Cane and Canoe - Maui, Hawaii

This is a new restaurant, recently opened in June of 2014, just a matter of months before our arrival. It's housed in a relatively new luxury hotel, Montage Kapalua Bay, replacing some very exclusive and private residences that have been there since the Kapalua Bay Hotel was destroyed in 2006.

During the time of the Bay Hotel, a restaurant on the property housed several mural sized paintings by the iconic Hawaiian artist, Pegge Hopper. When the hotel was removed, there were many questions regarding the whereabouts of these exquisite works. We found the answer at The Montage Kapalua Bay when visiting Cane and Canoe for dinner.

Upon entering the hotel, two areas on the main floor proudly present Hopper's treasures. We were so excited and relieved to see them, it started a conversation with some of the staff. We were told that the pieces were found sitting in a dumpster - yes, the perfect spot for what are obviously works of some size and skill. In addition, it was discovered that another creation had ended up in another area of the island and was in the process of being returned to its rightful place. It is believed that Ms. Hopper herself returned to do some touch ups on the paintings prior to their re-hanging. There are a total of six or seven of them currently on display in various areas of the hotel. Hooray for the Montage!

Reclining Woman and Flowers

Woman Under Palm Tree

Two of these places are in the Cane and Canoe restaurant and lounge. The dining area is an open, airy outdoor space with wonderful natural wood and stone. The chairs are made in a woven design with several fabric covered banquettes adorned with multi-coloured throw pillows. As the sun dipped beyond the horizon, contemporary tiki torches were lit for a more intimate dining experience.

For starters, I had a light hamachi poke. Hamachi is yellowtail and poke is the Polynesian version of a ceviche - small cubes of the fresh fish mixed with herbs in a light sauce. This one sat on a bed of paper-thin slices of cucumber and was topped with chopped avocado and a dollop of local caviar. Paired with it was a handful of house made fingerling potato chips.

My husband started with the Keahole lobster bisque. It was a tad thinner than the typical creamy bisque and made with local Kona lobster. Kona is an area on the Big Island, otherwise known as Hawaii. The bisque had a rectangular piece of herbed bread in the centre of the bowl topped with some lobster knuckle meat and spread along the inside of the bowl was Greek yogurt for a bit of tang. It had a more unusual flavour than the traditional kind made with Atlantic lobster.

Our server brought us an extra taste - his favourite item on the menu. A play on the traditional Chinese noodle dish, Chow Fun; instead of noodles, thin slices are calamari are used. Join this with charred scallions, crispy bean sprouts, smothered kale and spicy slices of lap cheong, a Chinese sausage, and a flavourful appetizer is born.

My entree was a lovely, tender piece of monchong fish in a rich flavoured broth and surrounded by potato gnocchi, marinated cherry tomatoes and strips of braised fennel. The fish was topped by two beautifully prepared Kauai shrimp. My husband's main course was grilled blue marlin. His fish swam in a lighter broth along with sliced new potatoes, bacon, Manila clams and braised radish and turnip. Both dishes were so delicious, it's going to be difficult to try something new on our next visit.

As if we weren't full enough - but dessert had to be sampled if for no other reason than to report it on this blog. So, we shared what can only be likened to beignets. These are a New Orleans staple, akin to donuts but without the hole and they are just soooo much better. So, these beignets type pieces were sprinkled with granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar. This automatically negates the choking and coughing that ensues when one accidentally inhales the powdered version. And they were served with two dipping sauces - mocha chocolate and maple bacon. Now, I know for some people like my husband, anything containing the word 'bacon' naturally means unbelievably good but I just can't seem to marry a breakfast meat with a sweet finish to a lovely, sophisticated meal. But he enjoyed it all the same.

A small note about the new restaurant's logo that I think bears mentioning. One of the great crafts made by Hawaiian artisans is the quilt and quilted items. Each has a very distinct design that symbolizes something special to the artist. On the aprons of the staff at Cane and Canoe is one of these designs. It is 'X' over cross shaped in embroidered purple. The cross lines are canoes standing on end and the 'X' piece is the leaf of the sugar cane plant. It's a minor thing but something that took consideration. It reflects Chef Riko Bartolome's dedication to the use of local Hawaiian resources.

