Friday, November 14, 1997
Maui Beach Cafe offers authentic Hawaiian flavor, exotic
ambiance
RESTAURANT:
New addition to Westwood’s variety of cuisines provides a
techno-style luau tasteBy Nerissa Pacio
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The endearingly nicknamed "Buck Fifty Subs" (aka Roll In) is
cheap, outdoors and welcomes all UCLA night owls. In N’Out serves
lots of damn good burgers and thick, sloppy shakes. Don Antonio’s
serves up tons of hot slices on the go. And Falafel King quickly
stuffs those pitas like no other.
But the Maui Beach Cafe, a one-week-old Westwood addition,
floods the fast-paced, conveyor-belt eatery scene with innovative
complex tastes of tropical dishes and a festive archipelago
aura.
Part authentic luau, part high-tech, Steven Spielberg-esque cafe
(a la Dive), the Maui Beach Cafe washes ashore palatable treasures
from contemporary Hawaii’s land and sea.
Ornately structured by the same designer of the Hard Rock Hotel
in Las Vegas, fluorescent-colored neon lights run rampant with
shapes of waves, surfer silhouettes and sayings like "Here Today,
Gone to Maui" and "Eat, Drink and Be Maui" adorning the vividly
colored walls.
Dangling from the ceiling are bubbling red and violet lava lamps
wrapped in long coiling wires, and gleaming candle mobiles of fiery
reds and oranges above a full-mirrored bar. Without appearing too
chaotic, strategically staggered television screens air scenes of
what might be the latest panoramas from "Hawaii 5-0" or maybe a
travel feature detailing idyllic vacation escapades.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the paradoxically
naturalistic, and yet simultaneously techno surroundings, is the
cafe’s lush greenery. Live orchids, fern fronds and yucca leaves
sprout from wall planters and peak out of corners, while life-sized
preserved palm trees tower above the bamboo and floral-patterned
tables and booths.
Though a seemingly impossible hybrid between an island cove and
electric eatery, owners John Deming and Jeff Knight (who also owns
the naturalistic outdoor-themed Good Earth restaurant on Westwood
Boulevard) successfully create a venue that brings about a pleasant
bout of amnesia from the banal monotony of Westwood.
The guests’ first moments at the table are greeted by a basket
of overflowing sesame bread sticks and crispy tomato, pesto and
parmesan cheese lavash bread. The flat bread lavash pieces are
light, spicy and crunchy, with the texture similar to thin matzoh
crackers.
From the kitchen grill overlooking the dining area, smiling
servers in loud printed shirts bring in sizzling appetizers,
ranging from tea-smoked duck potstickers and wood-smoked baby back
ribs to the more traditional vegetarian spring rolls and fish
tacos.
The spring rolls are deep fried in light, crisp, bronzed
wrappers stuffed with carrots, red and green cabbage and onions,
lightly doused in a mango lemongrass sweet-and-sour sauce. Although
the rolls themselves do not stray far from the typical Oriental
cuisine found at many other establishments, the lemony yellow
sweet-and-sour sauce makes Maui’s dish pleasingly different.
Appearing as an open-faced gourmet treat uncharacteristic of
typically hand-held, hearty fish tacos, this equally tasty
appetizer proved to be a rich palate of flavors.
Red cabbage, carrots, diced tomatoes and a spicy vinaigrette
sauce with a hint of lime top a flaky golden fish filet, all
wrapped in warm corn tortillas.
The appetizers fall short only in their small portions, with
only two spring rolls and two tortillas per dish  perhaps a
plus for those leaving room for the main course.
A large menu, which the owners expect to quickly grow with
future additions, holds a vast array of items from the traditional
pizza (made unique with a tropical twist of toppings from
pineapples to goat cheese), to the vegetarian selection "from the
garden," to sandwiches or "between the bread" dishes and finally
items "from the land" and "from the sea."
The grilled portobello sandwich snuggles giant marinated
portobello mushrooms Maui onions, roasted peppers and a sweet
balsamic glaze between two large pieces of spongy, poppy-seed
coated bread. Dense enough to compliment the lightly grilled
vegetables, the bread’s neutral taste does not interfere with the
tangy seasoning.
Accompanied by a small decorative cabbage leaf filled with fresh
cantaloupe, grapes and watermelon in a sugary glaze, the dishes
blend zesty spices with natural juices to create a healthy,
powerful gourmet meal.
Though tender and zesty, the Asian BBQ chicken proved to be
slightly less satisfying. A roasted breast and thigh drenched in a
Texan-style sauce overpowers the tastes of the fluffy mashed
potatoes in a slightly salted gravy and steamed zucchini slices.
Despite the excess barbeque sauce, the freshly cut pineapple chunks
serve as a sweet palate refresher, perhaps the only element that
might be considered slightly Asian about this misnomer of a
dish.
A new taste is added to the traditional chicken sandwich in the
new and improved version called the Hawaiian-spiced grilled chicken
sandwich. Dipped in a blend of what tastes like a spicy thousand
island and honey mustard blend dressing, the chicken breast rests
beneath a few crispy (not watered down) iceberg lettuce leaves and
a thick tomato slice, lying between two slices of a hearty
poppy-seeded bun. A melted slice of Monterey Jack cheese is another
addition available upon request, for extra sharpness.
Accompanied by a red cabbage leaf bowl of Asian slaw, the
sandwich and greens combination proved to be a break from the norm
without straying too far.
The only way to end such a meal saturated with a complex blend
of tropical flavors is with an array of fanciful desserts Â
the highlight of the meal.
The passion fruit-guava creme brulee is lightly textured,
chilled beneath a warm hardened brown-sugar glaze.
Again mixing temperatures, the Hawaiian sweet bread pudding a la
mode is a fluffy layered cake-like dessert with baked bananas and
cinnamon, accompanied by coconut vanilla ice cream and caramel
sauce. Though not as firm as the traditional baked bread pudding
dessert, those with a sweet tooth will be satisfied by the sweet
fruity flavor. A miniature surfer-shaped ginger cookie sits atop
the ice cream, arms akimbo, bringing about amused smiles from
customers and proving that presentation still does make a big
difference.
Appropriately saved for last, the dark chocolate lava cake is
baked to order, taking exactly 20 minutes upon request. With the
slight poke of a fork prong, the cake erupts with a chocolatey ooze
of hot fudge sauce, dripping from within the soft yet crisply baked
outer cake crust. Though small in size in comparison to the long
wait for the much anticipated dessert, the portion allows for just
the right amount to leave one longing for a frothy cappuccino or
steaming latte to blend with the sweet swirling aftertaste.
On just the other side of the block, quickly made cookies bake,
pizza slices by the dozen grow cold as they sit in masses and
burger upon burger is flipped. The Maui Beach Cafe, with its
slightly smaller portions and sometimes costly, but mostly
reasonable prices, has a new take on the same ol’ same ol’.
The addition of new complex Hawaiian flavors, and its amazingly
naturalistic yet contemporary electric design creates a safe haven
from the fast-food masses. A great place for a weekend date, an
occasional outing with friends or just an escape from the day in
and out, the shores of Maui await  right here in
Westwood.
DERRICK KUDO
Paul Henry, a waiter at the recently-opened Maui Beach Cafe,
serves some customers.