Cheeseburger in Paradise - Lahaina

Extra Cheesy
After our sunset sail on t the Scotch Mist II, Tonyy had recommended dinner at Lahaina Coolers, but after two hours of champagne on a boat, we realized that we weren’t really in the mood for a sit down meal. So, in a most dreaded tourist moment, we went to Cheeseburger in Paradise.

I cringed when Bubba had mentioned it, but after an hour he nudged me and said, “It doesn’t look like you’re having too much of a problem being here", since I'd been singing along (loudly) to every song. We were upstairs, which meant up to our knees in a tacky, tiki theme with coconut bras and grass skirts, but the old dude playing guitar was belting our some of my favorites and I couldn’t help but croon along.

Our bartender, Christopher, had a great attitude, but its genuine flare wore off after we heard him deliver the same dialogue verbatim to some other customers. But again, can you blame the guy when his whole clientele is the tourist trade? You have to have some type of script to keep you sane.

Food-wise we were happy too. Yet another mahi sandwich- pretty decent, but the Buffalo wings were really spectacular. I know that sounds ridiculous, but sometimes the simplest bar foods when done correctly are my favorite (especially after half a bottle of champagne of the Scotch Mist II.) By the end, I was threatening to buy a coconut bra, which is usually a sign I’ve had a good time.

Eskimo Candy - Kihei

Strangers with Candy
My aunt told me we had to go to Kihei and try a place that the locals loved called Eskimo Candy - apparently it was my uncle’s favorite. So when I insisted we go for the 40 minute ride, it was unfortunate that we didn’t end up like kids in a candy store. Instead, we were more like kids in a non-descript fishery with two cement tables facing a Napa Auto Parts store.



















The great white shark busting through the wall was an amusing touch as we ordered two catch of the day tacos, mahi and ono (one of each.) They were ok, a lot of lettuce and minimal fish. Granted, we just had some of the best food matched with some of the best views over the last few days, but this didn’t come close in either category. Even their fish market prices seemed steep.

Besides that, there wasn’t much to do around Kihei (lots of strip malls), so we ended up making the 40 minute trek for sub-par, fish tacos. When I asked my aunt about it, she told me:

1. There wasn’t much in Kihei, but there was fabulous snorkeling in the upscale area of Wailea just a few miles away. Damn!
2. The only reason my uncle liked it so much was because it was the first time he had tasted ahi poke (chopped tuna with soy sauce, sesame oil - several variations.) This was the actual "eskimo candy" the place was named after. Double damn!










They did have a large selection of poke and I wish I had known that was their specialty, since our lack of enthusiasm about the tacos and setting made us cut out early. Next time, we'd make sure to get our sweet tooth satisfied with some island "candy".

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