well).

Needless to say, there was no room left for dessert. For us, Barcelona is certainly a Top 10 for Columbus. While this is Spanish food, I would think there really isn’t much here that is way out in left field. I have to believe that most everyone would be able to find something to eat of this menu. If you’ve never been, you have to try it.

Wouldn’t you know it, as we left it stopped raining. Oh well, maybe next time we can sit on the patio.

Barcelona
263 E Whittier St
Columbus, OH 43206
(614) 443-3699
www.barcelonacolumbus.com

Blue Canyon

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I think it's fair to say that Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern is a much loved Cleveland area restaurant. Twinsburg's most recognized eatery offers up big food, a big bar, and a big patio, providing something for everyone. On this occasion I met a couple of friends for some food out on the patio.

Up until now I had never actually eaten out in the patio area (it IS Cleveland, so as far as patios go it's not a long season). The multi-tiered layout breaks up the space so that it creates a more intimate setting.

The menu out on the patio is a little different from the one in the dining (at least I think that's what the server told us). Most of what you find on the patio menu is shareable in some form. We were a little irritated that the guy that was serving us hadn't eaten most of what was on the patio menu. At one point we asked, "What's good?" to which he replied, "I don't know I haven't had much of it." What?!?!? He did say that he was very familiar with the indoor menu.

This was an "after a round of golf" dinner for us, so communal dining was a welcome departure from the massive dinners that are served inside. Since we ordered quite a bit of food I'm not going to get into the blow by blow, but the sushi actually reminded me of a place I ate at down in Augusta, GA called Takosushi, sushi with a southwest flair.

There are others who are bigger fans of Blue Canyon, than I. The dining room serves up food that sticks to your ribs, if that's your kind of thing. I'm not saying that the food is bad (or even average), it's just that it not really my cup of tea. With that being said, our patio dining experience was a Top 5 for Cleveland (behind only 3 Birds and L'Albatros). The guy I ate with is really picky, the other two were out-of-towners who eat for a living (salesman), all were raving by the end of dinner.

I know summer is almost over, but if you have a chance and you get a nice night you have to give it a try.

As a side note I think the website for Blue Canyon sucks, but the "Chef's Blog" while not updated frequently, is very thoughtful and candid.

Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern
8960 Wilcox Dr
Twinsburg, OH 44087
(330) 486-2583
www.bluecanyonrestaurant.com

Bacon Fat Spice Cookies

I typically buy about 3 or 4 cookbooks a year. So far this year I’ve purchased Urban Italian by Andrew Carmellini, The Perfect Scoop by Dave Leibvowitz, and Fat by Jennifer McLagan.

I want to focus on Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes. Let me start by saying that I think this is fantastically researched book. McLagan offers a ton of information about butter, pork, poultry, beef, and lamb fat. Small historical blurbs are sprinkled about the pages of the book, while also including unique recipes, and basic techniques for utilizing fat.

As an example McLagan gives a recipe for Bacon Baklava and the page next to it is a recipe that utilizes all of the rendered fat from the bacon in the form of Bacon Fat Spice Cookies. I thought it sounded interesting so I decided to have a go. I wanted to try the bacon baklava but had been given the task of making the bacon for a family brunch. Armed with a pound of Curly Tail Farms bacon, I saved the rendered fat for the cookies.

The sound of bacon fat in your cookies sounds utterly disgusting. Visions of cool, thick, white grease being left behind by, of all things, a dessert is less than appetizing. After thinking about it a little bit, though, you realize that fat is fat. As long as you’re not after a buttery taste to begin with, and are using it in a strongly flavored spice cookie with a dominant taste of gingerbread, what’s the difference?

The straightforward recipe resulted in a couple dozen cookies that had the texture of freshly baked sugar cookies that were still warm. They taste just like gingerbread cookies only chewier. I, nor anyone else, could taste the saltiness of the bacon in the cookies themselves.

I enjoy making stuff like this, if for no other reason because it makes me think alternatively about how or why we use certain ingredients. The next time you’re in a bookstore look for Fat. I think you’ll have a hard time putting it down.

By the way, I love recipes that are written in the metric system, which is what the author has done in this book.

