Thai Basil gets 8 ($$)

I love Thai Basil. It is in my opinion the best in Sacramento for Thai food. The vegetables are always fresh, the curry is fresh. Nothing ever tastes like it was made in large quantities. The fish and meat was definitely frozen but Thai Basil is generous with the portions. They have a few locations, two I have eaten at: the Midtown location a number of times and the Roseville location twice. When ever I go I am completely satisfied for what I paid, what I expected to get and the quality of the food preparation. The only problem I have ever had there is when the waiter got my order wrong. I was in a hurry and so did not have the time to let them correct the mistake though they offered.

One of the dished that often gets overlooked it the green curry. This dish is my favorite, at any Thai restaurant but I like it best at the Roseville Thai Basil. Green Curry is light and almost flowery in taste. The taste of green curry has a lot of bouquet to it, but not a lot of spice or musk usually associated with curry. When I order green curry the dish comes as two bowls. One bowl has the jasmine rice in it. And the other is shrimp, scallops, and mussels swimming in green curry along with, broccoli, green beans and bean sprouts. Then you just add the elixir to your rice. It’s divine.

For food taste I give Thai Basil an 8. They use fresh produce, but not fresh meat. All their dishes can be made vegetarian. It just means you get soy tofu instead. And their general mixing of flavors is brilliant.

For price I give Thai Basil an $$ even with an appetizer and a drink.

For ambiance: I have to give Thai basil a 5 unless you are out on the back patio of the downtown location. The back patio is a smaller enclosed out door seating area near a fountain, and under an old growth oak tree. The back patio is quieter, and more private feeling. They have since put a lounge and night club on the floor above Thai Basil so their reputation is growing.

Overall I rate Thai Basil at an 8. Its not the best, it could be better, but its still delicious just the way that it is.

Sushi Ran 9 (3x$$)

Sushi Ran

This little restaurant located in the quaint and expensive Sausalito is supposed to be the best sushi on the West Coast. I expected it be an expensive and trendy place and it was, but not necessarily upscale. Kris and I got all dressed up and I wore my birthday dress. We probably looked out of place, him in a suit and me in a cocktail dress, but it was a celebration and we didn’t let appearances stop us. Weather or not it is the best in the west, Sushi Ran is extremely popular so I recommend making a reservation no matter what time you expect dinner.

Sushi Ran has an interesting custom of over pouring their sake to over-flow the sake glass until it runs down the sides into a bamboo cup. I really don’t think this is a traditional custom, but rather something that sushi ran started so that their customers feel like they are getting their moneys worth. In either case the taste of the sake from the bamboo cup is supposed to contaminate clean taste of the sake. It is much better to drink sake from a ceramic or glass container.

The Toro was spectacular and best I have ever tasted. Sushi Ran flies fish in daily from Japan; this makes the biggest difference when eating sashimi. On this occasion Kris and I shared an order of Toto, a platter of nigiri and vegetable tempura. My only complaint would be how much wasabi was used. The sushi was often way too hot for Kris and I and we had to keep asking for water. After dinner we had banana foster for dessert. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have a green tea ice cream but the foster was really pretty good. And I don’t usually like bananas.

The service was nothing to get excited about. I needed to ask for service on a couple of occasions and the woman got our order wrong once and then billed us incorrectly later but it figure it was really busy and perhaps she was new or something.

For Price Sushi Ran rates $$$$$$$ for two people who share an appetizer, order toro, share a 7 piece nigiri platter and drink a glass of sake. It is expensive, the toro was worth it though.

I would give the quality of their fish a 10 out of 10. The fish was fresh, caught healthy, and the best cut. The wasabi though strong was authentic, and mixed correctly to have that really clean burn and flowery after taste. The sake was smooth, I just cant remember what it was.

The atmosphere was trendy, and popular but local feeling. I got the impression that most people eating there eat there on a relatively regular basis. Due to the crowd though, it would not be a very intimate kind of restaurant and so not good for a first date. You have to yell a lot to be heard in Sushi Ran.

Pasific'O 4 ($$$$)

Pacific'O the worst food I had in Maui.

Its actually quite terrible, because Pacifi'O has won numberous awards, is a beautiful restaurant, uses fresh local grown vegitables when it can get it, and local fresh caught fish everyday, its right there on the beach and is popular enough that the owners opened a similar place just next door; but I thought the food was horrible. I was more than disappointed. And after a presentation like Hula Grill, which was entirely unexpected. I was more than disappointed.

We acctually ate here for Valentines day (yeah it took me this long to cool off about it).

This is the lobster won tons, the best part was the fresh pineapple salsa. Its a nice plate to look at but not really all that spectacular in taste.

