The Divine Dish

Dinner at The Pineapple Grill Restaurant, Maui

Posted on Nov 21, 2010 under Archives | No Comment

Located partway up Maui’s scenic Pineapple Hill, the casual but elegant Pineapple Grill overlooks the golf greens on the Kapalua Bay Resort and the Pacific Ocean.  This upscale casual but elegant steak and seafood restaurant serves up Pacific Island cuisine with an Asian twist.  It also has a large wine selection, features an exhibition kitchen, black marble bar and outdoor dining on the lanai.  On my last trip to Maui I enjoyed a tasting menu prepared by Chef Ryan Luckey.  Here is what we sampled:

My friend Tina, who lives on the island, joined me and we started off with a few appetizers.  I had the Ahi tuna and salmon tartare with Hass avocado relish, chili oil and crispy lotus chips.  It was delicious.

Tina had the house special, steamed Manila clams with shitake mushrooms in a black bean truffle butter broth.  The broth was rich and great for dipping bread into once we devoured the fresh clams.

I visited Maui during the last week of October, right when Monchong was in full season.  The Monchong is a medium firm sweet fish with high fat content and is very easy to cook, similar to a Butterfish.  It is only available in Hawaii and in season for a few months in the year.  My lemon porcini dusted Monchong came with tarragon-lobster essence, asparagus spears, gold mashed potatoes and a Kula tomato concasse.   It soon became my favorite thing to order while in Maui.

Tina had the Asian braised short ribs which came with truffle gold potatoes, kalbi demi glace and pineapple relish.  Also very good.

For dessert, Chef Luckey sent out a lavender infused creme brulee with strawberries and a pineapple cheesecake.

I would highly recommend the Pineapple Grill for its stellar views, laid back atmosphere and upscale food.  Located at 200 Kapalua Drive, 808/669-9600, reservations highly recommended.

Interview with Soleil Moon Frye at Weleda Beauty Mobile Tour

Posted on Nov 07, 2010 under Archives, Interviews, Other interesting people | No Comment

I recently interviewed actress, environmentalist, and businesswoman Soleil Moon Frye at the Weleda “Honestly Natural, Truly Beautiful” national mobile tour when the Weleda biodiesel truck stopped in Hollywood at the bottom of the Hollywood and Highland shopping mall.

Weleda sponsored the tour in support of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to promote safe and natural ingredients in lotions, cosmetics and shampoos.  Weleda uses 100 percent plant based botanical ingredients in their products with no animal testing.  The biodiesel truck provided opportunities for everyone to receive a mini-spa treatment, take home samples of great Weleda products, and film a short video for a chance to win a trip to the Weleda Spa in New York.

Also on hand was Soleil Moon Frye.  Frye played the spunky orphan in the 1980s TV series Punky Brewster and as an adult was in Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.  She has directed several films and currently is the voice for Aseefa in Nickolodean’s animated Planet Sheen.  Frye also owns The Little Seed, an environmentally conscious children’s specialty boutique in LA.  I sat down with the busy actress to talk about her connection with Weleda, her eco-friendly LA store, life as a mom, and her upcoming projects.