Bacon Fat Spice Cookies by Jennifer McLagan in her new book “Fat”

Makes 20 to 24 cookies (made 22 for me)

• Flour - 1 ¼ cups/5 oz./150g
• Sugar – ½ cup/3 ½ oz/100g plus 1 teaspoon
• Sea Salt – 1 teaspoon
• Cinnamon (ground) – ¾ teaspoon
• Ginger (ground) – ¾ teaspoon
• Cloves (ground) – ¾ teaspoon
• Bacon Fat – ½ cup/3 ½ oz./100g (from approximately 1 pound of bacon)
• Molasses – 2 Tablespoons
• Egg – 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line 2 Large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine the flour, ½ cup/3 ½ oz/100g of the sugar, the salt, and the spices in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the bacon fat, molasses, and egg and pulse until the mixture forms a soft dough.

3. Take level tablespoons of the dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches / 5 cm apart. Using a fork, flatten the balls slightly, and sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar.

4. Bake the cookies until they are beginning to brown around the edges, 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack.

Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.

Stone Mad? Absolutely.

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We went to Stone Mad Pub, Restaurant, and Bocce for the first time. First impressions? Stone - lots and lots of stone. I have never in my life seen so much stonework in one place in my entire life. Why is that significant? My father is a masonry contractor.

High Heels + Alcohol + Stone Parking Lot May Equal Broken Ankle

The World's Most Beautiful Garbage Stall

We sat out on the patio which is completely made out of stone. The floor, the walls, the tables, and yes, even the seats were made of the stuff. The inside of the building has a rustic Irish pub decor, with an indoor bocce ball downstairs.

Very Cool (What's it say?)

For appetizer, we ordered the brie wrapped in phyllo with strawberry sauce. Regina and I split a burger with blue cheese and side of the home fries. The burger was good, the potatoes were not. The potatoes were more soggy than crispy and had little to no taste. Stone Mad doesn't have a deep fryer, which I think is great, but I think some rosemary or garlic would have gone a long way to improve things. The bocce ball, which is a piece of chocolate cake covered with chocolate ganache, with bocce ball score marks in it. Not only was it good, but the idea was original.

The Bocce Ball

The food is straight forward - too straight forward. At the end of the whole thing I'd say it's a great place to drink, with the food feeling like an add-on. At the end of the night it seemed like bar first and a restaurant second.

Stone Mad Pub, Restaurant and Bocce
1306 W 65th St
Cleveland, OH 44102
(216) 281-6500

Who wants to be on a cooking show?

I received this yesterday from Sarah Gotto at CBS:

I am a casting assistant with CBS EYE TOO Productions. We’re currently seeking dynamic and charismatic two-person teams for a restaurant competition show. The teams of two must have pre-existing relationships (couples, friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, etc), the combined front and back of house skills to run a restaurant and energetic personalities. Unfortunately, they cannot already own a restaurant.

We would like to inform you and your readers that we will soon be holding auditions in Philadelphia.

Anyone interested in applying can feel free to email us at restaurantshow@yahoo.com with the names, ages, occupations, locations and contact numbers of both teammates. Teams should also include recent photos of themselves and a brief summary as to why they would be perfect for the show!

If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time and assistance.

Sincerely,

Sarah Getto
Casting Assistant
212-975-3565
gettos@cbsnews.com

If you're interested give her a call. I checked it out and it's legit. Good luck!

G Michael's

German Village is chock full of absolutely delicious restaurants. In terms of really good independents, this small historic neighborhood has the market cornered. G Michaels Bar & Bistro is guided by Chef David Tetzloff, specializing in Italian and low country inspired dishes. All I have to hear is “low country” and you can count me in.

On this particularly comfortable night, we were lucky enough to get a seat outside. If the weather is at all nice I would make a request to sit in the patio section. Our server was very animated and excited about everything they had started serving on the new menu.

Knowing that we were coming here I was all about getting the low country boil. Every year I volunteer at the tournament in Augusta; they cater a buffet on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night for the workers and volunteers. The low country boil, shrimp and grits, and peach cobbler (to name a few) are out of this world. When I looked at the menu I was crushed to see that it wasn’t on the freshly printed summer menu (the low country boil).

To be honest, though, I would have eaten anything off of this menu, it’s that good. I decided on the “Low Country Seafood Trio”, which consisted of black-pepper and sesame crusted tuna, grilled bbq jumbo prawns, and a lump crab cake served on creamy Carolina Gold rice, shrimp enriched hominy, and stewed okra. Without going into a full page rave review, it was as if I had just been teleported to Charleston, SC or Savannah, GA. The G Michael’s idea of a “jumbo prawn” is the size of a newborn puppy. It reminds me off something you’d see in Jurassic Park. It was huge! I would have gotten an entrée portion of any one of these elements of the trio.

