Aloha Halloween 2010!

Check out what Maui has to offer October 30th and 31st!

BU! THE MAGICALLY ENCHANTED FOREST

Gather in the apparition of Bu!, for the go-to Halloween event for Maui’s GLBT community. An ambient environment and primary dance floor will be created by DJ Joe King, and the night’s other-worldly theme will be mastered by local favorite DJ Michale Fong. Plus, hip hop beats will boom from the Schaefer International Gallery (?!) with a simultaneous dance floor manned by DJ Teknyq and DJ AstroRaph. $35 General Admission / $95 VIP Package. Phone, 808-242-7469 for more information.

THREE’S BAR AND GRILL ZOMBIE’S PINUP PARTY, 7 pm – Dawn

Island Girl Pin Ups is bringing the glitz and glam of the Pin Up era back to life for Maui’s hottest Halloween party!

Experience A live Zombie Pin Up fashion show (Costuming by Enchantress Boutique) while sipping Smoking Blood Orange Martini’s. Watch as Zombie Belly Dancers (performance by Twisted Hips) dance to the music all night long by Del Sol. Plus! A spooky performance by Maui’s own Elvira!

Best costume of the evening will win a free Pin Up makeover and photo shoot by Island Girl Pin-Ups.

PINEAPPLE GRILL KAPALUA, 5:30 – WITCHING HOUR

The third annual Kapalua alternative to partying down on Front Street, now that Front Street Halloween is no more, offers ½ off selected bar menu at this award winning slinger of sumptuous cuisine, along with super solicitous bar specials. A Halloween Costume Contest awards the first place winner $100, which is likely enough to cover the cost of those “devil in the details” accessories you went all out for again this year. Scotty Rotten and Friends play dance worthy music 7:30-10:30 again this year.
HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE OUT THERE! WISHING YOU ALL TREATS AND NO TRICKS.

Read more about Maui's spooky events here! 

Halloween- Maui Style

Whether your version of celebration involves dancing in the moonlight with the truly wicked or lurking in the shadows with the merely winsome, Halloween is a time honored festival with roots in ancient harvest festivals, a time when the cycle of life is acknowledged, feared and simultaneously revered. But enough with the philosophy – on Maui the party is on! Join in any or all of the following, many for a good cause far beyond your personal amusement.

October 29, 2010
LAHAINA GATEWAY PINEAPPLE AND PUMPKINS CELEBRATION

All the wonderful stores and restaurants of the Lahaina Gateway Center are putting their hands in the middle and shouting out for Fall in Lahaina by hosting all sorts of fun things starting t 10 am – 2 pm, followed by a keiki Trick-or-Treating and Costume Contest from 4 – 7 pm.

5th ANNUAL HARVEST FESTIVAL AND CRAFT FAIR

Montessori Hale O Keiki is delighted to announce its fifth annual HARVEST FESTIVAL AND CRAFT FAIR, to be held on the grounds of its North Kihei campus at Trinity-by-the-Sea Church, 100 Kulanihakoi Street, on Saturday, October 30th, from 10am to 2pm.

This fun-filled family event features: games, pony rides, bouncy castles, a pie-eating contest, face painting, arts & crafts, a pumpkin patch, food & drinks and lots more. Proceeds from the Harvest Festival will directly benefit the children of Montessori Hale O Keiki by providing funds for financial aid and educational programs.

Montessori Hale O Keiki is South Maui’s only independent, fully-accredited nonprofit school, currently serving nearly 100 children in preschool to eighth grade.

MAUI ONSTAGE’S 5TH ANNUAL HAUNTED HOUSE

From 6 -9 pm the brave among us are invited to take a tour of the scariest haunted house on Maui. The chills are so frightening, in fact, that it’s not recommended for keiki or the more impressionable scardy-cats. Ghosts, witches, goblins and the return of the “Thriller Dancers” will generate more excitement than the Rocky Horror Glee Show! Only $4 for adults and $2 for those under sixteen who can handle the intensity of it all! Repeated again on October 30 and 31st.

Follow the link for more spooky events!

Monkeypod Kitchen and Japengo opening December, 2010!

Two new eagerly awaited eateries arrive on the Maui scene this December; Monkeypod Kitchen in Kihei and Japengo at the Hyatt Kaanapali.

