While there, we stayed in Lahaina, renting a small condo near the center of town (which I highly recommend if you need a place to stay). It had a great kitchen, and with access to lots of fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables, we cooked in as much as we ate out. At the time, strawberry papayas were particularly great, as well as some wonderful-smelling tangelos that I juiced together with a passion fruit for breakfast.

Some good places we went I’ve highlighted below, as well as a gallery of our photos:

• Miyaki Fish Market
  Very fresh fish (though a limited selection) and a great Mahi Mahi ceviche.
• Honokowai Okazuya
  we only tried a few of the recommended dishes, but the Eggplant Szechwan, the macaroni salad, and the triple-chocolate cake certainly lived up to expectations.
• Alexander’s Fish & Chips:
  Admittedly, the fish was pretty good, but the best thing we had was the organic purple potatoes dipped in tempura batter and then fried. I’d drive out of my way for those again.
• Battle of the Kalua Pig
  We tried both Da Kitchen (renowned as one of the best on the island), and also a very small place in Lahaina called Local Food. Da Kitchen’s pork was very finely shredded, and incredibly moist, with little cabbage. Local Food had larger chunks of pork, with nice crunchy bits of cabbage lacing the meat. It’s a bit of what you like best, but both were excellent.
• Maui Brewing Company Toasted Coconut Porter
  An awesome beer by the Maui Brewing Company. If you go to Maui, get it at Longs Drugs, as it’s at least several dollars a six pack cheaper there. It tastes exactly like if you mixed toasted coconut into a good porter, and the result is great. Evidently you can buy the beer in California too, though I’ve not tried that yet.

We unfortunately did not make it to Sansei sushi this trip. Dining out was a bit difficult with Emmet, but we hope to eat there on a future trip. Please let us know if there were some great finds you made while staying in Hawaii.

 

Yield

1+ babycakes, approximately 8 lbs. in weight and 21 inches in diameter.

Ingredients

• Jane Muschenetz
• Ingo Muschenetz
• Love
• One or more mood setting activities (dinner at Chilis, plate of Oysters Rockefeller, surprise mopping of floors by husband)
• Long-suffering grandparents-to-be

Directions

Set grandparents-to-be on low heat and simmer indefinitely, taking care not to let mixture boil. If boiling appears imminent, add small amounts of misdirection. This step can be done years in advance.

Meanwhile, combine first three ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. While mixing, add small amounts of activities until you have formed a workable dough. Knead 15-30 minutes and form into a small cake-shaped bun. Place bun in preheated oven and bake 9 months. No matter how tempting, do not open the oven door to check progress. You may use external monitoring to ensure the bun is rising evenly.

Once the time is up, remove bun from oven. This may prove surprisingly difficult as the cake is likely to have filled all available space in the oven.

After removing the cake, wrap it tightly in pre-heated kitchen towels. To serve, place the cake in the middle of a large plate (pink or blue, as appropriate), and pour the grandparent mixture over the top. Do not be afraid of smothering the babycake–it is surprisingly absorbent. Enjoy for years to come.