Regina had the Pan-seared Alaskan Halibut with a Shiitake mushroom, fingerling potato, sausage, and Vidalia onion hash, asparagus, lemon buerre blanc, and poached shrimp salad . The fish was perfectly cooked, but the shrimp salad that was on top stole the show. My guess is that someone at the restaurant is going to be getting an email begging them for the recipe for that salad.

If you’ve not been, you have to go. If you have, you already know how good it is. While I realize low country isn’t for everyone, I’m a huge fan. I think part of the allure is the low key vibe that the food and the service have. No pretense or much fanfare, just good straight forward food.

G Michael's
595 S 3rd St
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 464-0575
www.gmichaelsbistro.com

The Greenhouse Tavern

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The Greenhouse Tavern's opening has probably been the most anticipated restaurant opening of 2009 in Cleveland. Fresh off his success at Bar Cento, chef Jonathan Sawyer opened GHT with a focus on farm to fork as well as using green business practices all while providing classic interpretations at an affordable price.

Located in the current epicenter of downtown dining on East 4th, the restaurant (who's logo looks like the back of the Connecticut quarter), is housed in an old shoe factory that hadn’t been used in decades. A wonderful patio area arranges people in a “bar like” fashion in front of the restaurant so that that they face outward toward the bustling pedestrian traffic that flows through this cozy alley. Between the bar people and the building façade itself is space for traditional table and chair seating.

It’s actually a genius use of space that would make William Whyte proud. The bar people are high enough in the air that they aren’t being looked down on by the passersby; while also providing a buffer to those sitting down behind them. My guess is that there was enough room for a certain amount of tables, but perhaps not another row. I think this a classic case of a great idea resulting from an obvious design constraint. I think the only thing missing is the overhead heaters a la San Francisco, to help stretch the outdoor dining by a couple of months.

The space is narrow with a two story central area, with mezzanines on the front and back wall of the restaurant. On the ground floor is a bar to the right, a communal table to the left, and tables and bench seating toward the back. The layout actually reminded us a lot of a wonderful place we ate last year called NOPA. If you’re looking for the kitchen when you walk in, you won’t see it. That’s because it (and the bathrooms) are in the basement. LED lights with a framework using bicycle wheels hang from the ceiling (a very neat touch).

We were initially seated at table #8, which sits along the back wall. At first I thought it was nice, and then the wind kicked up. Many of the tables along that back wall, which are used for parties of two are affected by the ventilation system. If you sweat tying your shoes or are menopausal I think it would be a very comfortable place to sit; for everyone else it is annoying and downright chilly. We asked to move to another table. They happily relocated us at the communal table. The tall chairs are probably great for people who ordering some quick apps and having a few drinks, but they got pretty uncomfortable for a full meal. When you make your reservation make sure you request the mezzanine. I have sent one of the most finicky people I know up there and heard no complaints at all. That back wall is brutal.

I’m not going to go into the blow by blow on the food, but I will start by saying this: If you are a person that is trying to eat healthy, there is no shortage of things to eat on this menu. We had the mussels, asparagus, english pea fritters, hamburger, black cod, and the chocolate mousse for two. I enjoyed all of these on one level or another. There is a great selection of different things to order, something for everyone. I suppose if I had to describe it I called it refined rustic. Nancy Heller of Fun Playing with Food has many photos of what they have to offer.

If I had one criticism it would be that the water is sitting on the table with no cap. I think I’d prefer if they brought it out when the waiter first arrives, that way I know that it hasn’t been tampered with between the time someone else sat at the table and I arrived. I also noticed that the frites were wrapped in a cone of what appeared to be old drink menus. I don’t know if these were overruns or actual menus that had been circulated. I’m hoping it wasn’t the latter.

Some people have complained that they have to pay for the bread and its accoutrements. I prefer not to get free bread since we don’t eat it. I hate to see it thrown in the trash. If there’s something special coming with the it instead of a pat of Land-O-Lakes and you’re a bread fiend, why wouldn’t you be willing to pay for it?

I thought the service staff was actually very engaging. One guy, in particular, was extremely eager to talk about the food, the beer, the restaurant, everything; it was fun. Leslie at Flying Fig and the servers at Alan Wong’s in Honolulu stand out as servers that fielded every question and answered them like you were talking to the chef.