Interior Rendering of Merriman's Maui Pub

Monkeypod Kitchen 
Chef Peter Merriman’s newest entry into the Maui food scene, Monkeypod Kitchen, will feature locally sourced, delicious food, 29 handcrafted beers served at 29 degrees (farenheit – Maui is located at 18 degrees), and an extensive list of wines and culinary cocktails.
The chef driven concept makes sense coming from Peter Merriman, who is a food pioneer and one of the founders of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine. Inspired by the people and products around him, he lead the movement to look at food in Hawaii as a locavore.
Monkeypod Kitchen will also feature an environment ripe for interaction and mingling, boasting a bar that seats 20+ and a welcoming Pizza pub within a pub. Designed as place to hang out and meet up with friends, micro brews on tap, extensive wine list, custom crafted cocktails, Merriman’s promises to have it all under one roof. 

Interior Rending Japengo

Japengo
The second restaurant I’m really looking forward to is Japengo at the Hyatt in Kaanapali.With a design led by Island Design Center, the dramatic transformation of the old Cascades begins with an updated interpretation of a Japanese fishing village, with narrow alleyways and quirky level changes leading to the Moon Bar, Sushi Lounge and outdoor dining overlooking the ocean. Covered with mossy green rustic porcelain tiles, The Village Alley Walk leads guests to the Sushi Lounge. As described in the press release:  Glowing amber elongated pendant lamps and banquettes of wasabi-green and deep olive create a clubby ambiance. Outside, guests enjoy trade winds and panoramic views of the resort’s 40-acre grounds, the ocean and Molokai and Lanai. Sounds so beautiful!
If it’s half as good as the award winning Japengo at the La Jolla Hyatt, which I fell for ten years ago, everything will also taste as good as it looks.


Follow the link to read the rest of these reviews!

'Aipono Wine Dinner Series – The Pineapple Grill at Kapalua, Oct. 23, 2010

Maui No Ka ‘Oi Magazine Presents another ‘Aipono Wine Dinner Series dinner at The Pineapple Grill at Kapalua, Saturday, October 23, 2010, 6:00pm Reception, 7:00pm Dinner. Always a stellar evening of wine and food!

Don't miss this amazing menu!

Don't Miss the Noble Chef Benefit for MCA on October 29, 2010!

Call now to reserve your place at Maui’s Premiere Benefit to support Maui Culinary Academy, training ground for future Iron Chefs and Masters of the Culinary Arts. The University of Hawaii Maui College is honored to host this prestigious event, highlighting the talents of students and facility while raising funds for scholarship, development and expansion of the culinary arts program.

This year’s event features guest Celebrity Chefs from our neighbor islands, including Chef Fabrice Huet from the Four Seasons, Manele Bay, Lanai; Chef Colin Hazama, Kauai Grill at St. Regis; Chef Collin Thornot, the Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island; and Chef Sheldon Simeon from Maui’s own Star Noodle, who will each manage a course from the multi-course menu while mentoring MCA aspiring chefs. Chef Donald Wressel of the Guittard Chocolate Company will also prepare luscious treats for all attendees. A sneak peek at the menu reveals it will be another stellar evening of wine and food.

Also on hand for the event is Chef Tylun Pang signing his new book release, “What Maui Likes to Eat,” featuring many other local celebrity chef contributors who will also be on site to sign the cookbooks and celebrate culinary arts with the community.

The live auction will feature stupendous packages custom created to suit the tastes of foodies and aficionados of the finer things in life. Chef’s Dinners, luxury accommodations, artful dinner parties, sunset sail, paniolo ranch dinner, tours of organic farms, in all thirteen delightful packages to help raise funds and excite the night.

To reserve your seat, click here!

Chocolate and Truffles Decadenza!

Celebrate Pulehu, An Italian Grill’s first anniversary. Explore sweet treats, indulgent hors d’oeuvres, and tempting spirits centered around chocolate and truffles. Proceeds to benefit the Maui County Farm Bureau. Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 5:30 – 8:30 pm. Read up on this amazing event and let your taste buds delight over this chocolatey treat!

Oktoberfest- Island Style at Umalu, October 9, 2010 4 pm -1 am!!

Grab your flip flops and swim suits and come party poolside with Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa. Festivities will kick-off with happy hour from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Event highlights include live stylistic sounds from “Nuff Sedd,” the local Maui band known for their fresh reggae harmonies, door prizes, and multiple beer stations. Enjoy the sunset views at Ūmalu while feasting on an Island & German-style “grinds” buffet from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm for $20, paired with all-night $6 well drinks and $4 draft specials. Continue the celebration underneath the stars with a late night menu serving after-hour favorites until 11:00 pm. The bar will be open until 1:00 am. Enjoy live music, dancing, beer stations, drink specials, and an Island & German Themed Buffet!

Read all about it here!

Ratatouille at Pulehu!

I love to say it almost as much as I love to eat it — Ratatouille! Hard to find on menus in Maui, one of my “best kept secret” restaurants has announced a splediferous addition to the menu as noted below. Stop in and see what you think.


Read the rest of the review here!