This year, we’re not going to talk about depressions, recessions or economic downturns, Wall Street, Main Street or the stagnant job market. You already know these are lean times and that things get even leaner come September.
Instead, we’re going to focus on the deals. Every autumn, as the tourists fly home like so many sunburned swallows, local eateries roll out a buffet of enticing bargains to lure hungry kama‘aina out of their kitchens. Whether you’re looking to splurge on a fancy dinner for two or take the keiki out for burgers and shakes, there’s a wallet-friendly option waiting.
We’ve taken the liberty of highlighting some of our favorite deals (and telling you how to work them), plus offering extensive islandwide listings (you can read even more on our food blog, www.mauidish.com ). Because, good economy or bad, two things never go out of style: saving money and eating.
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Clubhouse Cafe
2290 Kaanapali Pkwy., Lahaina
667-5911
The Deal: Monday- Club or tuna sandwich half price; Tuesday- Turkey sandwich half price; Wednesday- Loco Moco, served all day, half price; Thursday- Clubhouse burger half price; Friday- Footlong hot dogs half price; Saturday- Greek or house salad half price; Sunday- all breakfast items half price, $3 Bloody Marys.
How to Work It: The Clubhouse is coming in swinging, and I’m not saying that just because watching the recent UFC fight there was a blast (despite BJ Penn getting beaten). My favorite of the daily half price options is footlong Friday, where you can get 12 inches of pure beef for the price of six, though hump day looks exceptional too, featuring the Chef’s Loco Moco. Plus, if you come in with a Kaanapali golf course receipt, your first drink is half price too. @jenrusso
Ruby’s
275 Ka’ahumanu Ave., Kahului
248-7829
The Deal: 20 percent off for kama’aina year-round; buy one entree, get one free with purchase of two drinks (see coupon, page 14)
How to Work It: Tough to go wrong with this expansive, diner-style comfort-food menu. Order one of their juicy burgers (the blues burger with bleu cheese is a favorite) and a pair with the BBQ ranch chicken salad, heaping with corn, beans and other fixin’s. Add a couple sodas, maybe a creamy shake (two straws), and enjoy. They offer 20 percent off for kama’aina year-round, but grab the coupon on page 16 for an even sweeter buy-one-get-one deal. @jacobshafer
Rumbold Sausage King
3100 Lower Kula Rd., Kula
264-7330
The Deal: Half price on all sausages and hot dogs, Monday 10am-2pm
How to Work It: Parked just outside Kula Hardware & Nursery is Rumbold Sausage King. Owner A.J. Buchter heats up the lunchtime grill and serves links you’re sure to like—so, working the deal is simply a matter of both taste and your opu’s capacity. Most popular are the all-beef giant hot dogs, but if you have room, try the baby arm-sized Polish Keilbasa. Pork and veal Brockwurst are another good bet, as are their spicy Louisiana hot links, for those with tougher taste buds. @anuheayagi
Spago
Four Seasons
3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea
879-2999
The Deal: Buy one entree, get one free, every day open to close
How to Work It: Dine like the Hollywood hipsters that made Spago the place to be in LA. With their buy-one-get-one deal, they have made it evident that they want to attract kama’aina. The menu changes daily with available local ingredients, so items like the Thai seafood curry offer incredibly fresh flavors at their prime. The pan roasted chicken breast is can’t-miss, with Maui Surfing Goat cheese and Hamakua mushrooms. You also have to try the ahi cones; they’re magic in your mouth, a crisp, savory sesame toffee holding perfectly balanced spicy ahi cubes. (The Four Seasons offers the same buy one get one deal at their other restaurants, Ferraro’s and Duo’s.) @jenrusso
I’o
505 Front St., Lahaina
661-8422
The Deal: Half price entrees (in the bar and dining room)
How to Work It: Chef James McDonald has built an award-winning career around his outside-of-the-box vision and innovative menu. Lucky I don’t live closer or I’d be in for dinner every night, having the I’o Trio with fresh fish, petit filet and short rib, or the amazing Lamp Pa, lamb chops with madras curry, or the crispy ahi. Really, there are no bad choices. @jenrusso
