Ten Restaurants the Roaming Gnome Should Have Visited on Maui

According to the Pacific Business Journal, Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome started a one week vacation in Hawaii this weekend.

This is the “hard-bodied” traveler’s first trip to a non-contiguous state. He’s also beento Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas, and The Grand Canyon.

With only one week in paradise, he started with a little island hopping… from Oahu to Kauai to the Big Island to Maui. He headed back to Oahu yesterday for the duration of his stay.

With only a day on our island, I know he didn’t get to the best restaurants. If only he’d asked me before he made his plans, I would have given him the lowdown on the ten most gnome-friendly places on Maui:

1. Alexander’s Fish & Chips in Kihei. The sparrows competing with us diners for perfect bites of crispy, secret-battered fish would have made the not-so-domesticated woodland creature feel right at home.
2. Casanova in Makawao. Every gnome’s got to party once in a while. Had he been here on Wednesday, he could have made it to Ladies Night!
3. David Paul’s Island Grill in Lahaina. David Paul’s new upscale eatery with delicious-but-mid-priced (for Maui) entrees definitely fits Travelocity’s stated goal of a “more perfect union between travelers and their provider.”
4. Flatbread Company in Paia. Everyone loves Flatbread, where the ingredients are close to the earth, just like our buddy.
5. Joe’s Bar & Grill in Wailea. Gnomes like out of the way places, and Bev Gannon’s upscale-casual open-air restaurant is just far enough off the beaten path to tempt. Plus, it smells of jasmine on the walk down.
6. Mala: An Ocean Tavern in Lahaina. Gnomes like turtles (don’t they?) and there are plenty just off the deck at Mala, right around sunset … which is when any vacationing gnome should be relaxing for happy hour.
7. Pacific’O in Lahaina. The quintessential gnome must have a quintessential Pacific Rim meal on the beach.
8. A Saigon Cafe in Wailuku. Dive on into that steamed fish on a bed of veggies … eating doesn’t get better than this. But be prepared for the saucy waiters’ cracks about your height.
9. Tasaka Guri Guri in Kahului. Tiny cups of some sort of secret ice cream-y confection, $1 per scoop. You probably only need one, but you can get either strawberry or pineapple (that’s it).
10. Who Cut the Cheese in Kihei. There’s a little mouse painted on the wall of this cheese and wine shop who’s very excited to meet you… pick up a bottle and a picnic panini and say hello to our favorite Maui rodent.