My sister and her sister-in-law had been a few days earlier and couldn’t stop raving about it. So even though it involved getting off of the beach and putting on real clothes it seemed like a worthwhile adventure.  And the only thing better than a ladies lunch adventure with one little mommy is one with two!

We drove out past Paia on the road to Hana (Mama’s is just outside of Paia, so we stopped before the drive got too interesting).  As soon as we got out of the car we were delighted by this magical little tropical escape.  We walked down a little palm tree-lined path with the ocean on our right.  The open front of the restaurant was on our left.  The entrance was at the far end, opposite the parking lot which gave us a welcome little stroll after our car trip.

The restaurant had that amazing, tropical, polished wood look.  It was dark and cozy and open and airy at the same time.  All of the servers wore fresh flowers in their hair and there were amazing flower arrangements everywhere you looked.

Mama’s is known for its local fresh fish, which is brought in daily.  The menu proudly lists the name of the fisherman who caught whatever is on the menu that day.  Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper “ladies who lunch” lunch without cocktails.

Our waitress gave such a sweet performance.  She was very animated and enthusiastically recommended several dishes.  Based on her suggestions, for our appetizers we had a Hawaiian ceviche with Opakapaka and mango and a Maui venison that was seared and served over a kale slaw (both of which I forgot to photograph but trust me they looked as good as they tasted).  For our main dishes, I had the stuffed fish, mom had the ginger-steamed Opakapaka, and mom-in-law had the Ahi and Mahi-Mahi in Panang curry.  Even though I enjoyed my main dish, I sort-of regret not ordering one of the waitress’s recommendations because her appetizer suggestions were so fantastic.

Even though we were all properly stuffed at this point, we knew that we couldn’t leave without trying the coconut cake.  The last coconut cake that I remember having was a very heavy and decadent, Southern style coconut cake.  This was the complete opposite – it was like eating a delicious, coconut-flavored cloud.

I love a good ladies-who-lunch date!

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