· Where DO the Locals Eat? (part 3)
An Insider look at North Shore and Upcountry restaurants that are off the beaten path and a staple for those with active lifestyles.

"Eat, drink, and be Maui" is almost as popular a saying as "Maui No Ka Oi!" Here, we love the pleasures of dining, particularly if we can hang loose in shorts and rubbah slippas while we're enjoying the ethnic melting pot of cuisines that is unique to these islands. Living and working on Maui qualifies any resident to recommend a host of reasonably priced restaurants and lunch counters that dish up an array of 'ono (delicious) foods. This third part of our series will give you a good view of "food finds" around Maui's North shore and on the mountainside. (in no particular order)

Discovering quaint cafes in unexpected places make them that much better. The newest of these is Aha 'Aina Cafe located on Aewa Place in Pukalani (the street on the left across from McDonald's). Serving breakfast and lunch continuously from 7 am to 2 pm six days a week, Aha 'Aina features a variety of omelettes, hot plate lunches, and savory burritos and wraps.

Along the main road in Kula, you'll find an island-style diner, Cafe 808, where many Upcountry locals hang-out. Open from 6 am to 8pm daily, this cafe offers breakfast items, salads, sandwiches, and hot plate lunch entrees.

In the heart of paniolo (cowboy) country, Makawao, Kitada's Kau Kau Korner features the authentic melting pot cuisine of Hawai'i. Try saimin noodles for breakfast, hamburger steak and teriyaki meat dishes for lunch. Open until 1:30 pm daily; located at 3617 Baldwin Ave.

Featuring fare on the lighter side, Makawao Garden Cafe is very popular for lunch. Open daily from 11 am to 4pm, the cafe menu includes healthy salads, focaccia sandwiches, and gourmet-quality entrees. Tucked away in the Paniolo Courtyard.

Stopwatch SportsBar & Grill is where the cowboys go for the best burger and beer in town. Open at 11 am everyday for lunch and dinner, Stopwatch is known for its reasonable prices and hearty meals. You'll find it at 1127 Makawao Ave.

Head down the mountain toward the North Shore to Pa'ia, which is fast becoming a mecca for cafe and bistro-style restaurants. A perennial favorite is the Pa'ia Fish Market on the corner of Hana Hwy. and Baldwin Ave. A variety of fresh island fish is offered daily, in sandwiches or as an entree, in a casual picnic table setting.

The SandBar & Grill at 89 Hana Hwy. in Pa'ia is very reasonably priced, and features a little of everything to please almost anyone. Open daily between 11 am and 2 am, it's for the young and young at heart.

Two Mediterranean style cafes located on Baldwin Ave. are favorites of the North Shore crowd. Cafe des Amis is a creperie and bistro which features as many different styles of crepes as you can think of along with curry dishes. Open for breakfast and lunch at 42 Baldwin Ave., Pa'ia Cafe Mambo is an international bistro serving healthy breakfasts, fajitas for lunch or dinner, Spanish tapas, Moorish veggies and luscious desserts. 30 Baldwin Ave., Pa'ia

The small East Maui community of Haiku has recently experienced a ground-swell of eateries. Two are situated in the renovated Haiku Cannery: Colleen's, which is a hang-out for a lot of locals, offers a retro East Coast city diner ambiance. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served. Hana Hou Cafe features a more Hawaiian-local atmosphere, with homestyle cooking to fill your opu (stomach) and island music in the evening.

Vegetarians rejoice! Both Pa'ia and Haiku offer true vegetarian dining options, two of which come highly recommended: Veg Out at 810 Kokomo Rd. in Haiku serves both vegan and vegeterian in a international array of influences. Fresh Mint, located at 115 Baldwin Ave. in Pa'ia, features Vietnamese-style vegetarian cuisine and take-out is available.

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· Books Written in Paradise
You've seen all the guidebooks, there are dozens of them in circulation, and checked all the travelogues, now it's time you picked up a novel about life in the Magic Isles of Maui County! We recently combed the local bookstores and found quite a few fictional accounts written by people who live and work on Maui and Moloka'i. If you're interested in what it may be like to be in the islands full-time, or if you just want to take a road trip in your mind back to paradise, these books will take you there. (in alphabetical order by author)

Brennert, Alan, "Moloka'i" - St. Martin's Press 2003 - This historical novel chronicles tragedy, triumph and transcendence on the island of Moloka'i.
Coble, Colleen- Cox, Carol- Hunter, Denise- Sattler, Gail, "Aloha" - Four Romances at a Hawaiian Hideaway - Barbour Publishing 2002 - Each author tells a story about one of the four Harrigan Brothers finding love in a Maui paradise.
Davenport, Kiana, "Shark Dialogues" - Penguin Books 1994, Plume 1995 - An epic love story and sweeping historical saga about a pure-Hawaiian matriarch and her undying love for Duke, who was banished to Kalaupapa Peninsula on Moloka'i.
Iida, Deborah, "Middle Son" - Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill/Workman 1996 - A heartfelt family story about the Japanese-American laborers in Maui's plantation camps.
McPherson, Michael, "Rivers of the Sun" - South Point Press 2000 - Set in Lahaina, Maui, this adventure tale follows a colorful group of surfers and coral divers.
Moore, Christopher, "Fluke" - Or, I know why the winged whale sings - Perennial/Harper Collins Publishers 2003 - A humorous, brilliantly witty novel about a marine behavioral biologist researching whales around Maui.
Murayama, Milton, "All I Asking for is My Body"(1988), "Five Years on a Rock" (1994), "Plantation Boy" (1998) - University of Hawai'i Press - Born on Maui, this author grew up in Lahaina at the Puukolii plantation camp. His trilogy tells the stories of his family while offering a poignant view of life in Hawai'i of the 20th century.
Olson, Rick, "Maui Whispers" - Doublebow Books, Kihei, 2004 - A modern-day mystery set amid Maui's popular sites and compelling natural beauty.
Sharp, Barbara, "The Last Smythe" (2002), "The Third Spy" (2003), "The Right Time" (2003), "The Wind Mists" (2004) - Lahaina Mysteries, self-published - Fun and quick-reads, these mystery books by a Lahaina historian follows amateur detectives around historic LahainaTown and Upcountry Maui.
Tissot, Jan, "Keiki" - Parhelion Publishing 2002 - A political drama and love story about Hawaiian life on Moloka'i.
Tyau, Kathleen, "MaKai" - Beacon Press 2000 - Set in Hana and Honolulu, this novel offers a unique perspective to one local family's history from before World War II to the present day.
Wood, Paul, "Four Wheels, Five Corners" (1996), "False Confessions" (2002) - Flying Rabbit Press - Both books are a collection of musings, spoofs, and eye-witness accounts about life in Upcountry Maui and Hawai'i in general - very entertaining.
Yamanaka, Lois-Ann, "Blu's Hanging" - Avon Books 1997 - A gut-wrenching and heartfelt novel that gives a realistic look at family life and self-preservation on Moloka'i. (Yamanaka has written three other distinctive novels about growing up in Hawai'i.)

