This is part of a series of five excerpts from a book I like very much by Jessica Ferracane and Yvonne Biegel, "50 Thrifty Maui Restaurants". Foodies trolling for blue collar grubs should dig in. And a hat tip to the folks at Watermark Publishing who agreed to the excerpts. If you buy the book through these links, I will get a small cut so help me help them help you ;). (I don't plug anything on this site that I don't like so take it as you will). Jessica and Yvonne hit every worthwhile hole-in-the-wall on Maui and comes up with some very interesting places. Here's the second of five.
Koho Grill & Bar
We have friends who threatened to boycott the second edition of this book unless we included Koho Grill & Bar. Koho is a favorite of thrifty-minded local. from all over the island, and its convenient location at Kaahumanu Shopping Center makes it an ideal place to fuel up for a shopping spree or a plane ride, or for a bite before the movies. We ventured in on an early Sunday evening, expecting the usual gamut of bar food, but were astonished by the wide range of local flavors jumping off the menu. In an attempt to fit into the tight new jeans we just bought, we split the large Island Catch Salad with fresh mahimahi, Kula greens and guava vinaigrette-a vibrant feast topped with almonds, tomatoes and won ton crisps, and only $8.45. The fish was firm and moist, just off the boat, but the tasty salad merely sparked our appetite for more. The Rib Pupu with fries ($8.95) was too tempting to pass up, and the tender baby backs slid right off the bone. The zesty rib sauce made us crave that ubiquitous bar staple, Buffalo Wings, which we dunked into creamy Ranch dressing and munched with celery sticks, in hopes that we'd still fit into the new jeans after our not-solight snack. We stopped after that, but we'll be back to sample the burgers, plate lunches and fajitas. Shoppers, beware: venture into Koho Grill & Bar with an appetite, and you might not fit into your new denim.
* NOTES: Consistently voted Best Value for Price Paid by readers of The Maui News
* CUISINE: American with Hawaiian flair
* LOCATION: Kaahumanu Shopping Center, near Macy's (800-877-5588) / Map
* HOURS: Daily: breakfast 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
* ALCOHOL: Full bar and local draft beer
* PLASTIC: A, MC, V
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