A step back in time: La Mariana

I'd read a little bit about the tiki bar experience at La Mariana on Sand Island, but I was not fully prepared for the full on 1950's Hawaiiana experience when we went there for dinner. It was awesome in a Wisteria (the now-closed restaurant that was on King St.?) kind of way.

La Mariana is part of Sand Island boat harbor, so it orignally served as the spot for after sailing drinks and meals for the Yacht Club members. It is said to be on its last legs today, open until the owner decides to finally retire...I guess they haven't been able to find another buyer, or maybe the property is set for another development...

The menu is suitably old school: surf & turf, pasta, hamburgers, pork chops. Nothing too fancy here. Surprisngly they did not have a tropical drinks menu, but it looked like they had a full bar.

The menu is less Hawaiian than I expected, and more 'surf n' turf'. We ordered a hamburger and the cajun ahi, which was pleasantly spicy.

Anyone else been here recently? Or planning to make one last trip before La Mariana closes?

Maui Trip

I went to Maui for a wedding in December, and the first thing I did when I got to the Kahului airport was go get some snacks!

My first stop was http://www.homemaidbakery.com for some Maui manju, home of the 'famous crispy manju.' I got a couple boxes of manju and mochi to take home as omiyage. Their manju comes in azuki, peach, apple, and sweet potato flavors.

Then I went back in towards the airport to Maui Mall to get some guri-guri at Tasaka's. Guri-guri is a cross between sherbet and gelato, except super soft and sweet. It's made with sweetened condensed milk (kind of like kulfi, but softer). They have two flavors: pineapple and strawberry, and it's only $1 for 2 scoops!