morning crush: road to hana

road to hana

a happy discovery from san francisco illustrator nidhi chanani. love how her road to hana sweetly captures the wonderment of wandering through the rainforest.

$25 online.

introducing agua de flora

while scouting for effortlessly romantic valentine bouquets the other day, a click led me to agua de flora, a botanical perfumerie tucked away in a charming yellow cottage on maui. it turns out my stroll through paia town during our maui getaway last spring happened on the boutique's opening day, but, unlucky me crossed hana highway a few blocks too soon to say hello to the lovely ladies at wings hawaii before closing time.

although a visit to agua de flora will have to wait until maui beckons again, the shop already woos with descriptions of its artisanal handcrafted fragrance notes which can be worn alone or layered to create a signature scent. the petite roll-ons are au natural with each bottle filled with blends of hydro-distilled petals, plants and resins. the concentrated elixirs require a little alchemy but the old world process retains the healing properties of each plant to enhance the wearer's well being.

additional fragrance poems tempt from the garland collection's in-house line of perfumes . . . especially ocean flowers and its intoxicating mix of mimosa, neroli and tahitian lime. even more intriguing is the possibility to book a private consulation with ashana, the shop's proprietor and scent goddess, to create a custom scent portrait just for you. quite a besotting gift for your dear valentine or maui-bound sweetheart. 

let's have a peek at the exquisitely packaged offerings, shall we?

kama'aina suffering from vog wafting over from kilauea will want to explore the vog away collection which is formulated to ease symptoms and aid breathing.

while the online shop is nicely stocked with many fragrant possibilities from the boutique, not all offerings find their way online so do inquire if you are searching for an elusive scent.

the valentine's salon on friday evening will be a lovely introduction for maui friends with the launch of agua de flora's newest elixirs including a chocolate rose scented delight.

the price tag for smaller potions starts at $23 with custom perfumes topping out at $200.

• where: 161b hana hwy, paia
• shop hours: tue to sat, 11:30a to 7p

p.s. the romantic storefront is also home to the loveliest potted flowers.

sweet nothings 2011 - take three

because sometimes the sweetest thing is a locally made, sugary confection . . .

1 - between its gorgeous bars, 'ono flavor profiles, and committment to fair trade & locally produced chocolate, my sweet tooth is already swooning over madre chocolate. no online shop yet but follow madre on twitter for the 411 on valentine flash sales happening around oahu this week! or find at sweet paradise chocolatier's kailua & lahaina outposts. {via honolulu magazine}

2 -  the order deadline for bliss! cake pops is just hours away (6p hst) if you hope to play cupid and share the chocolate or red velvet mini dipped delights with your favorite work mates on valentine's day. {$27/dozen with a two dozen minimum order. $20 delivery fee or free pickup.}

3 - cupcake love maui bakes up petite treats from tiramisu to carrot cake with the most delightfully decorated flourish. {$36/dozen with a one dozen minimum order. $10 delivery fee or find at maui ocean grill in kahului.}

4 - the hamakua fudge company in honoka'a mixes in local fixings like coconut, kona coffee, mango and lilikoi for their sinfully layered gourmet fudge. {$9.95 with a one pound minimum for online orders. complimentary shipping over $50.}

p.s. today is the deadline to order the always 'ono and exquisitely packaged boxed treats from big island candies for valentine's day delivery!

tamara catz 2010 sample sale

with sequins shimmying off the disco floor and onto fall 2010's must have style list, maui designer tamara catz is providing a few variations to woo closets hoping to acquire a hint of shimmer this season. new sequined arrivals include something for one and all from jaunty nautical stripes, minimalist racerbacks, and flirty minis.

although it's unlikely the new looks will pop up in this weekend's sample sale, pieces from the always lovely bridal collection will be in the mix. only in-stock merchandise is up for grabs so hele over early for first dibs!

10% of proceeds will be donated to the hawaii chapter of the susan g. komen foundation.

• when: fri, oct 29th - 9a to 7:30p | sat, oct 30th - 10a to 7:30p | sun, oct 31st - 10a to 6p
• where: 83 hana hwy, paia

maui: foodie report

chocolate peanut butter cheesecake happiness

i have reached the conclusion that i would make an awful food blogger simply because snapping a shot of my meal is the last thing on my mind when my plate arrives. also, my camera skills are a bit lacking (an area i hope to remedy with a little practice). my trip home last week was far too fleeting and filled with family gatherings for any new culinary explorations, but i finally gathered up my notes and photos to file a report on the delicious dishes enjoyed during my springtime hop to maui.

first, let's start with an afternoon treat at paia's ono gelato which offers tempting scoops made with a "farm to fork" philosophy. deciding between a surfing goat dairy fusion or a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake concoction was my most difficult decision of the day, but the latter won my $5 plus change if only as an homage to the yummy frozen pie my southern granny would whip up when she visited the islands.

judging by the pollock-esque ice cream splatters along the sidewalk in front of the shop, it seems i was not the only one challenged to finish up my cone before it melted all over the nearest crosswalk. my advice: order up a cup instead of a cone and sticky fingers should not be an issue (although there is a wash room a few steps outside the gelateria's side door).

maui brewing co. sampler

. . . & beer battered onion rings

keg illumination

earlier in the day, the mister and i ventured out on the long drive to lahaina to check out maui brewing co. my resident beer geek started out with a sampler ($3.75) and ultimately gave the thumbs up to lucifer's angel. if you prefer bubbles without the buzz, i am happy to recommend the homemade root beer which is frosty and delicious!

we both find beer battered onion rings ($7) irresistible when listed on a menu and mbc's hearty offering, even with a slight sheen leftover from the fryer, became even more tasty after dipping each thick slice into the chipotle remoulade which added a spicy kick. rounding out our meal were an andouille sandwich ($12) for him while i, anticipating my upcoming gelato treat, selected kalamata sliders ($5).

while there's no view to speak of unless you count the myriad of televisions screening everything from surf videos to the sporting event du jour, the tap list was quite impressive making mbc a must stop for anyone who geeks out over beer. the decor is standard issue brew pub fare, but the industrial gleam of steel kegs smartly transformed into lighting fixtures hanging in the rafters was a fun design note.

t. komoda malasadas

on our way out of town the following day, we stopped at the t. komoda store to sample their legendary cream puffs which are quite deserving of all their accolades. we also couldn't resist a malasada stick stacked in a row of sugary delights (genius!) which was a nice balance between leonard's light and airy offering and the denser dough fried up at the tex drive-in on the big island.

alas, my camera failed to capture the giant house salad i ordered up (and quickly abandoned due to my woeful headache) and what the mister described as a super 'ono burger during our first night's supper at colleen's in haiku with the always delightful conn and john from cuckoo for coconuts. and, french fry lovers take note: conn shared a tip that the fries tend to be salty and recommends asking the kitchen to skip the final seasoning. my mister followed conn's lead and agreed they were still delish without the extra salt.

my colleen's salad ended up dressing up our takeout from paia flatbread (recommended by the cfc 'ohana) which, with its wood-fired crust accompanied by fresh and simple ingredients, was the perfect bite after rushing up twisty, curvy olinda road to our upcountry getaway to catch the sunset on our final day.

fyi: all of our stops were casual eateries so no fancy dress or reservations required.

bon appétit!