Amasia - Alan Wong's Maui

[macaraca]

Full review in today's HNL newspaper by restaurant critic Nadine Kam. Bottom line: she likes it.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/feature...

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One thing I always admired about AW was that unlike so many of his peers, he stuck to one eponymous venue and more or less perfected it. Now that he is going to be splitting his attention between his Honolulu home base and Maui, can he keep up the level of excellence he has achieved? One can only hope so.

[kathryn]

When is a good time to call to make a reservation? It seems like the reservationist never actually answers their phone. I'll leave a message if I have to, I guess, but the time zone difference means they'll probably be calling me at midnight.

[Bill Hunt]

I have done reservations mostly via e-mail, or Open Table, and have never had a let-down. OTOH, when OT has not had what I want, I just call, but then am in AZ, so the time-zone difference is not that great, unlike much of Europe and Asia.

Please report,

Hunt

[kathryn]

I got tired of waiting on hold so I emailed them... And because of "the holidays" I need a credit card to secure a reservation on 12/30, my requested date and they requested I call back. Amasia doesn't do OpenTable.

I'm in NYC.

[Bill Hunt]

Hm-m, not sure exactly what is happening there.

As I have not made reservations at Amasia, but only King Street, O`ahu, I cannot comment on Open Table.

Wish that I had more to offer.

Hunt

[kathryn]

Just tried them again... got an automated message about Amasia with a prompt to leave a message. I waited for the beep, which never came. The message said "please hold while I try that extension," and then the system DISCONNECTED me.

[Bill Hunt]

Bummer. I will see if I can maybe get that handled.

Good luck,

Hunt

[kathryn]

I wrote an email yesterday asking for a different date, but I've yet to hear back.

[Bill Hunt]

The Alan Wong group is looking into things, and they have this thread, so do not be surprised, if they contact you directly.

Aloha,

Hunt

[kathryn]

Never heard back from them, and never received an email response from their reservationist.

Ended up walking in for two seats at the bar. No tables available until 9ish.

[Bill Hunt]

I am surprised.

Sorry that things did not work out.

Hunt

[Bill Hunt]

I have only heard great things about the restaurant.

From another "front," I know that the organization is working very hard, to do things correctly, and in the same vein, as King Street.

Have not been, but they ARE squarely on my radar screen. Maybe in 2013?

Hunt

[terijoy]

Thanks Bill! It sounds like we should definitely stop by Amasia.

[terijoy]

Thanks for the link macaraca, but it looks like there is no free access.

Anyone have first hand experience at Amasia lately? Do you think it would be worth a stop for one drink and one or two shared small plates? If so what would you order?

On Maui we like to keep it light and sort of graze our way through the island day. In January we will stay South Maui for the first time. We plan to do our hotel breakfast buffet (included) as a brunch after some early morning snorkeling and other outdoor activities. Then explore and eat as we go.

Any other suggestions for grazing in South Maui, Paia and upcountry? We may do a full lunch at Mama's or Hali'imale if we can't resist, but really, we want to keep it light so we can keep our energy going, focusing on local fresh fish and produce. We'd love to take advantage of any happy hour deals offered too. Thanks so much for sharing any experience you might have.

[killersmile]

I read the article this morning. The interesting thing to me was that the restaurant wasn't a duplicate of his main restaurant, but a different style. At least that was the impression I got while reading about the dishes and multitude of small plates. I guess the style fits in more with the resort atmosphere.