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Side Orders • May 14, 2015

LAND OF LI-BEER-TY . . . It's American Craft Beer Week. So go ahead and sip White Rascal Ale by Avery Brewing Co., slurp Lemon Grass Luau by Kona Brewing Co. and gulp Cherry Bomb by Julian Hard Cider as you munch on blistered jalapeno poppers with cilantro slaw by The Daily Grindz and German sausages and spaetzle by Brigit & Bernards.Bring your low-back beach chairs and blankets and kick back for an afternoon of fun under the palms. Toast to your friends. Then get up and dance at the seventh annual Maui Brewers Festival Saturday at Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului.The ...

Side Orders • May 7, 2015

NEW IN WAILEA . . . As music by Carlos Santana rocked the dining room, I looked up to see Zorro making a "Z" mark with his sword on a man saying, "This is so the devil knows who sent you" on the large, black-and-white projection near the ceiling. Skull art ruled, like Day of the Dead in Mexico. Enticing aromas of pescada Veracruzana and Peruvian ceviche wafted from the new exhibition kitchen as dishes were cooked inside.The new Joe's Nuevo Latino restaurant in Wailea was a sea of Maui industry insiders, such as Bud Pikrone of Wailea Community Assoc., Mark Nigbur of Hali'imaile ...

Side Orders • April 30, 2015

AROUND THE TOWN . . . Formerly at the Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu, veteran Maui Executive Chef Marc McDowell has moved on up to greener, cooler pastures at the Kula Lodge."We're going to rock the house," says McDowell about his career move. "Owner Fred Romanchak's a great guy. But I'm changing all of the food to make everything from scratch. Same thing I did at Makena, and before that how we did it at the Ritz. Kula Lodge has beautiful grounds with tons of stuff growing and we'll be planting more. Lots and lots of good stuff."McDowell continues, "We've got a great team up here ...

Side Orders • April 23, 2015

FROTHY AND FUN . . . There's a sleeper of a beer pub and restaurant at the Marriott's Maui Ocean Club in Kaanapali.Mauka of the beachwalk, the Kaanapali Grille & Tap Room offers ocean views and beers brewed fresh on Oahu by its parent company.The owners of Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurants in Hawaii opened the tap room last fall after they founded the Waikiki Brewing Co. on Oahu."It all started when some cooks at Cheeseburger started brewing their own beer at home, and the owners decided to take it to the next level," says General Manager Vladimir Porac. "The brewmaster is cool, ...

Side Orders • April 16, 2015

ALL ABOUT KAANAPALI . . . About 1,200 thirsty people showed up Saturday under the stars at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali for the Ultimate Ocean Vodka Cocktail Showdown with crazy-good music by Crazy Fingers and crazy-good makings by drink finalists and celeb chefs. The Best Pairing of food and drink went to Chef Lee Anne Wong of Koko Head Cafe on Oahu and mixologist Daniel Vincent.The Best Dish was awarded to Hank's Haute Dogs for its lobster dog. And the Best Cocktail went to Ross Steidel for his Salty Poi Dog drink.Chef Wong is also announced as part of the lineup ...

Side Orders • April 9, 2015

AG FEST WINNERS. . . Thousands of people poured into the Maui County Ag Festival on Saturday and throngs got to witness the contests.Yours truly was among four judges at noon near center stage for the Live Chefs Challenge. The event featured three chef teams and was sponsored by Kula Fields with gourmet pantry items provided by RimFire.The Green Team beat out the Purple and the Orange teams by a close call. Everything was crazy good and it was so hard to pick winners.The Green Team consisted of chefs Sheldon Simeon of Migrant, Michael Lofaro of Humuhumunukunukuapua'a at Grand Wailea, ...