Jacques North Shore
120 Hana Hwy
Cuisines: Seafood, Asian, Japanese
About
Of the numerous restaurants that have come and gone over the years at this location (right next to Charley's), this eclectic outdoor eatery is my favorite. Jacques is difficult to pin down: Some have called it a hipper, cheaper version of the upscale Mama's Fish House just down the road; others depict it as an atypical Maui dining experience with excellent food and great prices. The clientele tends to be trendy, hard-body windsurfers; blonde surfers; and chic north-shore residents. Visitors who wander in generally leave with a smile. The decor is patio dining under a big circus tent. Some might be distracted by the hostess and servers (20-something beauty queens dressed in barely-there clothes), but the main attraction is the food. Do not miss the North Shore pumpkin fish (fish, bananas, and oranges served with a ginger-pumpkin sauce and miso butter), Greek pasta (roasted bell peppers, roasted garlic, and feta cheese over orecchiette), or one of the fabulous vegetarian entrees like the vegetable curry (with tofu, bananas, and oranges). The sushi bar (closed Sun-Mon) whips up a mean spicy-ahi roll and a died-and-gone-to-heaven California roll.