I ordered tuna and salmon sashimi battered and flash fried, but the sashimi was not that good, it was warm and tough. Completely unbalanced in taste and texture.

My husband ordered curry deep sea swordfish. I usually love sward fish. We had intended to split both dishes because we were not individually able to make a decision between the special and the sashimi. Well I don't think you can see it in this picture, but all that light green cream sauce is wasabi. It was horrible! I didn't want another bite after the first one. Kris ended up scraping the sauce off the meat just to eat it and it still wasn't any good.

For romance and atmosphere I give Pacific'O a 10. Its on the Beach facing west towards the sunset. Most of the tables are open air patio seating to best see the ocean but even with indoor seating there isn't a bad seat int he house.

Over all I will give Pacific'O a 4. A little too heavy on the wasabi sauce, on everything. Tone it down a little, and taste it before you send it out to be consumed. I like hot, and spicy, but I like it to accentuate the natural flavors of my food not mask everything.
808-667-4341
505 Front street
Lahaina, Maui 96761

Waren and Annabelle's 6 ($$$$$)

Waren and Annabelle's
Dinner and a show.I don't really understand the premise of this kind of dinning. Or maybe its just not that enjoyable to me.

This first show is based loosely upon a piano and sinner performance with some pertisipation from the audience. I think the main reason most of the patrons there were enjoying themselves was because they were drunk and over 50 and a predominately white crowd.

I was not familiar with any of the songs, or jokes and I thought the performance itself was not very well done. Our waitress who also turned out to be the performer was rude, crass, and at all times too load. I think it has something to do with her Jersey origins, but understanding where she comes from does not help me appreciate her anymore.

The food was your typical, Joe's Crab Shack kind of fare accept in a clean and well light "parlor" reminesent of the roaring 20's. After dinner we all moved to a theatur were we watched a magic show. the show itself was really very good accept for the very frequent references to some really old television show. I think it make still air at TVLand or something. Something about Barney, and Mayfare or something. I assume its about the south since most of the jokes are about stupidity.

Over all I give Waren and Annabelle's a 6 out of 10, because it wasn't really that bad, and it want anything to recoment to anyone either.

I did however like Waren's magic show and I highly recommend him. If only you could skip the dinner portion and the noisy Jersey woman.

Taste 4 out of 10
Price, I don't know my father in law paid for it.
Atmosphere, 8 out of 10; creative and unique.

900 Front Street, Suite A202
Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761

Tickets really do sell out every night so if you want to go make your reservation at least nine days in advance. For most people that will be before you leave for vacation.

Hula Grill 10 ($$$)

Hula Grill
Kaanapali, Maui (808)667-6636

Hula Grill more than exceeded my expectations. I have very little faith in resort food these days. It seems to me the resort restaurant business is more interested in PR than in good food. Hula Grill, may be a ciche, open air plantation style restaurant over looking the beach, with a veiw of the sun setting over Lania Island. But it is also the best bargeque and fresh local sea food restaurant I have ever been too.
And it came as a complete surprise!

The portions of food are just right. Large enough to satisfy the greedy American but portioned well so as to leave room for dessert.
I tried the Tandori Ono. It was perfect! Just the right balance of spice and that little barbecue crunch set against the cool sweet taste of yogurt and cucumber relish. Ono is a fish local to Maui, it has a soft white color and a even softer buttery texture. This was not my fist time eating Ono but it was the best. Ono also known as the moon fish, is easily over cooked, and often over flavored thus ruining the delicate taste of orchids and butter.

My husband had this dish, and for the live of me I cant remember what it is now.For desert we had the Home Made Ice Cream Sandwich and the Hawaii Bake, a pineapple upside-down cake, covered in meringue and toasted, I also had a candied brandy sauce with fresh pineapple on the side. Both of these were so good I forgot to take a picture until it was already gone.

For price I give Hula Grill a $$$ but for the four of us on vacation it was probably more like $$$$$$ after two appetizers, drinks and two desserts.

Hula Grill receives a 10 out of 10 for taste. Everything was fresh caught that morning by local fishermen. The sea food portion of the menu describes four different cooking styles and then your waiter will tell you what fish is cooked in what way for the evening. And specials of course depend exclusively upon the mornings catch.
For atmosphere I give Hula Grill a 10 out of 10. Who can argue with ocean views, open air, and sunsets, from a romantic plantation lani. I also recomment this site for a romantic night out, but it is a little noicey from the restort from walkways and the other Whaler's village restaurants.

Over all I still have to give Hual Grill a 10. It was fresh, delisious, fun, relaxed, romantic. Everything you could want in a resort restaurant in Maui.

