I made a quick getaway to Maui yesterday for dinner with an old family friend who was on a golf trip to Kapalua. We ate at David Paul's Lahaina Grill. I've eaten there at least a half-dozen times over the years but it had been a while. I had the seared ahi pictured here. It was, in a word, amazing. Eating ahi in Hawaii is better than eating it almost anywhere else because its usually hauled in that same day. The sauteed Maui onions, the vanilla jasmine rice, mild crunch of the sesame seeds, plus the perfectly seared ahi made for one of the more memorable plates I've had in a while. Which is ironic because this dish has not changed for over a decade, even though David Paul is no longer involved in the restaurant on a day-to-day basis. An even better thing about eating ahi in Hawaii? You can catch it yourself and have sashimi that is literally two hours hold (some boat crews will filet a chunk of the fish right on deck, whip out the soy sauce, and serve it up). Another member of our party, who was going fishing the next morning, threatened to bring in his catch to be cooked and the waiter did not flinch, saying the kitchen could accomodate him given enough lead time.
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