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 ;).

Casanova Italian Restaurant and Deli

Casanova's has been Upcountry's hottest hot spot for years, and it continues to sizzle with live music and dancing four nights a week. Great musical acts like Dave Mason, Willie Nelson, even Kool & the Gang have dropped in to play a gig or two, but we find the cuisine to be the real show stopper. For us, the main attraction is the Napoli-style pizza on the dinner menu, cooked in a real Italian wood-burning stove at 700 degrees Fahrenheit for a thin, crispy crust. All pizzas are 12 inches, and while we'll share a salad like the Insalata di Spinaci for $9, fuggedabout sharing the pizza, to each her own! Try the Genova for $18-prawns, pesto sauce, fresh tomato slices and mozzarella-prego! Or the Vulcano, with tomato sauce, roasted eggplant, smoked mozzarella and tomato slices, for $14. Outrageous flavor guaranteed. Also popular are the heaping bowls of pasta, like the Fettucine Calabrese with Italian sausage and dry ricotta in a spicy marinara sauce for only $15, and the Paglia E Fieno Al Funghi with homemade linguine and wild Italian mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce for the same price. Try to save room for the dance floor if you drop in Wednesday through Saturday. It's a mixed crowd of young and older, of windsurfers, realtors, waitresses, visitors and everyone in between. There's a small cover charge, and the action begins around 10 p.m. Voted Best Dinner Value on Maui by readers of Maui No Ka Oi magazine. Family friendly and adjacent deli is open for lunch.

Casanova Italian Restaurant
1188 Makawao Ave. / 808-572-0220 (Map/Reviews)
Live entertainment Wednesday through Saturday until 2 a.m.
ALCOHOL Full bar in the restaurant

—Alex, 10/13/06