Round Table Pizza
207 Piikea Ave., Kihei; 2580 Kekaa Dr.
874-8485; 662-0777
The Deal: Any pizza half price for kama’aina (dine in and pick up only) Mondays in September
How to Work It: Quit groaning. Yes, they’re a big corporate chain, but they’re also offering half price pizza for kama’aina, showing their love to the local peeps. And we’re talking any pizza. Small pepperoni. Medium veggie. Large pineapple and ham. You get the picture. Now get in and grab your slices. @jacobshafer
Joe’s Bar & Grill
131 Wailea Ike Pl., Kihei
875-7767
The Deal: Buy one entree get the second entree of equal or lesser value free, every day, 5:30-6:30pm
How to Work It: Enjoy snazzed-up comfort foods in a classy Wailea locale, touched with all the colorful quirk of classic Bev Gannon style. Dam your drool with a BBQ chicken and smoked gouda quesadilla, and whet the way for entrees like pumpkin seed-crusted fresh catch with chipotle honey butter and whipped potatoes, or herb-roasted chicken with mustard molasses. @anuheayagi
Mala Wailea &
Mala Ocean Tavern
3700 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea; 1307 Front St., Lahaina
879-1922; 667-9394
The Deal: All food half price (excluding prix fixé and dinner specials), every day, 8-9:30pm (Mala Wailea); 10 percent off all food, every day, open to close (Mala Ocean Tavern)
How to Work It: When Mala Wailea offers 50 percent off food every day, you get down there. They have a gorgeous menu designed by Chef Mark Ellman, inspired by worldly travels; anything you order will be fabulous. If you want to be adventurous, ask for the whole wok-fried fish. The flavors are superb and it’s served with garlic black-bean mushroom sauce. The fresh local-catch fish burger is too good with fries and their amazing aioli dipping sauce. Plus, Mala is vegetarian friendly and has several gourmet meatless options. If you can’t make it to Wailea, stop in at their ocean-side Front Street location for a still-solid 10 percent
off deal. @jenrusso
Kai Sushi Restaurant
1 Ritz-Carlton Dr., Kapalua
669-6200
The Deal: Half price food for kama‘aina with valid ID, daily except Tuesday and Wednesday, 5:30-6:30pm
How to Work It: From to-die-for decor to superb plating, it’s an upscale experience that wields the fruits of the sea and reminds us why we’re lucky we live Hawaii. While it’s easy to get wrapped up in sushi roll after sushi roll—like their classic Rainbow Roll or their Kai Special Roll with spicy tuna, Yellowtail and green onions (add-ons like avo and quail eggs are a must for an extra touch of creamy texture)—don’t forget the appetizers. With items like Thai marinated shrimp with pineapple carpaccio and mango vinaigrette and braised shortrib potstickers in a soy citrus glaze, you’ll want to pau hana early, everyday. @anuheayagi
Melting Pot
325 Keawe St., Ste A202, Lahaina
661-6181
The Deal: Every day: 15 percent off the “Big Night Out” four-course fondue extravaganza, with valid Hawaii ID; Sunday: half price wine; Mondays: three-course dinner, $29.95; Tuesdays: free bottomless chocolate fondue with purchase of two entrees; Wednesdays: half price for the first 50 minutes; Thursdays: kids eat free
How to Work It: The Melting Pot has a following from folks around the state, because Maui has the only one. The fondues come several different ways: the familiar cheese style is an appetite-opener. The seafood and meat entree fondues give you a variety of soup-like sauces and unlimited veggies. The dessert fondues are chocolate-of-your-choice, with cake and fruit chunks for dipping. They offer a slew of great deals; just take your pick. @jenrusso
Lahaina Grill
127 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina
667-5117
The Deal: All entrees half price for kama’aina on the 20th of every month, for the remainder of 2010
How to Work It: Lahaina Grill is celebrating 20 award-winning years on the West side, and, to show their customer appreciation, they’re offering a sweet deal on the 20th of every month. Their entree menu is organized by the sea and the land, meaning you get to choose between eating the Kurobota pork chop with its glorious pomegranate demi-glace or the perfectly steamed Maine lobster with chardonnay beurre blanc. Or don’t choose, and order both. The beauty of half price! @jenrusso
Coconut Grill
100 West Kaahumanu Ave., Kahului
871-8881
The Deal: Kids 10 and under eat free Sunday
How to Work It: Coconut Grill has great lunch and dinner options, but when you’re eating with kids morning is sometimes best—it’s when they’re at their freshest, free of naptime whininess. And the Grill’s got ono breakfast options, including the delicious Kona eggs benedict. Add taro pancakes slathered in syrup for your eating-free ankle biter and have yourself a morning (breakfast is served ‘til 11am). @jacobshafer
Serpico’s
7 Aewa Pl., Makawao
572-8498
The Deal: Two slices and a soda for $5