Kru 10 ($$$)

Kru is hands down the best sushi in town. We often go here, and we often introduce it to all our friends as "the best".
The head chief at Kru won second place at the regional Sacramento Sushi Masters Competition (it was a lot like the Iron Chief show, accept without the celebrity critics and it took place in a gym). Kru ranges from very traditional rolls, to innovative California fusions.

During dinner, I came up with a simple but telltale test for knowing if a sushi restaurant will be any good. The test proceeds as follows: Does the menu include chirashi? if the aswere is yes, then its good, if the answer is no, then its its likely they smother all their rolls with cream cheese or cream sauces to mask the older, tougher fish taste.

For taste Kru always gets a 10. Fresh, clean, natural, the best cut of fish they can get. I like to sit at the bar and watch them assemble and cut with those razor sharp knifes. The knife is very important, a dull knife will danage the cells of the fish when it is being sliced. A traditional Japanese sushi knife kept very sharp will not contaminate the taste of the fish.

For atmosphere I give Kru a 7 out of 10. Its along the midtown J street. Close to the art galleries, night clubs, bars and midtown itself; it sits on some prime realty. The decor however is less than impressive but does well for just a little neighborhood restaurant. I am curious though, to know what the old Victorian looked like before the first floor was converted into a restaurant.

Price recieves a rating of $$. It can be cheaper than that, because the chirashi alone costs $25, and the typical roll costs $15 but I usually spend a little more and get the really good sushi.
Chirashi, Fried rolls. Green Tea Cheese cake.

Over all, Kru gets a 10. When I think of sushi I think of Kru.
2516 J St
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 551-1559

Michael Mina 4 (5x$$$$$)

Michael Mina is a well liked and celebrated chief from the San Francisco. He has opened a number of restaurants in Las Vegas and has published a series of cook books introducing gourmet cooking into the average American home. I however fine his food average.

His restaurant gives the appearance of gourmet food in both atmosphere and price. His menu is sent in two different categories the tasting menu: consisting for five courses, with only one choice with wine parings for $154. Or the three course menu, in which you can choose between seasonal trios or classic single dishes. On this occasion I chose two classical dishes and one themed trio dish.

• Black mussel soufflé, with chardonnay and saffron sauce.

• Lobster pot pie with Brandied lobster and seasonal vegetables in cream sauce

• Squash trio, pumpkin pie, butternut squash cake with parmesan ice-cream and kabocha squash crepe.

The black mussel soufflé was excellent, but it was also ordinary and tasted just like the mussel and clam stuffing that my family makes for thanksgiving. It was very light, but rich in taste, the sauce needed to be poured rather generously to compensate for the dryness of the soufflé but over all it was a good dish. The diced pieces of mussel were a nice detail.

The lobster presentation of the lobster pot pie is excellent. I have never been so initially impressed by the presentation. However my opinion of the dish quickly plummeted when I took my fist bite. The pot pie is brought out in a large copper pot. The pastry crust is golden and flaky and you can smell the warm butter in the air. Your waiter will cut the top of the pie off and assemble the copped lobster on top of the pastry over which he pours the sauce and the seasonal garden vegetables. I actually found the vegetables to be better than the lobster in this case. The lobster was definitely frozen when it was flown from Maine. and was then over cooked giving it a very tough rubber texture. I was actually un able to eat more than a single claw it so disgusted me.

The dessert course, consisting of the squash trio was ordinary and plain. I thought the pumpkin pie tasted like pumpkin pie, but cake was very average and the crepe was like baby food inside a sweet cracker. I actually liked the crepe the best, despite its pureed texture.

For Price I give this restaurant a 5x$$$$$
It was really far to overpriced for the quality of the meal.

The atmosphere receives only a 6 in my opinion. Michael resides in the St. Francis hotel in down town and while surrounded by the best of the city it is unable to break away from the city noise and disturbance.

For taste I give Michael Mina 6 out of 10. I was severely disappointed and I often felt that I could produce better given the resources that this restaurant subscribes. The more exotic ingredients in a dish were often masked by contrasting flavors. There was no balance or flavor story, and the taste was often just homely in all ways.

The service: I prefer to pay for very good food and do without service all together. In Michael Mina’s case, the service did not make up for any dysfunction in the kitchen.

Over all I give Michael Mina a 4, a rating even lower than I would ascribe to another restaurant of the same quality. In this case, I feel that the anticipation and prejudice conceived by Michael’s name is unwarranted. I was so disappointed by the work done in his name; I felt it should only result in a hefty point deduction.

I would not recommend Michael Mina to anyone. Nor will I have very high expectations for his other restaurants when I visit them in the future. Everyone deserves a second chance, I hope he will surprise me in the future.