Thursday, 19 November 2009

• Merriman's

  1 Bay Dr
  Lahaina, HI 96761-9035
  808-669-6400
  http://www.merrimanshawaii.com

  Situated in a very wealthy area in Maui neighbouring the Ritz-Carlton residences, Merriman's is one of Maui's fanciest restaurants.  The clientele are usually older and dress well.  Merriman's doesn't abuse it's swank interior, live music, and expensive location, they still deliver on delicious dishes.  Priding itself on being the home of Hawaii's regional cusine, you will find a combination of traditional Hawaii dishes like Kalua pig and  prepared with ingredients found on the islands.

  

  A candle always helps create a romantic atmosphere:

  

  The dimly lit interior:

  

  We had a window seat and they had the doors opened so the nice warm sea breeze blew through the restaurant.

  Complimentary bread:

  

  The bread texture was like sourdough but it didn't have the sour after taste.  The bread came out hot and the crust was crunchy.  It was the best bread I've had in a long time.  As all good restaurants, whipped butter is provided.

  Half Lobster Ravioli:

  

  There was so much lobster in here.  The ravioli was relatively thick and lobster was very moist. The mushrooms were on the salty side and were not overcooked to a soggy mush.

  Jidori Chicken:

  

  The chicken was first cooked in leaves then grilled so the meat was very moist and well cooked throughout.  However this method of cooking the check in leaves makes the meat more chewy and less tender.

  The pumpkin and root vegetable pot pie:

  

  Perhaps I'd been having too much meat lately but this was surprisingly good and definitely made the dish for me.  The crust was a little overcooked by the pumpkin and root vegetables reminded me of a thick creamy chicken pot pie but without the chicken.

  Molten white chocolate special:

  

  The cake was soft, moist, and fluffy.  This isn't like molten lava cake.  The white chocolate is mixed with something else that I can't remember so it turned out to taste more like caramel.  The mocha gelato was good but tasted more like an ice cream, lacking the thick creamy texture of a good gelato.

  Merriman's is on a pricy side with our dinner, 2 people, coming out to around $100 with 2 alcoholic drinks.  The food was good with some dishes performing a lot better than others.  Service was friendly and joked with us but didn't offer a great insight into our dinner.  The chef did come out to greet regulars but we weren't one of them.  As I mentioned before, the clientele was an older well off demographic so we did stand out with my girlfriend getting a full lookover when she was in the washroom.  There is no self parking but complimentary valet parking is provide.  Of course, be prepared to tip.  Overall the view was beautiful with a fire pit at night, the service was as you'd expect, and food was good enough.  I'd recommend this for a romantic dinner but probably not something you'd do often.

  Eric Tummy Points: 4 out of 5

  

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