Maui World Travelers
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The Crust is Maui's true diner. The menu is a mix of local and American fare.
ATMOSPHERE:
The inside is plain and simple. They've had some minor renovations done. There's the traditional counter seating along with the usual booths & tables, as well as a private dining room off to the side.
FOOD:
Pancakes
Damn delish. This is what they're most famous for, and for good reason. The batter is very flavorful and has a medium density. Spread on the generous pat of butter and drizzle with maple syrup. I've even done drive by takeout on a whim.
Traditional Breakfast
Two eggs and meat of our choice. My over easy eggs were cooked perfectly and I chose corned beef hash (canned) as my side, which had a nice crisp to the skin.
Hash Browns
Yes, it's of the frozen variety and damn delicious. Crispy and not oily.
Loco Moco
I couldn't tell if the two patties were homemade or frozen, but they were of good size and pretty tough, so I'm leaning towards the latter. The dark brown gravy was tasty as was the mac salad. The rice was a bit dry due to a lack of water during the cooking process. Archie's version still reigns supreme.
Saimin with Vegetables
I ordered the large size but luckily the server made an error and brought me a small one as it was a perfect portion, even for my big appetite. Don't be fooled as the small bowl is full of fresh noodles, surprisingly cooked perfectly chewy. The broth was homemade, very subtle in sodium (good for my blood pressure) and was served hot. The veggie toppings were broccoli florets, sliced yellow and orange carrots and a few bean sprouts. The diced char siu were tender and tasty. Cheap and filling.
Roast Pork
I received about 3 slices of tough and dry pork. The dark brown gravy went great with it but unfortunately the rice was horribly crunchy throughout and oddly mush here and there. What a shame that a local place can't cook rice properly. The mac salad was good. The best roast pork is still at Cupie's. Meh.
Sesame Katsu
My spouse's dish on recommendation from our server. It's a chicken katsu that's laced with a transparent sesame "sauce" that was a tad sweet and also made the katsu soggy. Pass.
Saimin
Having tried their saimin with vegetables (an overload of the frozen variety), this was better as it's simply noodles, pork bits, green onions and their savory, hot broth. Perfect portion size and tasty homemade dashi!
Won Tun Mein
Same broth and noodles as the saimin but with the addition of four pork-filled, homemade won tun. The won tun filling wasn't the greatest of quantities but only enhanced the otherwise plain saimin.
Denver Omelette
While it was stuffed generously with fresh bits of ham and green peppers (I nixed the onions), the omelette itself was very thin like crepes and not fluffy at all. I like a thick coat of egg to hug the fillers. Eating this version resulted in the omelette breaking apart on every forkful. Honestly, eggs aren't their forte. Starches are ala carte so I got a side of white rice which thankfully was cooked perfectly as I've had undercooked grains here before.
Luncheon Meat
As I gazed through the pictures on Yelp, this caught my eye as it looked so good. An order yielded four thin slices of processed meat that were nicely flattop-grilled.
Chicken Cutlet - $9.50
First off, the chicken breasts were halved and not sliced like how most places present it. Breast cut... dry, white meat. Not suitable for a cutlet. Secondly, the dark brown gravy. Dark brown gravy goes well with hamburger, not chicken. Here, it gave the dry breasts an odd, bitter taste as the gravy simply didn't marry well to the deep-fried breading. A chicken or pork gravy would suffice. The two scoops of rice were cooked almost perfect (thankfully) and the macaroni salad was good. Pass. Thank you, next.
SERVICE:
The staff are local-style friendly and welcoming. Do expect to wait for breakfast especially on the weekends.
TIP:
Pay with cash or debit only. No alcohol served.
