This all started about a year ago when, being a deal hunter by heart, I first noticed a number of restaurants responding to the burst of the economic bubble by offering discounts and specials, especially for kama`aiana.

Five Palms now hosts an exciting venue guaranteed to perk up the work week. Third Tuesdays is a night of music, art, wine and pupus presented at Five Palm’s glorious oceanfront setting in Kihei.

What more can a host ask for than attentive service, terrific food, outrageous views, and overjoyed guests who thank their lucky stars to have been counted among their friends?

A table with a view is obviously a major asset for restaurants on Maui but I`o doesn’t take its location for granted nor slip guests mediocre food hoping they won’t notice. (It happens!)

No self-respecting lunch counter in Hawaii would fail to give a nod to the revered Mixed Plate. This particular meal evolved from the plantation era when workers toiled long and hard in the sugar and pineapple fields…