How to Work It: It’s unfair to call Serpico’s Maui’s best-kept secret—the Upcountry Italian eatery is plenty popular—but it doesn’t get the acclaim it deserves. From pupus to salads to sandwiches to pasta, everything they do is done well—fresh, hearty and always ono. Of course, this deal is about pizza so we’ll stick to that. And there’s plenty to choose from, with toppings to suit every taste. Meat heads should sample the Makawao, featuring ham, meatballs, sausage, pepperoni and chicken, while veggies lovers can embrace the Eggplant Special, with ricotta and mozzarella cheese. @jacobshafer
Roy’s
4405 Honoapiilani Hwy., Lahaina
669-6999
The Deal: Selected pupus half price at the bar from 5:30-6:30pm and 8:30-9:30pm; selected bottles of wine half price all night Wednesdays; half price pizzas on Saturdays; half price entrees with valid Hawaii ID on Thursdays
How to Work It: Roy’s is killing it with the deals in September. Half price entrees on Thursdays is a budget-saving way to enjoy their award-winning fusion cuisine like Roys original Hawaiian blackened island ahi, but the aloha hour offers pupus for half price too. And don’t sleep on “Pizza Saturdays,” where you can get irresistible pies from the Imua-wood oven for half the price. Chef Joey Macadangdang is amazing, executing Roy Yamaguchi’s signature Hawaiian fusion recipes with finesse. Their upstairs Kahana dining room is a singular experience, though eating at the bar is a treat too. @jenrusso
Pulehu
6 Kai’ Ala Dr., Lahaina
662-2655; mauitacos.com
The Deal: All food half price, Thursdays after 8pm
How to Work It: Pulehu is a contemporary Italian restaurant, where Executive Chef Francios Milliet combines fresh local fish and produce with traditional Italian ingredients. It’s a nice, and delicious, juxtaposition. If you love fettucini Alfredo, try theirs; it’s made in the traditional fashion, full of cream, cheese and butter. The risotto-crusted pesce will surprise you; the risotto crust on the fresh-catch fish has a nice balance of crisp, savory texture and flaky juicy fish. And don’t skip the Tiramisu, made in-house. Also, on Mondays, the restaurant changes format and turns into an all-you-can-eat buffet for $30, featuring salads, entrees and dessert. @jenrusso
Maui Tacos
Various locations islandwide
662-0717
The Deal: Tuesdays: All tacos half price; Thursdays: Buy one pork burrito and soda get one free
How to Work It: The Thursday deal chooses for you, but on Tuesdays you can have your pick from this beloved, Best of Maui-winning joint’s taco menu. We’d go with a grilled fish and a charbroiled steak taco pairing, but that’s just us. And don’t forget to slather on the sauces at their expansive salsa bar. @jacobshafer
Waterfront
50 Hauoli St., Maaleaea
244-9028
The Deal: Buy-one entree, get-one free, starting at 5pm daily
How to Work It: Dazzling in their Maalaea oceanfront spot, the Waterfront is celebrating two decades as a family-owned business. They offer a refreshingly traditional seafood and steak menu, featuring nine different fish preparation options—from Southwestern with smoked chile and cilantro to en papillote, baked in buttered parchment. Their cioppino is full of succulent seafood, rock-lobster tail, Alaskan king crab, shrimp, clams, scallops and fresh Hawaiian catch served in marinara over fettuccine. @jenrusso
Ramen Ya
Queen Kaahumanu Center
275 W. Kaahumanu Ave., Kahului
873-9688
The Deal: Free four-piece regular gyoza during happy hour (after 2pm) with the purchase of a regular meal
How to Work It: Wondering where to get your gyoza grind on? Ramen Ya draws me to the QKC more than even Ben Franklin—which says something. Deal or no, the price-to-portion-ratio with any of their offerings will have you feeling a bit like an extended-belly bandit who’s made off with the better end of the deal. Add to that their free four-piece gyoza during happy hour, and you’re best off parking nearby so you can roll yourself back to the car. @anuheayagi
Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, Kapalua
600 Office Rd., Kapalua
669-6286
The Deal: Half price food and sushi for kama‘aina, every Sunday-Monday beginning September 5, 5-6pm
How to Work It: As with their sister location in Kihei, everything is ono, and they’ve got some of the most celebrated karaoke on Thursday and Friday nights—with helpful hosts that encourage you (along with a little liquid courage, like lychee sorbet shots and tall bottles of Kirin). Return on Sundays and Mondays for their kama’aina half-off special, and try their new Torched Kona Kampachi, a Kona-caught Amberjack stuffed with shiso and tsukudani yusu aioli, and their Cajun Seared White Tuna Sashimi, dusted with Japanese shichimi spice and served with a red jalapeno sauce made from Kalbi rib seasoning. @anuheayagi
Stella Blues
1279 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei
874-3779
The Deal: 20 percent off 7:30-8:30am and 5-6pm, excluding liquor
How to Work It: Stella’s breakfast is epic; the banana mac nut pancakes have a cult following. Just as good are the French toast, omelets, breakfast burritos and eggs Benedict. With their kama’aina specials offered every day, you’ll have ample opportunity to take advantage. Not an early riser? No problem. Come in for the evening hour and get live local music, happy-hour pricing, great apps, salads and entrees. @jenrusso
