Blogging in Maui; Takamiya Markets Delicious Ribs

There is a little shop in Wailuku Maui that is listed in almost every Japanese Brochure for Maui but not so many American brochures. My wife told me they are known for their teriyaki and its hugely popular for visiting asians. Ironically, I was going to go here on my last trip to maui but when we made it to the shop it happened to be on a sunday which happened to coincide with the day the market is closed.

This time however I made it one of our musts on our list of things we absolutely had to do and I was not disappointed. Located in a part of maui that looks like its not the best, most attractive part of the island by far lies this little shop that's a dream come true for us foodies. With real cuts of meat, it could be called a butcher shop by Maui standards but not really like a butcher shop by Beef Palace Standards.

They had prepacked steaks but do some specialty cuts as well though I was really just content with getting some of the Kalbi style ribs prepacked/pre-marinated and ready to grill. My we also picked up some Shoyu Ahi Poke(raw fresh tuna cubes marinated), Kim Chee Tako(Octopus marinated in Kim Chee seasoning), mac salad(every meal in Hawaii comes with mac salad...when in rome!), and a thick delicious Maui onion we also bought. They also had a hot lamp filled with Bento and Spam Masubi and other stuff but time was semi-limited. One thing that they had that I truly have never seen was two types of marinated beef...grade B and grade C. I can honestly say that of the numerous butcher shops I have been to I am semi sure I have never seen any Grade B beef...much less Grade C. I couldnt help but think after eating the Ribs that one of my old sneakers marinated overnight would have been palatable.

I took the meat back to the condo's grill, poured myself a big plastic glass of Lindeman's Cawarra I bought a few days earlier at Costco and went about fulfilling my dream of drinking wine on the beach while BBQing in Hawaii.

Hawaiian Style Kalbi Ribs...this teriyaki was almost like a candy style glaze. The ribs themselves are cut thicker then the ribs we get in So Cal. Next time I get back I will request them to be cut thinner. Not that I am knocking up, I am just used to the more traditional style korean cut.






The Shoyu Ahi Poke and Kim Chee Tako.


Some other pics of the meal.






All in All the hoopla of this place is completely warranted. Much like the proverbial needle in the haystack, in a town that looks like time has passed it by and the time that has kept has treated it none too kindly, this place will forever be on my list of must things to do in Maui. Probably the best sweet Teriyaki I have ever had with some of the freshest, most authentic Hawaiian dishes I have ever had...of course I have only been in Maui twice so take it for what its worth. We also ate at the Gazebo, not bad for the pancakes and the Fried Rice so popular on Yelp but by that same token not in the same class as Egg's and Things in Honolulu.

Maui/Honolulu in Review

First day back to work from my Maui/Honolulu vacation...thought Id share some thoughts and pics.

Kahana Sunset Maui-great place to stay. Private beach w/great snorkeling. Condo had 2 balconies and you could hear the surf at night. Very nice place.

The Gazebo-it was too crowded for me to eat there but I recommended it to my cousin who said it was great.

Maui Coffee Company-Great breakfast pastries. I had a Quiche and a Sticky Pecan Bun and both were awesome. I wish I had a local place with breakfast snacks this good.

Hula Grille-Food wasnt too bad but the drinks were horrible. Worst MaiTai I ever had served by a lethargic disinterested waitress.

Lahaina-Cool city with some great ice cream. Forget the name of the place but it was across from Bubba Gumps.

Eiw Valley-Not a whole lot to see on the whole but very cool and scenic. Tons of greenery with a nice big stream flowing through it.

The Crater- Very cool in the sense that the area looks much more like Big Bear then Hawaii. At 10,000 feet elevation had a very nice view as well once the clouds cleared.

Honolulu-everyone has been here before so I share 2 cool things.

Eggs n Things-Was my second time eating there and it was as good as I remembered. Arguably the best breakfast Ive ever had(I said the same thing when I ate there the first time.)

Awa-This is a root herb they make a drink out of. Its a natural muscle relaxer and mild hallucinigen. It was served at a little health club/store near diamond head. It made my tongue numb and after drinking the smoothie the awa was in decided to walk the 30-40 minutes back to the hotel. Very interesting walk to say the least. If you are in Honolulu this is a must try. I only hope I can find a place in Maui that serves this and we decided next time we go to Hawaii we will spend the whole week in Maui.

Things we didnt do that I regret-the Road to Hana/Snorkeling with Dolphins. These are most do things on my next visit as well as the Winery.