Sunday, Sunday...here again a walk in the park

Ahhh....the 7th Day. Actually it was only the 4th day, but I really treated it like it was that special day when you sit around, drinking coffee, reading the papers and pretty much not doing much of anything until well after noon. Or, in some cases, all day long. After just 4 days, I was ready to chill and do what so few people do on vacation.....RELAX!!!

For some reason, even though I am not going to bed on West Coast time, I have no problem waking up on West Coast time. It makes for a nice long day when you get your butt out of bed before 7am. It is kind of nice. It is also nice to be able to leisurely walk down the way to coffee. The streets are wet from the nightly showers and everything is quiet and clean. Very nice.

Taking of advantage of the condo's kitchen, we made breakfast in. The kids did not even want to eat, hitting the beach and pool and staying down there for close to six hours. Meg and I went down to the pool and lounged and read and watched the children play. It was quite nice. More reading, more relaxing, and a hour or so in the ocean swimming, and before we knew it, the sun was setting. I had made reservations at Lahaina Grill, so we hooked the kids up with a Costco pizza and we got ready to hit the town.

Let's talk about dinner now. Read up on the reviews for the Lahaina Grill. It is hard to find a bad one. And after our meal, it will be even that much more difficult. This place rocked!! Make reservations, and be on time. They are packed and run right on time. We arrived about 10 minutes early, and got to sit at the bar and get a drink. The bartender gave us a copy of he menu so we could start perusing. Meg got a very strong but tasty Mai Tai. I tried some cocktail with Absinthe in it, and combined with some mint, it was pretty tasty. Almost 10 minutes later, we were escorted to our table.

The table location was in a great spot. Out of the way enough, but situated for people watching. Perfect. We were offered bottled water or "house" water. Regular water works. We both decided to stay with cocktails, but the wine list was pretty awesome. They brought us some very fresh and hot out of the oven rolls, along with some herb butter. Great way to start any meal, but don't take more than one serving. Trust us. We declined as well, but still had another meal in leftovers. You will be stuffed, even without a 2nd roll.

Megan went with a Tuna dish on a vanilla and jasmine rice, along with some steamed asparagus and carrot. I had the special of the day, Opakapaka, served over a manchego cheese risotto. But before that, we had an appetiezer, going with their Cakewalk. A trio of seafood cakes:lobster, shrimp and crab and Ahi. Each had a complementing sauce, one kind of sweet, another spicy and a third, blended. Meg and I had to do some bartering for the last little pieces. Also we ordered a cup of Maui Onion soup. Again, an outstanding dish. Cheesy and full of flavors, bold and subtle. By the time we were done, I was stuffed. But, the perfectly timed main course came.

Megan decided this would be her choice for "Last Meal." I really loved my dish as well but I will still stick with my NY Strip meal. The balance of flavors and the presentation of each plate was Top Chef worthy. My only regret was that I did not save enough room for dessert. However, even though we were stuffed and declined dessert, we received a free Creme' Brulee. When I made a reservation, the hostess asked if we were celebrating anything. Of course this is our Honeymoon, so I would have been remiss to mention that. And because of that, we received a free, mini dessert. And it was amazing. Again with the flavor and presentation. It makes a difference if it's missing.

I won't kid you. The meal was amazing but you will pay for that. It is worth it, unless Olive Garden is your idea of Italian. Or Red Lobster gets you excited. It thats the case, then save your bucks. You can have at least 4 meals for 2, with wine, at one of those places for one meal at Lahaina Grill. I will never have a problem paying more for great food. I almost forgot. Right before we left, the server took our picture and they emailed it to us with a "Thanks for Dining" card. I love great service. Nothing beats it. After all that goodness, we walked around Lahaina for a half hour or so and then called it a night.

All in all, this was a great vacation day. Relaxing. No destinations. No driving. No climbing. No multiple sunscreen applications. It was just relax, relax, relax, followed by a great meal. I can't do this everyday, but one day, on Maui, is completely worth doing. Enjoy!!