So what are the green strategies that are being employed at The Greenhouse Tavern? I saw ultra chic LED lights utilizing bicycle wheels in the shade frame, which I thought was a very cool design. From what I’ve read, much of what was used in the restaurant was used or repurposed materials. The urinals were of the waterless variety as well as hand dryers. These were the observations I made. I have to believe that there are other strategies that have been employed that I’m not aware of.

I, for one, am very happy that a place like this has opened in such a visible area of the city. I’m sure there are others that are doing some of these things (sustainable business practices) as well, but I think the visibility alone will encourage other restaurants to adopt and hopefully try to surpass the example that has been set here.

In terms of overall experience, food, and price, I think I’d say that GHT is very similar to L’albatros in University Circle.

Update
Table #8 as it was described above, is no more. A wall has been constructed (where these two seats were previously located), and now blocks the strong breeze that used to come from the vent. I'd even go so far as to say that this little corner has gone from worst to first. It now appears to be one of the coziest places in the restaurant, especially in the winter. Nice job, GHT!

The Greenhouse Tavern
2038 East Fourth Street
Cleveland, OH 44115
(216) 443-0511
www.thegreenhousetavern.com

Hali'imaile General Store

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The last time we visited Maui we were really torn as to whether to go to Hali’imaile (hah LEE ee my leh) General Store (aka HGS), or not. We relied pretty heavily on reviews from the internet to help guide our choice. It seemed half of the people said that it was a must stop and the other half had some sort of complaint. In the end we had decided not to go. What a mistake.

Hali'imale General Store

Before this trip we looked at the menu much closer and decided it was too good to pass up. It seems to me that especially in Hawai’i, people have expectations that border on ridiculous. Some complaints were that it was out of the way, overpriced, or the food wasn’t that good.

Out of the way? Yes, if you’re staying in Lahaina, Kapalua, or Hana, it’s going to require some time to get there. Then again if you’re staying in those places you’re going to be far away from everything that isn’t in the immediate area. My guess is that at some point in your trip you will be fairly close to Hali'imaile. It's in the Upcountry and the drive is by no means treacherous. Yes, at night it is dark, but it is only a small stretch of road that you have to really travel in the dark. Whether it’s lunch or dinner you can’t really go wrong with a meal there. It’s casual enough to where you can go on a day trip and not have to be dressed up to stop in (you may want to change out of the “Hang Loose” t-shirt in the car, though).

Overpriced? Relative to the dining experience and the quality of the food, no, it most definitely is not overpriced. It’s actually a little less expensive than the nice restaurants at the big resorts. I think price is a relative thing. If you think it’s going to get Zippy’s prices, then you’re mistaken.

So what about the food? This whole reason we go to the ends of the earth to find out about these places, isn’t it? Going in I was cautiously optimistic. From the outside it’s a very cool looking cream colored plantation style building. As you walk in there’s a main dining room at front with high ceilings. In the back there is another dining area which wasn’t quite as airy as the front. I myself would suggest asking for a table in the front of the restaurant. In the corridor along the kitchen that connects the front to the back there are numerous articles, awards, press related to the restaurant (HGS had even been on the Today Show).

Now comes the best part – the food. Bev Gannon,one of the original Hawaiian Regional Cuisine chefs, has put together a menu that focuses on local ingredients. The portions are a perfect size. Entrees are large enough to where you feel you’re getting what you pay for, yet small enough to where you’re not throwing it away or gorging yourself. I think there’s a level of sophistication in the sauces and glazes that compliment the main ingredients without looking overly fancy. If I had one criticism, it’s that the presentation on the desserts was a little too plain.

Bev’s “Famous” Crab Pizza

Macadamia Nut Crusted Fresh Mahi Mahi with Tropical Fruit Salsa, Mashed Purple Sweet Potatoes and Mango Lilikoi Butter Sauce

Grilled Lamb Chops with Black Bean Hunan Sauce and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

Vanilla Bean Cake

Hali’imaile Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

What would I compare it to on Maui? In terms of restaurants in that part of the island I’d say HGS is on par with Mama’s Fish House. That being said, these are two different dining experiences. HGS is more casual in terms of the experience and it's a cheaper alternative. While Mama’s is more of a special occasion type place... slightly dressier and with higher end service. If you’re in the company of those that are intimidated by fancier dining or higher prices, I think HGS is the perfect place to stop.

Hali'imaile General Store
900 Haliimaile Rd
Makawao, HI 96768
(808) 572-2666
www.bevgannonrestaurants.com/haliimaile/