Hula Grill and Barefoot Bar

Of all the restaurants and bars we visit on Maui, Hula Grill and Barefoot Bar is our favorite. First, the location is perfect. The Barefoot Bar, with its sand floor, is right on the Ka'anapali walkway and commands a beautiful view of the beach and ocean. It's great just for staring off into the sunset and for people-watching. On day one of every Maui vacation, we check into our hotel, toss our stuff in our room, and head here, where we have our first mai tai to celebrate Maui and I have the fruit taster, which has fruit unique to Hawai'i. At that point, I feel the stress melting, my shoulders dropping from my ears, and the voices in my head finally stop shouting at me to remember things and do things and analyze things. SO nice!

The restauarant part of this establishment is Hula Grill, where the friendly service and classic local fish dishes perfectly prepared mean we always leave happy and satisfied. We ate here on 2/4/11, and again were reminded why this is one of our favorite restaurants.

What I drank:
Zaca Mesa Viognier (by the glass, no vintage listed)
The nose was a burst of apple that was carried throughout the wine. My initial impression was that this wine was very light, although the flavors of apple and pear with a light note of peach, were very good. The finish was light without much in the way of lingering flavors or scents. The wine paired very well with my perfectly seared, melt-in-my-mouth yellowfin ahi, enhancing its flavor and revealing deeper flavors in the wine. This was a very nice wine-food synergy, with both the better for the pairing. Initially, I gave this wine a 6 out of 10, and with the food, I would give it a 7 out of 10. I would have liked a bit more body and finish.

Bill liked this wine better than his chardonnay, and ended up ordering a glass in between dinner and dessert, and he thought it was more like an 8 out of 10. That reminded me that perhaps I was still under the effects of the nasty flu, and not tasting everything in the wine. Worth another look after I am fully recovered.