Last meal in Maui at Duke's

Well, the trip had to come to an end, so we decided to have our last meal in Maui with all our friends, all of us who stayed at Honua Kai. There is a Duke's on the premises, near the outdoor pools and with a gorgeous view of the beach. It was a no brainer to have our meal there.

It's apparently one of many in a chain call TS Restaurants. As you can see by the napkin...they believe in supporting their other locations. Almost reminds me of the way Glowbal Group is here in Vancouver.

The first dish to arrive was the elusive "mixed plate" that we kept hearing about during our trip. It's supposed to be something the locals eat, and is a combination plate, similar to what you would find in food courts here in Vancouver, when you approach a "chinese" place.
Actually, what we got was a skewer of Huli Huli chicken, as well as a Mango BBQ'ed Rib. All served with a small amount of veggies (what you see there is what we got), a few spoonfuls of rice, and the thing that makes it unique (and worthy of the mixed plate nomiker) is the macaroni salad! A nice lunch plate for only $13. 

I wasn't that hungry so I ordered their calamari, which are strips of calamri crusted with panko breadcrumbs. The two accompany sauces were supposed to be a Meyer lemon remoulade and a guava cocktail sauce. But to me, it tasted more like tartar sauce and seafood cocktail sauce. Not bad...just not super fancy as the name would suggest. 

Another person ordered the Beachside Grilled Tacos, which is your choice of Mahi Mahi or USDA Prime Steak in flour tortillas (which were soft, not grilled), accompanied with tortilla chips and salsa, along with some pickled veggies. As most of us were Mahi-Mahied out, the steak was ordered instead. The steak was cooked really well, as you can see by the redness still present in the photo above.

Someone else ordered the Ho Daddy Fish and Chips...and this was a little disappointing. Not because it was yet another Mahi Mahi dish, but because it looked so "Highliner'! The batter looked thick, but is supposed to be made with their Kona Brewing Lager...And do you notice what's missing? Yes, tartar sauce...yet they remembered the ketchup for the chunky fries...strange.

As is the theme with the trip...ever meal seems to have some element of Macnut in it. This was no exception...someone ordered the Banana & Macnut pancakes. I can't comment...I don't like bananas and I was sick of Macnuts at htis point. But ooh, syrup.

The piece of pie you see there is no illusion. If it reminds you of the Mudd Pies from your days at Red Robin's during highschool...you're not alone. Described on the menu as Kimo’S Original Hula Pie®, this is what the sailors swam to shore for in Lahaina...made with an Oreo cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge & whipped cream, it's quite the sugar shock for $7.
One secret, if you have a meal there, check you receipt. 9 times out of 10, your receipt is good for a free slice upon your next visit. There were three of those receipts at our table...so you're only at one-third of our dessert during lunch!
Any dessert that has their own plate (you can make out Hula Pie on the edge of the plate above) is going to be good...decadent and sinfully rich. This one was no exception!