There are holidays and THEN there are holidays - Maui August, 2014

Recently, I posted an entry regarding my experience on Via Rail. This was the beginning of a very interesting - and lengthy - journey culminating in a river cruise down the Douro River in Northern Portugal. In addition to the train debacle, we enjoyed a two week Transatlantic cruise from Miami to Copenhagen, Denmark. This was followed by several days in Lisbon with fans from the Premiere League football (soccer) final prior to the aforementioned river cruise. The final leg was spent in London as is our usual routine. I counted it up and, during this six week period, we packed/unpacked 10 times. Don't get me wrong, it was a fascinating trip and I'm thrilled to have been able to do it but, truthfully, I was exhausted.

Today, I'm writing this entry from paradise. Now, THIS is a holiday. THIS is where one lies around like third base doing as little as possible. THIS is where there are no flight schedules (except coming in and going out), no meeting times, no reservations, no deadlines. Just bring a book and some music and get comfortable.

Aloha! Welcome to Maui - make yourself at home. Where the sound of the nearby surf lulls you to sleep and where the gentle cooing of doves awakens you to a new day.

This is my home for several weeks every summer - Napili Surf. You will find me (and my husband) on one of these chairs in a pair of sunglasses lying on a blue and white striped beach towel with ear buds in my ears and my kindle at the ready. Cooling trade winds blow fairly consistently insuring that I am seldom overheated. This almost always results in a refreshing nap - that is unless there happen to be a number of boisterous children nearby. This, fortunately, is not a common occurrence during this particular time of year.

And this is the view from the lawn. This is Napili Bay - full of sun worshippers, snorkelers,  boogie boarding children, fools on paddle boards for the first time (now, that's really funny to watch) and often, a black lab or two chasing a yellow tennis ball into the ocean. The waves are not usually strong enough for surfing as there is a reef a ways out that naturally protects the bay. But from time to time news travels the network that "surf's up" and the beach is suddenly full of long boards and long shorts for a few runs on the waves - no matter how short lived.

The property here at the Surf is a series of studio and one-bedroom condo units. There are two pools here for those of us who can no longer negotiate the sand on the beach. We have a full kitchen with all the conveniences - microwave, dishwasher, corkscrew, coffeemaker, etc. - making it easy to just stay home. We even have a self-serve laundry on site. There is a wonderful farmer's market twice a week just down the road and an excellent fish market with fresh catch every day. There are several full service supermarkets as well for all your grocery needs. For those Canadians reading this, the grocery stores even have a rather large section of alcohol removing the need for yet another shopping stop. Now, there are many fabulous restaurants here on the island, one of which I'll get to in the next entry, but my point is that there is no need to meet a reservation time if you just don't want to.

I realize there are those who couldn't stand to simply lie around all day. For you, there is plenty to see and do on the island of Maui. One of the oldest dormant volcanoes is right here - Haleakala is the place to go to experience one of the most glorious sunrises in the world. It stands at 13,000 feet, so if you go pre-dawn be sure to bring some warm clothes because it can be pretty cold up there. 

There is the road to Hana - a narrow drive, full of hairpin turns, through Maui's rainforest - stunning waterfalls and spectacular views will be your reward. Lahaina is the main town here on West Maui - full of shops and restaurants - and aging hippies. This is a fun place to be. For really upscale shopping, you need to go over to South Maui and the Shops at Wailea. This area has the most expensive resort hotels, thus the upscale shops. 

Many first-timers will take a helicopter tour of the island. While rather pricey, it's a great way to see the beautiful natural wonders of the valley isle. Another newcomer experience is a boat ride/snorkeling trip out to Molokini Reef. This is a large reef near Red Hill on the south side that has one of the most amazing collections of reef-dwelling creatures anywhere. In recent years, it has been terribly overcrowded but that may be changing. There are hiking trails, arboretums, black sand beaches, zip lines, horseback riding, parasailing adventures and, of course, golf. There seems to be something for every activity level on Maui.

If you want to see more than this, consider leaving the island for the day. There are three islands off the coast of South/West Maui that provide it some protection from Mother Nature. The island of Moloka'i is in the photo above - this is what we see from our little patch of beach. There are inter island flights and ferries from Lahaina every day that make it possible to make a short visit. Moloka'i is rather undeveloped, with a population of only 7000. And that's how the residents want it. They have fought tooth and nail to keep cruise ships from docking there, and they've won. The next island over is Lana'i. It's a small island with just a few resorts but they're beautiful developments and, if you're a golfer, this is the place to be. The third island, Kaho'olawe is, as yet, uninhabitable although the state is busy cleaning it up. During WWII, it was used as a testing area for land mines so, needless to say, it is not yet safe.

So, when is a holiday really a holiday? When you don't have to do anything at all - unless you choose to. 

Aloha!