Here on Maui, do you ever feel like you’re being beat over the head with the fact that you live in a ravishing wonderland? How many breathtaking sunsets, ocean views and lush landscapes can a person take? If you’re sick of wrapping yourself in such beauty, then you probably shouldn’t go have lunch at the Sands of Kahana Terrace Restaurant.
The place is built with blonde and mahogany wood, abutted by a sparkling swimming pool and hot tub with the ocean a mere hundred yards away. Framed by lush gardens and plants, the dining room captures the fresh Hawaiian trades. Seriously, the food is good but it’s the atmosphere that might make you drool.
Inside the place is cute and simple, alive with bonsais and friendly flowers. “It’s not trying to be something it’s not,” the general manager told me. After all, the restaurant has only been open for a couple months and has plenty of potential to be a successful restaurant.
They serve all kinds of breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., then soups, salads, sandwiches and plate lunches until 5 p.m. Breakfast and lunch meals run between $5 and $9 and include generous servings and sides. As amazing as the omelets and pancakes looked, I would have felt guilty having another breakfast at 1 p.m.
So I paused my meditation on the picturesque surroundings long enough to decide on the Oriental chicken salad wrap, which is a flour tortilla overflowing with assorted greens, chicken and cashews and then tossed-in sesame vinaigrette. It was as scrumptious as it was monstrous and won me over with its fresh mango salsa topping.
There’s something for everyone on the lunch menu and it’s all inexpensive. Dinner offers the same sandwiches with additional, pricier seafood, steak and pasta dishes.
What’s not to like? Chef Raul Bermudez (who also owns Kihei’s Big Wave Cafe) does a fantastic job mixing local resources, healthy cooking and enticing flavors to give the food great chemistry. The service is extremely friendly, the place still has the modesty of being young and a touch obscure and the bar is open all day!
Despite being nestled in the middle of a hotel, this place really caters to locals with its prices, laid-back vibe and accessibility. Take a date, your family or at the risk of feeling like a loser, go grab lunch solo (like I did!).
And if you agree with me that the name could use a little work, we’re in accord with the restaurant’s plans. Once there’s a bit more business under the bridge, they’re planning to revamp the interior designing and sport a more original name. Only the sands of time will tell.
MTW
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