Chez Paul: The Perfect Maui Restaurant for an Extravagant Dinner Splurge!Thinking of our evening at Chez Paul brings back great memories... mouth-watering memories that is! On every vacation, my husband and I make one evening extra special by going on a MAJOR splurge for dinner at the best restaurant we can find! This is a huge treat for us, especially for me, since I LOVE to eat fine food! On this particular vacation to Maui, Hawaii, our splurge happened quite by accident. We'd driven past Chez Paul numerous times on the way to and from our Kaanapali Resort - the exterior looked so charming, that we decided on a whim to make ourselves dinner reservations there.
The food was exquisite - this meal was quite honestly one of the best meals I've ever had! All of the food is prepared by the owner chef, who just happens to be a real french chef! Ok... it sounds kind of silly to put it that way, but it's true: this is a french restaurant and the chef is originally from France - hence my "real" french chef designation! Our entire meal was fantastic, but there were a couple of dishes that really stood out as highlights... Since Chez Paul was, after all, a french restaurant, we decided to start our meal with foie gras as an appetizer. Having never tried it before, I wasn't sure if I'd like the foie gras - but I figured if I was ever going to taste it, then surely THIS restaurant would be a good place to try it. As it turned out, the foie gras turned out to be delectably smooth and delicious - I especially loved how elegantly it was presented on the platter! Another highlight of our meal was the final course: dessert. It was not only a feast for the eyes, but one of the most heavenly-tasting desserts I've ever had! We ordered the pineapple creme brule - it was presented in a hollowed-out Hawaiian pineapple, garnished with fresh berries, with the sugar on top caramelized to glassy perfection! And the creme brule filling? It was sublime - smooth, silky, and full of vanilla flavour! As I mentioned, we stumbled on this Maui vacation splurge by accident. However, I can't imagine having a better fine-dining experience at any one of the other Maui restaurants we could have chosen. Not only was the food fanatastic, but the service was impeccable too. We'll truly remember this evening forever, and we plan on returning there the next time we visit Maui. I know some of you would ask, "Why not try somewhere else for you next splurge? Don't you want some variety?" But we found perfection here, so I'd hate to chance it and go elsewhere, having the potential to be disappointed. The night we were there, it was jam-packed full of people - there wasn't a single empty seat to be found. This makes my 2009 update below so surprising! 2009 Update!Well, I have to say that I'm crushed! My favourite Maui restaurant has closed! I'd heard several months ago that Chez Paul's was going to be closing, but I didn't want to post anything here until I'd confirmed it.After trying numerous times to reach the restaurant for confirmation, with no reply... and seeing that their telephone number no longer works, I have finally come to accept the fact that this restaurant is indeed a thing of the past! Sob! I guess it's time to find a new favourite Maui restaurant! Getting to Chez PaulWell, I suppose since the restaurant has closed, this is pointless... but in case you're curious, or just want to see that cute little building in my pic, here goes...This restaurant was located just 4 miles south of Lahaina alongside the number 30 Honoapiilani Highway, in Olowalu. More articles of interest: 1) Read about some good, casual Maui restaurants that we stumbled onto in Lahaina. 2) Our Top Things to Do On Maui for Relaxation
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