Seven days a week, every hour it's open, StopWatch Sports Bar & Grill in Makawao is jumping with either food specials, happy hours or music.
"We're excited to be getting into football season again," says partner Haru Hiu-Arian. "During halftimes on Monday nights, we offer free pupu. Then, during our happy hour daily from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., we give you $1 off well drinks, domestic beers, mugs and glasses of wine."
But the football fun doesn't stop there. On Monday nights, you get $2 off pupu, when they're not dishing it out for free. Dig into calamari steak with zesty Cajun aioli, pork won tons with chunky peanut and sweet Thai chili sauces; and buffalo wings with cool ranch or bleu cheese.
Article Photos
Bartender Eloise Engstrom, standing, and owner Haru Hiu-Arian show off the garden area in the restaurant, where a fountain was just installed. The popular Upcountry hangout also just got a fresh coat of paint and some other tender loving care to help you unwind. Chef Olelo Brown keeps it consistent with wild salmon and crab cakes as entree choices.
The Maui News / CARLA TRACY photo
"We also have the Sunday NFL ticket with college games and we serve breakfast, starting at 8 a.m.," says Hiu-Arian.
Wednesday and Thursday night, you may buy any two entrees and pay half price for the lower of the two from 5 to 8:45 p.m. But this applies to dine-in only.
Entree choices include New York steak, grilled to your preference; and mahimahi or wild salmon sauteed with butter, garlic and capers. On a recent visit, I savored the wild salmon and it was about nine ounces, a huge portion, perfectly cooked by Chef Olelo Brown, who has been with StopWatch from Day One about 17 years ago.
Fact Box
What: StopWatch Sports Bar & Grill.
Where: 1127 Makawao Ave. in Makawao.
Parking: There is limited parking up front, and a huge public parking lot behind by the library.
Hours: Open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight or 2 a.m. (if there is music), except for Sundays, when it opens for standard breakfast fare and football at 8 a.m.
Local favorites: Asian steak plate; fresh mahimahi grilled or pan fried with furikake-panko crust; Thai veggie and chicken stir fry; and jalapeno cheeseburgers.
For more details: Call StopWatch at 572-1380.
The entrees come with your choice of rice, French fries or garlic mashed potatoes and you may get gravy with the latter. Enjoy a small garden salad or a cup of house-made soup for extra.
"Fridays and Saturdays are our steak and shrimp nights," says Hiu-Arian. "Sunday is family night with fish and chips and fried chicken at special prices and keiki prices for kids 12 and younger."
Thursdays, from 9 p.m. to midnight, the sports bar and grill kicks up its heels with Pearl Rose leading the singers at karaoke night. This Friday, Maui Underground will get the crowd going with its its "hypnotic, didgeridoo funk rock."
StopWatch has gotten a recent paint job along with a new fountain in its central lush garden area.
"We're trying to upgrade the ambience with a little paint and the fountain offers some soothing water effects," Hiu-Arian says. "We've just added Maui Brews on tap and we already have Kona Brews. The wine list has been upgraded with more variety and nicer cabernet sauvignons. And we have Ocean Vodka specials."
But since this is Upcountry, and cowboys love their whiskey, it's Whiskey Night every night of the week.
"Upcountry has a lot of whiskey drinkers. That's our most popular well drink. So we created a table tent menu with everything from Makers Mark to Jim Beam Black to Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey. We actually put whiskey in our teriyaki sauce and that's what makes it so good."
As for desserts, choose key lime pie, carrot cake or cheesecake -all brought to the table on a tray.
