In Hawaii, we say "okole maluna," or "bottoms up!" On the Mainland, "cheers!" is popular. In Ireland, "slainte!" is the word commonly used for toasting.
No matter how you say it, there will be plenty of reasons to kick up your heels for St. Paddy's Day today. For starters, the owners of Cary & Eddie's Hideaway in Kahului are thanking their lucky stars the tsunami rushed past their restaurant last week at their oceanfront spot at 500 North Puunene Ave., on Kahului Harbor. So they will celebrate with Irish specialties during dinner as part of their all-you-can-eat St. Paddy's Day buffet.
"All of our regulars know I'm Mexican," says Eddie Hernandez, the namesake owner. "But not many people know this Mexican can make a really mean corned beef and cabbage!"
Article Photos
Moose McGillycuddy’s Chef Carlos Magalhaes, a native of Brazil, gets into the Irish groove with Assistant General Manager Kristin Thompson with Kelly green tortilla chips, green margaritas and loaded potato skins.
The Maui News / CARLA TRACY photo
The buffet will also feature drunken Irish stew, Gaelic mashed potatoes and a full spread of barbecue and local favorites such as pork ribs, fried chicken, soup and salad bar, ranch-style mahimahi, teriyaki chicken, chicken long rice, chicken curry stew and much more.
Cost is $21.99 for adults, and $10.99 for keiki younger than 10. Flan, soft drinks, tea and coffee are included in the cost. For reservations, call the Hideaway at 873-6555.
Moose McGillycuddy's will be party central in its sister Maui locations on Front Street in Lahaina and on South Kihei Road in Kihei.
"Oh my Guinness!" Manager Partner Penny Jo Putnam gushes. "We've done Saint Patrick's Day at Mooses in Lahaina for 28 years now. So I think we know how to do corned beef and cabbage! In Kihei, this will be our fourth year and it will be a fun and low-key place to be."
The Bud Girls will be making the rounds and drink specials will run from 11 a..m. until closing. Indulge in the likes of Irish car bombs, Irish chi chis, Jamesons as you like it and green Buds.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., lunch specials will be corned beef sandwiches with fries for $9.95 and half corned beef sandwich with cup of soup for $10.95.
Other Irish fare will be served until gone, such as sheperd's pie, beef and Guinness Irish stew and the ubiquitous corned beef and cabbage. Prices range from about $10 to $15. Call 891-8600.
The restaurant outlets at Makena Beach & Golf Resort will go green today with a host of traditional St. Patrick's Day food and drink.
At the resort's signature Molokini Bar & Grill, you'll find an Irish-inspired, four- course meal at $38 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
Adults 21 years of age and older may buy the Hawaiian-style, Black-n-Tan drink for $4. Molokini's dinner hours are from 5:30 to 10 p.m.
The chef's special four-course meal is potato-leek soup, wedge salad, Tasmanian salmon seared and served on a corned beef hash rillette with pohole fern shoots, hearts of palm, whole-grain mustard foam and a dessert of whiskey bread pudding with Irish cream with fudge-chocolate cake ice cream and whiskey anglaise.
Located on Makena Golf Course with sweeping ocean and neighboring island views, Makena Clubhouse Restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and for happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m.
Come schmooze the golfers and savor a plate of gourmet corned beef and cabbage with baby parsley potatoes and whole grain mustard for $14 per person. Green bottle beverages cost $3.
Or you may sit outdoors at the Pool Grill bar or tables and order a pressed Reuben sandwich with crisp chip potatoes and a side of house-made pickles for $15. Draft beers are $3. It's open for lunch all the way from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Vineyard Food Co. on Vineyard Street in Wailuku is dishing up its own pot of gold today in the form of mint-green whoopie pies for dessert. They're filled with Bailey's Irish Cream and chocolate ganache. Call 243-3663 to order.
Umalu, Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa's popular poolside restaurant in Kaanapali, will kick off St. Patrick's Day island style.
"Grab your flip-flops and swimsuits and come party poolside," says publicist Tracy Potter. "Celebrate with Irish drink specials, a live DJ and guest appearances by the Budweiser and the Jameson girls from 6 to 8 p.m. today." Call 661-1234.
The luck of the Irish will also be at Roy's Kahana restaurant, which will pair four Irish beers in a dinner with four courses of Roy's inspired cuisine. Come any time from 5:30 until closing and order the prix-fixe feast in addition to the regular menu. It costs $45, plus tax and tip.
Courses include pea and oxtail soup, Irish-spiced grilled ahi with Big Island wild boar sausage, Maui Cattle Co. corned beef slow cooked in Guinness with bacon and cabbage, and Irish-coffee cheesecake. For reservations, call 669-6999.
Last but certainly not least, Mulligan's on the Blue in Wailea will host a full day of frolickin' good fun, starting at 6:30 a.m. with the second annual St. Patrick's Day Golf Tournament.
A full Irish breakfast will be served at 8 a.m. Then, get ready to jig as Trevor Jones starts the music lineup at 11 a.m. Enjoy the tunes as you dine on an Irish lunch buffet for $25. Dig into fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage, Harp-battered fish and chips, and more.
An Irish and Hawaiian dinner buffet will be served from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Cost of $60 per person includes general admission. Or opt for Irish plates in the food tent starting at 4:30 p.m. at $15 a plate. Cover charge starts at 4:30 p.m., too. Call Mulligan's at 874-1131. Slainte, everyone!
