Cuisine:

• Sea food

Humuhumunukunukuapuaa Description:
No question that this is a seafood restaurant---there's an 800,000-gallon saltwater lagoon surrounding Humuhumu---and dinner could be swimming by. It's a stunning restaurant, comprised of several Polynesian thatched-roof huts made from massive ohia logs, with wood plank flooring. The pond is home for coral and 2,000 fish representing 50 different species. You can see the state fish, Humuhumu's namesake. Two bronze statues of Hawaiian fishermen holding spears stand in the middle. There's even a 3 1/2-foot white-tipped reef shark swimming about. Dozens of spiny lobsters live in the lagoon, too, until they find their way onto someone's dinner plate. We like the appetizers best. The seared sea scallops with crisp shiitake mushroom lumpia are exquisite, as are the ahi lemongrass traps, made by stuffing a large morsel of fresh, raw big-eye tuna into a lemongrass spear, then tempura frying it just long enough to brown the batter. For dinner, the grilled Maine lobster (raised commercially in Kona) with dipping options of drawn butter, chili pepper water and lemongrass shoyu, is fabulous. It is served with an underwhelming side of sweet potato au gratin and pickled vegetable salad. The crust on the Szechuan peppercorn-crusted ahi entrée is delicious. For dessert there's an outstanding Hawaiian vintage chocolate and banana tart with crème anglaise plus a pineapple upside-down cake with coconut ice cream and caramel-rum sauce. The streamlined wine list does offer something for everyone including wines by the glass. The service is first-rate and the atmosphere, which includes a panoramic view of the ocean, West Maui, Lanai and Kahoolawe, is perhaps the best on the island.


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