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For nights when you simply want to savor tried-and-true Mediterranean dishes and be treated to some classic Old World charm, then Cafe del Vino is the perfect place for you.
From the crisp hearts of Romaine Caesar to aromatic pasta alla Vongole with plump clams to steamed Kona lobster with drawn butter and lemon, this tiny restaurant at the Maalaea Harbor Shops knocks it out of the park in taste and price.
In fact, I’d say that it’s Maalaea Harbor’s best-kept secret, especially from 4 to 7 p.m. for the sunset-dinner specials that cost from $22 to $32, depending on whether or not the main dish is chicken or lobster. You get three courses in all.
“This week, our sunset-dinner special will begin with a nice salad of avocado and five jumbo shrimp on lettuce drizzled with a creamy Italian vinaigrette,” says cafe food and beverage consultant Guido Hauwaerts, a legendary veteran for decades in Maui’s restaurant world.
“The next course is half a Kona lobster served in a waterzooi with fresh herbs in a light curry creamy sauce with a medley of vegetables,” he adds. “For dessert, you may choose tiramisu, apple tarte tatin, spumone ice cream or Coupe Maison.”
Waterzooi, for the uninitiated, is a French court bouillon, or poaching liquid, but it’s also a Belgian term.
Guido, as many know and call him, has graced the dining rooms of everywhere from the former top Maui restaurants the Lobster Cove to Chez Paul along with Bocalino, Hana Hou and current King Kamehameha Golf Clubhouse.
Guido’s got celebrity pictures on the walls ranging from Frank Sinatra to Ella Fitzgerald to Clint Eastwood and many of the stars posed with him over the years at his various establishments.
“We’re four months old now,” says the seasoned restaurateur. “Cafe del Vino is all about seafood, pasta, tapas and wine. It’s the consistency that’s the key.”
Guido brought in French Canadian chef Danny Paquette from Quebec, who cooked at Lobster Cove back in the day.
“When Guido told me he wanted to open a restaurant with lobster and pasta, I was in,” says Paquette, a classically trained flamenco guitar player who has cooked at the Tiki Lounge, Le Creperie (now Fat Daddy’s) to the old La Tasca. “Everywhere that I cook I play guitar, too.”
The tapas Paquette makes are all known crowd pleasers such as a conical basket of French fries with three dipping sauces; chopped New York tenderloin steak with onions and mushrooms; and imported Brie, Manchego and Gorgonzola cheeses with grapes and crackers. But you’ve got to try the flavorful French onion soup that is often simmering on the stove.
“Of course, I want to promote the seafood and right now we have opakapaka,” Guido explains. “We do it piccata-style with beurre blanc, capers and veggies. We also do fresh Kona Maine lobster four ways, including Fra Diavolo in a spicy white wine and tomato sauce. All dinners include ciabatta bread and creamery butter.”
Other seafood highlights include cioppino with saffron and tomato broth; Alaskan king crab legs; shrimp scampi in garlic butter over pasta; and steamed clams and live black mussels, both in cassolette.
As for pastas, the “Alfredo is very popular and even people from Europe say they like the way I make it,” says Paquette. “I also make pasta Pomodoro, Primavera and two kinds of lasagne.”
Top off your Mediterranean feast with Coupe Maison of vanilla ice cream, Grand Marnier, whipped cream and strawberries. Forget about unknown, unfamiliar and unchartered culinary territory. Cafe del Vino will take you back in time to the classics with its Old World charm.