Cafe O’Lei Kihei

Cafe O’Lei Kihei Restaurant Review:

Husband and wife chef team Michael and Dana Pastula have done it again with a restaurant offering fresh, quality food and prompt service in a chic, yet casual Kihei setting. You may recognize longtime menu favorites from their other restaurants such as a Maui onion soup with a puff pastry top, Manoa lettuce wraps with ground chicken, and first-rate crab cakes. For dinner, entrées that really shine include the tender Asian-style braised short ribs with ginger shoyu glaze, the macadamia nut-crusted breast of chicken, which is pounded thin before receiving its nutty coat, or the seared ahi with a decadent ginger butter sauce. If you’re in the mood for surf ‘n’ turf, they do it well, possibly as a special of Kobe tenderloin and lobster. A sushi bar is offered at dinner, but with the already large selection of food, why would you want nigiri? Lunch is quite a bargain, with a nice selection of salads and sandwiches. Don’t miss the creamy crab club on focaccia or the juicy and locally produced Bill Eby’s Makawao beef burger. Request a window seat, which feels a bit more private than the rest of the house, which can get loud when the restaurant is packed.