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Hali'imaile General Store • Favorite Maui Restaurant

Chef Beverly Gannon and her Southern aloha make the Hali'imaile General Store in Maui a popular dining spot.

Steve Brinkman

Our readers love this Upcountry Maui restaurant. The refurbished, high-ceiling general store, circa 1925, sits amidst 1,000 acres of pineapple, which lends its sweet aroma to the entire area. "Hali'imaile" means is "a covering of the fragrant maile." At one time the area was home to the fragrant plant.

Chef Beverly Gannon and husband Joe lovingly redid the building when they bought it in 1988. Gannon is originally from Texas and her Southern-style aloha is evident when she says, "Feed people great food and lots of it. Make them smile; make sure they leave the table satisfied. That's the way I was raised."

What's good? Try the brie and grape quesadillas, Bev's famous crab boboli (the recipe for which is a sought-after secret), the nicoise salad or the homemade soup to start. Then move on to a grilled Portobello mushroom sandwich with green chili pesto or Hunan New York steak sandwich. At dinner, the sashimi Napoleon layers crispy won tons with smoked salmon, 'ahi tartare and sashimi. The raviolini (part ravioli, part cannelloni) is stuffed with different delectable fillings on a nightly basis, depending on what's fresh. Roasted duck, coconut seafood curry, enchiladas, barbecued salmon or rack of lamb are all excellent choices.

900 Hali'imaile Road, Makawao, Maui; (808) 572-2666. Lunch, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Dinner, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Hawaiian Regional Cuisine. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, AX, DC, DS, JCB. Checks accepted. Lunch: $$, Dinner: $$$.

Kona Beach Restaurant • Favorite Big Island Restaurant

The King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel occupies a historic site: the spit of land near Kona town from which King Kamehameha I directed the activities of his newly unified kingdom between 1813-1819. Today, people visit the hotel for great kama'aina rates, Big Island-style friendliness, the view from the sunny coastline and the generous buffet at the Kona Beach restaurant.

What's good? The biggest nights at this Kona-town establishment are Fridays and Saturdays for the seafood and prime rib buffets with salad bar, lots of cold dishes, crab legs, hot seafood dishes, chicken and beef presentations and a dessert spread. Monday nights feature a Hawaiian buffet, with Island grinds such as lomi salmon, poke, salmon, chicken long rice, lau lau, kalua pork, teriyaki and such. On Sundays, the champagne brunch buffet is the ticket.

King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Road; (808) 329-2911. Breakfast: 6-10 a.m., Dinner: 5:30-9 p.m. Local favorites. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, AX, DC, DS, JCB. No checks. Breakfast: $, Dinner: $$, Weekend seafood buffet: $$$.

A Pacific Cafe • Favorite Kaua'i Restaurant

Our readers vote this restaurant Kaua'i's best year in and year out. Chef Jean-Marie Josselin and his staff have an artful touch resulting in colorful and tempting fare. The dining room is attractive, with black lacquer chairs surrounding polished wood tables, set with black bamboo placemats and delightful purposely mismatched and artsy place settings.

What's good? Seductive finger foods such as the 'ahi sushi tempura with mustard cream sauce, the kalua pork potstickers with Thai chili beurre blanc and the salmon firecracker roll with sweet chili sauce are standards that never leave the menu. Poached scallop ravioli is typical of Josselin's sophisticated approach, delicate and tasty, and the wok-charred mahimahi with a garlic-sesame crust is drizzled with lime-ginger sauce. A signature dessert is the Toasted Hawaiian, steamed white chocolate cake, layered haupia pudding, creme anglaise and macadamia nut mousse.

4831 Kuhio Highway, Suite 220, Kapa'a, Kaua'i; (808) 822-0013. Dinner, 5:30-10 p.m. daily. Euro-Pacific cuisine. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, AX, DS, JCB. Checks accepted. $$$.

HOTELS

Nick's Fishmarket, Fairmont Kea Lani Maui • Favorite Hotel Restaurant, Neighbor Islands

Kyle Yonashiro is the O'ahu-born-and-raised chef at this incarnation of Nick's, which was voted Best New Restaurant a couple of years back. He studied at Kapi'olani Community College and worked at Nick's Fishmarket in Waikiki and at the San Francisco Hilton before Nick's drew him back to Hawai'i in 1998. His philosophy is to treat guests as you would in your home, with warmth and the best flair and flavor you can create. The restaurant, perched above the pools and beach at Kea Lani, offers an indoor-outdoor experience with dining on the veranda, as well as indoors.

What's to eat? Malaysian tiger shrimp, black and blue 'ahi, escargot and smoked salmon are popular starters. The Kahu Ranch tomato salad with house-made mozzarella cheese is dressed with an intriguing fig balsamic vinaigrette. Entrees include swordfish with sundried tomatoes, Maui onions roasted garlic and gorgonzola; abalone with asparagus, shiitake mushrooms and rock shrimp; and seafood paella and herb-roasted chicken with feta cheese stuffing.

Fairmont Kea Lani Maui, 4100 Wailea Alanui Drive, Wailea, Maui; (808) 879-7224. Dinner: 5:30-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fresh seafood with favorite standards. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, AX, DC, DS, JCB. Checks accepted. $$$.

Hoku's, Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel • Favorite Hotel Restaurant-O'ahu

This lovely and sophisticated dining room, which takes so much better advantage of the view than in the hotel's previous incarnation, serves contemporary East-West cuisine. The menu, created and overseen by executive chef Wayne Hirabayashi, makes use of a kiawe wood grill, an Indian tandoori oven and Szechuan woks to prepare imaginative dishes. "Hoku" means star and that's what you'll feel like as the subject of the restaurant's attentive service. Pricey but worth it for special occasions.

What's to eat? The 'ahi preparations here are extraordinary, notably 'ahi poke musubi and the symphony of 'ahi with sushi, tartare, poke mousse and kiawe-grilled 'ahi with wasabi cream. Other dishes we recommend: wok-seared Maine lobster with garlic-black pepper sauce, crisped whole Island fish, salmon confit, herb-crusted onaga or osso bucco with preserved lemon.

Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel; 739-8780. Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. weekdays. Brunch: 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Dinner: 5:30-10 p.m. daily. Eclectic Euro-Asian. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, AX, DC, DS, JCB. No checks. $$$.

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