Three’s Bar and Grill
1945 S Kihei Rd., Kihei
879-3133
The Deal: Half price at the raw bar, excluding oysters, Tuesdays starting at 5:30pm
How to Work It: Three’s is the new hot spot in Kihei, and on Tuesdays you can get down with their raw bar. Eat on the lanai, in the dining room or in the lounge; wherever you go you’re in for a treat. Their sushi is incredible; the rainbow roll is a sight to behold, almost too pretty to eat. The raw fish selections are the bomb. Try the Ceviche de la Tahitian marinated in coconut milk and lime with jalapeno and cucumber. Want beer and poke? They have it, in two styles. The sashimi is served with a perfect fresh garnish of daikon and wasabi. And here’s a hint: the panko-encrusted ahi and avo roll will not be found in the raw menu, but it’s half price too. Don’t miss it; the Thai curry butter and unagi glaze is as beautiful as it is is addicting. @jenrusso
Mulligan’s on the Blue
100 Kaukahi St., Kihei
874-1131
The Deal: Half price pupus for the month of September
How to Work It: I know what you’re thinking, “Just pupus?” Get rid of the word “just.” The pupu menu at this signature Irish pub is off the hook, featuring sliders with bacon and BBQ, baby back ribs, wings, seared ahi, artichoke dip, veggie wraps and so much more. The quesadilla has fire-roasted peppers, jalepenos and grilled onions. And the Irish know beer pairings. Add great ocean views, outdoor dining and awesome live entertainment, and the deal gets even sweeter. @jenrusso
Bistro Casanova
33 Lono Ave., Kahului
873-3690
The Deal: Buy one pasta/entree, get 50 percent off a second pasta/entree of equal or lesser value, every Monday, September 6-27, 5-9:30pm
How to Work It: On the corner of Lono and Kaahumanu, Bistro Casanova opened their doors 09/09/09 and have since offered incomparable business class chic in a quintessential Central locale. Their Monday deal makes their homemade pastas dishes (or entrees) even harder to pick amongst, but feel extra-fancy (yes, even in Kahului!) with the unique flavors of Ravioli al Tarfuto—spinach and ricotta-stuffed pasta pillows in a truffle oil sauce—and the Bigoli Neri al Salmone—squid ink-blackened linguine, tossed with smoked salmon and a white wine sauce, with green peas, leeks and tobiko. Apply your savings to savory starters from their tapas menu (new offerings weekly, service starting at 3pm), share a Kaupo salad topped with seared Maui-grown flank steak with roasted peppers and Gorgonzola dressing, and/or cap off your meal with a Crepe Suzette. @anuheayagi
Casanova
1188 Makawao Ave., Makawao
572-0220
The Deal: Buy one pasta/entree, get 50 percent off a second pasta/entree of equal or lesser value, every Monday, September 6-27, 5-9:30pm
How to Work It: Recently renovated, this Makawao mainstay shares its Monday deal with its downtown little sister, Bistro Casanova. So while we praised Bistro’s pastas, let’s honor its Italian elder with more-substantial selections from their entree menu. Since getting a good deal is good cause for trying something new, why not capture the taste of Upcountry autumn with their Anatra Al Mango—a roasted duck breast served with a sweet ‘n sour mango sauce—while your culinary accomplice(s) indluge in the Costolette D’ Angelle Con Salsine Bicolori—grilled lamb with a fennel mustard sauce and a four-onions reduction simmered in red wine? The deal nearly earns you dessert for two, and a good thing too, as no trip to Casanova is complete without ordering their Tiramisu, made with mascarpone cheese and laced with brandy. @anuheayagi
Monsoon India
760 S. Kihei Rd, Kihei
875-4555
The Deal: Buy one entree, get second entree of equal or lesser value free, every Monday-Tuesday starting September 6
How to Work It: The deal goes until 9pm, but make sure you arrive with enough time to catch the fading light on South shore waters, as the sun dips off and away to the West—an added bonus. Their curry options provide as many choices as raindrops in a storm (try some with their homemade paneer cheese), and vegetarians can rejoice in their broad selection of (vegan too!) dishes. @anuheayagi
Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, Kihei
Kihei Town Center, 1881 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei
879-0004
The Deal: Half price late-night sushi and appetizers (all guests must be over 21 years of age with proper ID), every Thursday-Sunday, 10pm-1am; 25 percent off food and sushi daily except Sunday-Monday, when it’s 50 percent off from 5:30-6pm
How to Work It: Any night of the week, there’s a deal (and a crowd) at Sansei’s Kihei outpost. Your best bet is Thursday through Saturday, when their late night menu prices are slashed in half. All selections are good selections, but any item with “crusted” or “carpaccio” in its name will so spoil your tongue, I’ll bet you an edamame app you’ll be back for more. @anuheayagi
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