Will C.
Yelp
I can imagine Lahaina Grill in it's respected place as one of the best restaurants on Maui is a four star restaurant on many days of the year.
Tucked on the side street two blocks off of Front St, Lahaina Grill dominates the block with an adjacent hotel and two seating areas. Our party sat near the bar. The menu feels very traditional, non-adventurous, what one would find for dinner or room service at a Mandarin Oriental anywhere around the world. Steak, lamb chops, scallops.
The prices are extreme for what they were, we called it the +$30 Maui tax on each entree item.
As a special appetizer, the clams in broth were delicious with a touch of sweetness from the lapxuong Chinese sausages.
The table shared the fish special as well, it sat on corn risotto. It was a tasty preparation, but one couldn't help but think the risotto of the day is corn or mushroom a lot here.
The lamb chops were well-prepared, I could tell consistency was a big deal here after the owner Jerg explained his background and the restaurant's history. The same vegetable sides came with each dish, consistent like microwave dinners.
The deviled eggs were decent and so were the sides we ordered. Our water glasses remained filled as we shared some conversation with passerbys and staff.
That is where the pleasantries stop.
I ordered a difficult drink for the bar, one I use to judge cocktail making skills of bartenders. It was a sour mess, there is no real drink program here so I would suggest sticking to basics. I should have sent it back in hindsight.
I also left my napkin on my chair several times on my chair to see if any of the staff were trained to put it back. I guess most of the service attention to detail was to used to memorize the most expensive appetizers and entrees to recommend. Our waitress almost stepped on my napkin, I was afraid they would charge me for a new one.
Falsified class and just rudeness is what rubs me here at Lahaina Grill. For $100+ per person, I felt conned. There is an undertone of pretentiousness, obnoxiousness, greed and grime that accompany the white linen tablecloths. The acoustics are loud, the wait staff are of two ilks. A few, were true hosts/hostesses, barbacks, service professionals trained in actual service. The other, like carneys posing as waitstaff, looking for their next sucker to pitch a baseball at weighted cans or purchase an overpriced blurry photograph package of your family.
As none of the desserts jumped out to the table as worth trying, we opted for no dessert. Our waitress Brianna eyes rolled deeply into the back of head as she heard this and snatched the menu out of my hand. The owner, Jerg will probably have to hit the reset button in her to get them back in place. Kind as he was, the reset button is probably far up there.
We did get free dessert as part of a celebratory occasion. It was the berry fruit tart which was very jammy and sweet. A nice card prepared by the staff was also present.
As I paid for the lackluster experience, Brianna stood awfully close to the credit card machine protecting her precious tip. And maybe intentionally, there is no spirit of Aloha or Mahalo when they rob you at Lahaina Grill. But there should be.