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Side Orders • Dec. 5, 2013

UPCOUNTRY FUN . . . Saddle on up the mountain from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, when a brand new version of the quarterly Ulupalakua Sparkles transpires.Maui's Winery and Ulupalakua Ranch are teaming to invite the public for a fun day of food and jazz - and for the first time, you'll get to check out the intimate new wine garden on property.The Wine & Food Bar at the Pavilion will pour five island wines by the glass, and you may pair them with foods by chef Will Munder of Ulupalakua Ranch Store. Students from Maui Culinary Academy will assist, and proceeds will support future programs ...

Side Orders • Nov. 28, 2013

MIDDLE OF IT ALL . . . Central Maui is starting to snap, crackle and cook these days with new restaurants.Fiji Indian Food is enticing diners with its exotic tastes in the Main Street Promenade building in Wailuku. Since early October, it's been open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays. Owner Sarojini Harris will also come in on Sundays for special orders and private parties, when asked.Harris bakes fresh roti (bread), does vegan sauces, buys organic and can make brown rice upon request.Full plates with, say, lamb curry and aaloo chana (chickpeas and potatoes) include dahl ...

Side Orders • Nov. 21, 2013

LET IT FLOW . . . If art is in the eye of the beholder, then is wine on the palate of the sipper? Or is it palette?The upcoming Wine Palette adjacent to Sansei in Kapalua blends both wine and art in an exciting, new format. Come in, sit down in the vaulted dining room with dark charcoal gray walls and sparkling chandeliers, and then uncork your creativity by painting as you sip some wine."It basically will be a wine bar with 80 to 100 selections, along with beer and top-shelf mixed drinks," says partner Jim Maxon, who owns it with Jamie Splivalo.They provide canvases that they can clip ...

Side Orders • Nov. 14, 2013

OUT AND ABOUT . . . It sure was fun to be one of the judges at Saturday's Life is Sweet benefit for Best Buddies Hawaii. The desserts were fabulous, and the company was enjoyable.Fellow judge Jennifer Nguyen, owner of A Saigon Cafe in Wailuku, says she recently returned from South Korea, where she ran the Seoul Marathon. The veteran runner also pounded the pavement in the Paris Marathon awhile back. She says to look out for some new menu additions at her Vietnamese restaurant soon.Another judge, Steven Horn of Ka'anapali Beach Club, the pink pyramid of a hotel in West Maui, says his ...

Side Orders • Nov. 7, 2013

CHILLING OUT . . . The heat is on (or, should I say, off?), for artists from Japan and Hawaii, who will crank up chain saws for Maui's popular International Ice Sculpting Exhibition and Competition to be chiseled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Lahaina Cannery Mall.Come and watch as these artists sculpt huge blocks of ice in 90-minute, head-to-head contests. But watch out, ice chips will be flying.Speaking of air time, with Boston Red Sox's Shane "The Flyin' Hawaiian" Victorino on the top of minds, it's time to mention his new drink."I'm excited to be working with TONGO ...

Side Orders • Oct. 31, 2013

TWITTER TWEET. . .What do you think are the odds of me being seated at a table next to hotel and casino magnate Steve Wynn and his well-heeled entourage at the Encore? And, spotting Nicholas Cage two seats away at the Bellagio, disguised as a rasta, ordering two giant tins of Osetra caviar?On my annual visit to Las Vegas last week, I had tons of social media opportunities. However, I refrained from any paparazzi-type action and was social in the traditional sense during mealtime.Hopefully, I'll find time to write about Las Vegas and San Francisco restaurant happenings soon. For now, I'll ...