Living in Lahaina has so many charms, but the one that keeps me here is its familiarity. I love walking down the street and seeing people I know or going out to lunch and knowing my server, bartender and host.
Still, every once in a great while, I long for a little anonymity. I want to go someplace where no one knows my name. I was out and about last Thursday after a long day at the beach when that feeling struck me. I needed to change the scene of my routine. I needed to find a place to go for grub off the well-trodden path of Front Street.
What was the name of that cute white stucco restaurant on Waine’e? Oh yeah! The Smokehouse BBQ. Perfect! I called a few friends to meet me, and soon we were all on our way.
Upon greeting them in the parking lot, I found that we were all still looking pretty mellow and hungry in the wake of April 20. We walked up the white stairs into a casual, small dining room with a full bar at the end. The woman behind the counter told us to sit anywhere we pleased.
We chose a table next to the outside ledge, and enjoyed the breeze and quiet view of the palm trees. It was so comfortable that I knew right away I had found my new secret restaurant. Our waitress came out quickly with water and menus. She was relaxed and warm as if we had just sat down in her own kitchen.
Suddenly remembering that people generally take money with them when they dine out, I checked my wallet. Damn! I only brought $10 and was really hoping that I wouldn’t have to resign myself to a side salad and water. But I was quite relieved upon opening the menu to discover that nearly every meal was under nine dollars.
Of course, it was nothing extravagant—no filet mignon, mind you—but hell, I was covered with sand and salt water. I was happy to be anywhere low-key. The menu offered a variety of salads, sandwiches, local plates and barbecue specials.
I’ve always heard they’ve got great ribs, but I’ve never been much of a ribs fan, so I opted for the fish and chips. I love to order that at new restaurants because there are so many ways you can go wrong or right. It’s the litmus test—not to mention a steal at $8. My friend Kimmy got a basket of fries, Elaina got the BBQ bacon cheeseburger and Jamee tried the Kalua Pig Sandwich.
Our food came out quickly after we ordered it. Everything came with enormous steak fries, which reminded those of us from the West Coast of Red Robin. We sat, laughed, ate and made plans to come back soon and get a drink after work while our pleasant, breezy waitress tirelessly refilled our drinks. The food was great and by the end all that was left were some napkins, fries and a few undesirable bits from Jamie’s Kalua Pig sandwich.
As we left the chef poked his head out of the kitchen and thanked us, bidding us all a good day. And it was. We were full and happy and off in different directions. I was going to walk home and take a great big nap. As I started walking the thoughts pooled in my mind again: work, that new album I wanted to get, my upcoming vacation… But then I thought about the great day I had. I was relieved to know I’d found a quiet place to go anytime I needed to set aside the minutia for a little while. MTW
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