Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Adventures in Dining | December 2000

Adventures in Dining
by Jessica Ferracane

Trying It All

Can't decide what to order? No problem at Merriman's Bamboo Bistro on Maui - you can sample everything on the menu

The hardest part about trying a new restaurant is deciding what to eat, especially when everything sounds enticing. That problem is solved at Merriman's Bamboo Bistro, a recent addition to Maui's notable dining scene. The entire menu - from appetizers through desserts - is available in sample-size portions so you can taste everything that strikes your fancy.

It's a brilliant idea, one that Chef Peter Merriman adapted from the Spanish style of serving hot-and-cold tapas, appetizers that can be as simple or complex as the chef desires. Merriman calls his tropical tapas "tropas." The point is to share and sample a little of this, a little of that, family-style. You can order three ways: small taster dishes, sampler platters to be shared by the whole table, or entree-size portions of something especially appealing, like the outstanding adobo duck. Locals know adobo as a Filipino dish of meat or fish simmered with ginger, vinegar and soy sauce, but at Bamboo Bistro, cumin is added to the sauce for an earthier, richer tone, and the duck - perfectly succulent - is cooked on a rotisserie.

I arrived well past sundown with two hungry friends. You will probably want to plan dinner around sunset or drop by for lunch to take in the view of Ma'alaea's small boat harbor and the South Maui shoreline. The bistro is located in the Ma'alaea Harbor Village, adjacent to the fabulous Maui Ocean Center. The decor is comfortably Indonesian/Polynesian, with floors of eucalyptus cut from the slopes of Haleakala, a striking black bamboo bar and high, open ceilings.

Chef Peter Merriman, one of the originators of the Hawai'i regional cuisine concept, has a flair for selecting the best local ingredients and combining them into creations infused with Asian, Polynesian, European and American influences. His upscale Big Island restaurant, Merriman's in Waimea, is critically acclaimed, and he's also a partner in Hula Grill, a more relaxed eatery on Ka'anapali Beach on Maui.

We contemplated his latest menu, each of us blurting out items to our server that sounded delicious, like the Puna goat cheese baked in phyllo dough. This mouth-watering treat comes on a bed of baby greens with slices of sweet Upcountry strawberries in a zesty Maui onion vinaigrette. Pure gastronomic bliss. The spinach salad arrived next, tossed with warm pipikaula (Hawaiian beef jerky), tiny wedges of grapefruit and balsamic vinaigrette.

The sesame-crusted fresh catch with spicy liliko'i sauce is such a hit at Merriman's in Waimea that it is also offered at Bamboo Bistro. It was perfect with ono (wahoo) caught earlier that day. But we didn't stop here with the fresh fish, oh no. There was an herb-grilled mahi mahi served with orange miso sauce and sweet potato Palau, a surprisingly delicious side of coarsely mashed purple Okinawan sweet potato, banana and taro (one of six samples on the complete taster menu).

It could be difficult choosing a single wine to accompany such diverse flavors, so the wine list features 18 wines by the glass. We sipped a King Estate pinot gris, a golden, crisp white from Oregon that stood up to Merriman's bold flavors without subduing them, and a Di Majo Norante Sangiovese, a light red from Italy, which complemented the meat dishes nicely.

The food kept coming, and we were squealing quietly with pleasure. We sampled rack of lamb with Gorgonzola and cabernet sauce, spicy stirfried green beans, and tender pot-roast style prime spare ribs. When every last drop of sauce was gone, and every last bone sucked free of meat, we pulled back our chairs and would have applauded if we could have moved. All we could do was ask for the dessert menu.

I'm convinced humans have a separate chamber in our stomachs just for dessert, because no matter how full I am, I can always manage something sweet. The mango cheesecake with coconut crust is heavenly, but the best that night was the dessert special, an apple pie layered on a decadent cream cheese filling with caramel sauce and Tahitian vanilla ice cream. I ordered a full slice. Heartbreakingly delicious! I allowed my friends a few tiny bites and finished off the rest.

That's how it is at Bamboo Bistro. The idea is to share, but some selections are so delicious, you'll want to hog them to yourself.

Merriman's Bamboo Bistro
Ma'alaea Harbor Village
300 Ma'alaea Road
Ma'alaea, Maui
808- 243-7374.
Lunch daily 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., cafe menu 2-5:30 p.m., dinner 5:30-9 p.m.
Free self- and valet parking, major credit cards, reservations suggested.

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