Kapalua Wine & Food Festival's kick-off party was held at the new Merriman's Kapalua
Chef Peter Merriman, one of the co-founders of Hawai'i Regional Cuisine, opened a new fine dining restaurant at Kapalua Resort. Merriman's Kapalua promises to bring to Maui what his flagship spot in Waimea brought to the Big Island: fresh, locally-grown and raised foods and products. While being a "locavore" is quite a buzzword these days, Chef Merriman has been following this farm-to-table philosophy for over 20 years. For this restaurant, Merriman aims to use 90% local products in all dishes. That's quite a feat. Some of the items come from nearby Kapalua Farms, which has started to provide fresh produce to the Kapalua area restaurants.
Merriman's Kapalua was the location of the opening night event for the Kapalua Food & Wine Festival. Media, restaurant and wine industry folk, and special guests mingled, tasting wine and trying hors d'oeuvres-sized samples of dishes from the menu. The restaurant is in the location of the former Kapalua Bay Club, which, if you recall, was a dark, gentleman's club-like place. The transformation into open air indoor dining with sweeping views of the bay is quite stunning. There is even a large outdoor lanai area that can be used for events, as pictured above, but normally, dining will be offered only indoors. Dinner is served nightly, with lunch service Monday to Friday.
Ahhhhhh... the views! So how about the food?
So yes, the food. When the reception died down and folks went about their separate ways, we noticed the restaurant was getting set-up for dinner service. Luckily, we were able to score a table and sit down to a great meal. Then again, was it really that great? Wish I could say more, but... working on a review. Let's just say I really enjoyed the view. It was the best part of the evening.
Merriman's Kapalua, One Bay Club Drive, Lahaina, Maui. T: 808-669-6400.
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