The secret is out on the Kahana Terrace
Island dining with Helen Reed
KAHANA
— In
all confidence, I want to share a secret hideaway with you.
Are you aware there is a gem of a restaurant in Kahana set amidst
tropical palms with ponds and a bubbling brook meandering through the lush
foliage?
No? Well,
neither did I. until one day casually riding my bicycle, I came upon the Kahana
Terrace Restaurant & Bar. What a discovery!
Located pool side at the blue-tiled
Sands of Kahana Resort, the Terrace Restaurant overlooks the glistening
Pacific Ocean and is an exceptional location for viewing Maui’s stunning
sunsets and for whale watching, too.
The chef in
charge of every aspect of operating this gem — the kitchen operation,
ordering, labor, breakfast, lunch, dinner and banquets — is Chef Peter A.
Leonard, who practically makes the Terrace his home.
Raised in Walpole, Massachusetts, Chef Leonard
decided at an early age to become a chef and received extensive training over
the next 18 years in prestigious locations throughout the Western U.S. with
talented chefs, including famous Executive Chef Wolfgang Puck of Spagos in West
Hollywood, Michael’s in Santa Monica and L’Ermitage in Los Angeles.
At one
time, he was chef and co-owner of Shannon’s in Park City, Utah, where he
hired, trained and supervised a staff of 35.
Although
the Terrace Restaurant is located at the Sands of Kahana, this hideaway is
privately owned and operated by Jack Harris, who is the originator of one of the
finest seafood chowders on the island.
“I
created this chowder in Alaska; where I had restaurants for 12 years,” said
Harris. It’s a must-try for chowder lovers.
Chef Leonard has been with the Terrace Restaurant for the past seven
years.
“I was chef in one of Jack’s Alaskan
restaurants, and when he decided to open one here, I was really excited about
moving to Maui,” he said, smiling.
If you like
seafood, you can order it three times a day at the Terrace. Besides the usual
breakfast treats, fresh fish breakfasts include an immense Seafood Omelette
filled with king crab, prawns, scallops, fresh “Catch of the Day,”
mushrooms, onions and Swiss cheese for only $7.95.
Another
seafood breakfast is the “Catch of the Day” with two eggs any style.
Breakfast is served from 7:30a.m to 2 p.m.
Talk about extended hours-lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. when
dinner begins, continuing on until 9 p.m. There is no excuse to miss a meal with
these hours.
A selection of eight crispy salads are available for lunch, including an
extraordinary Caesar salad and at least 14 scrumptious sandwiches to choose
from. I plan on returning to try the Crab Grill, loaded with Alaskan red crab
meat, artichoke hearts, celery, onions, mushrooms, Thousand Island Dressing,
Parmesan and cheddar cheese on grilled rye bread.
We munched on delicious Crisp Coconut Shrimp with a snappy Mango Mustard
Chutney and then savored the jumbo Crab Cakes with Orange Sweet Chili Mint
Sauce. These cakes are as large as breakfast pancakes. Just ordering the crab
cakes and a salad is enough for a complete meal.
If you have a hankering for ahi or mahi, try their splendid Baked Mahi
with Maui Onion Crust (chopped onions substituting for the breading) or Lemon
Grass Crusted Ahi served on a bed of Crab and Spinach Slaw with Citrus Wasabi
Vinaigrette. Both allow the full, delicate flavor of each succulent fish to
shine through.
Boursion Chicken with Roast Garlic Zinfandel Sauce is a chicken breast
cleverly stuffed with spinach and a silky French Boursion cream cheese, then
encased in fillo dough and baked — a dish so rich it’s perfectly balanced
with an assortment of roasted vegetables.
Four dinner
specials are offered nightly from $9.95 to $14.95... and not to be left out,
steak lovers will delight in their New York steak, perfectly cooked to their
specifications.
“We do
everything possible from scratch.” said Chef Leonard. “We cook the corn beef
for sandwiches, bake our own desserts and each dinner order receives a loaf of
our hot Maui Onion Dill Bread fresh right out of the oven.”
An abundant herb garden growing right in the sight of diners offers a
profusion of fresh herbs, including five varieties of basil.
Each restaurant seems to have their own classic style to individualize
Maui’s famous Mud Pie, but Chef Leonard raises his approach to new heights.
“We start with macadamia nut ice cream, then a layer of peanut butter,
then sliced bananas over that and cover it with chocolate rocky road ice cream,
and top the rocky road with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and macadamia nuts.
Not only children, but the adults love it, too,” he said with a laugh. “We
call it ‘Da Kine Pie.’”
Kahana Terrace offers two “all-you-can-eat” specials each week — an
inexpensive way. to treat the whole family, especially hungry teenagers.
At “Taco
Tuesday,” guests can make their own tacos, burritos and tostadas, choosing
from beef, chicken or fish. It’s seryed from 4 to 6 p.m. at a price of only
$9.95 each.
You can
also join the Terrace Restaurant for their Sunday barbecue with all you can eat
chicken, mahi mahi, teriyaki steak, baked beans, corn on the cob, pasta salad
and watermelon. This feast is accompanied by live music from 3 to 6 p.m. for
just $12.95 each.
Speaking of
live music, genial John Barbier is the talented musician who plays for the
Sunday barbecue, as well as Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. The
sweet sounds of the islands are heard as Dale Nitta’s Hawaiian Duo performs
Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m., and Patricia Watson entertains from 6 to 8 p.m.
Kahana Terrace Restaurant & Bar is located just north of
“S-Turn” at 4299 Lower Honoapijlani Road. Call 669-5399.
Well, there. Now that the secret is out, folks will be beating a path to
this secluded hideaway.
Pau for now...
Reprint courtesy of Lahaina
News 10/7/1998 (www.westmaui.com)
Prices, specials, and business hours are subject to change without
notice.