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· Nightlife IS Exciting on Maui
Maui has recently added to its repertoire of nighttime entertainment options with two outstanding music shows presented in intimate settings on opposite ends of the island.

Mulligan's on the Blue golf course in Wailea hosts "Wailea Nights" on Thursday and Friday most weeks. One of Hawaii's best-known composers and singer-guitarists, Barry Flanagan, performs with singer-songwriter and actor Eric Gilliom. Both recording artists have had hit records in Hawai'i on their own, and Flanagan is founder of the superstar duo "Hapa." A three-course dinner is served before the show, which begins at 8 pm. Enjoy slack-key guitar in contemporary Hawaiian songs at this authentic Irish Pub. Special guests perform from time to time.

Every Tuesday, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua presents "Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Concert Series." Featuring storytelling with music to provide an expanded view of Hawaii's musicians, these concerts showcase masters of slack key and steel guitar, 'ukulele, and falsetto singing - all traditional Hawaiian music art forms. The intimate indoor theater sets the stage for lots of stories about the guest musician's background in Hawai'i and family roots. Weekly host George Kahumoku, Jr. is acclaimed as "Hawaii's Renaissance Man." Show times are 6:00 and 8:30 pm.

On Front Street in LahainaTown, a new nightclub has made its debut. Paradice Bluz is located underground in the newly renovated Lahaina Store building. A classic lounge and club setting with a dress code, Paradice Bluz offers comfy leather couches, an oxygen bar, and plenty of live entertainment on stage, from comedy to ethnic dancers to live bands. Open nightly at 9 pm, at 10 am on Sunday and 2 pm on Monday for NFL football games. Further north on Front Street, the celebrated Longhi's restaurant features a nightclub upstairs on Thursday and Friday nights from 10 pm to closing with live bands and dancing.

On Lipoa Street in the heart of Kihei, Hapa's Nightclub is still going strong. A sampler platter of nightly shows include the incomparable Willie K, local live bands, dance parties and DJ music. Most shows begin at 9 pm; Willie takes the stage every Monday at 10 pm. At the Azeka Place II center, Bocalino Bistro & Bar offers an international mix of live music, DJs and dancing from 10 pm to 1 am nightly. In the Kihei Kalama Village, Bada Bing Restaurant & Lounge showcases comedy live with the Pono Players every Friday. Dinner is available before the show, which begins at 8 pm.

In the cool Upcountry town of Makawao, legendary Casanova Italian Restaurant offers live entertainment and dancing from Wednesday through Saturday evenings. A ladies night disco, smoke-free nightclub shows, Hawaii's top-name live bands and nationally-recognized entertainers are regularly featured beginning at 9:45 pm.

Two resorts offer nightclubs, too. Tsunami at the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa and Spats at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa. Tsunami features dancing to the latest hit music on Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30 pm to 2 am. Spats is open every Saturday from 10 pm to 3 am with DJ dance music.

It's no secret that a host of Maui's restaurants, lounges and hotels feature live music throughout the week in both the afternoon and evening. The Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului provides a worldwide selection of top shows and entertainers year-round. Historic Iao Theater on Market St. in Wailuku presents community theater performances periodically during the year.

But if you're looking for entertainment other than music, Maui fills that need as well. Two magic show attractions and a live theater production are showcased in West Maui. Kupanaha - Maui Magic for All Ages features a newly revised stage show dedicated to Hawaiian myths as expressed through award-winning hula and chant and world-class illusions. Hosted at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel, this show includes a three-course dinner, which is served at the table by white-gloved waiters. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday. From the moment you enter "Annabelle's Parlor" at Warren & Annabelle's Magic Club in Lahaina, the bag o' tricks begin with mysterious doorways and passages. Once inside the parlor, playful mystery and entertainment by Annabelle await. A two-hour headlining act with Warren Gibson's repartee and close-up magic is top-notch, held in an intimate theater, and offered Monday through Saturday evenings. The mesmerizing production of 'Ulalena at the Maui Theatre in Lahaina garners highly-placed reviews as a "must-see" attraction. With its state-of-the-art technical stage and lighting, interactive props, and beautiful music, the remarkably talented cast of dancers and singers leads you in a journey through Hawaii's myths and history. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday evenings.

·Chef's Corner
This new Chef's Corner was developed in response to your requests for recipes from our highly-acclaimed Maui chefs - happy cooking!

Presentation
Arrange the sauces on plate with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes and a skewer of seafood towered at center.

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