Mama's Fish House is nowhere near any of Maui's major resorts yet it's a rare visitor that doesn't dine at Mama's. The food is excellent and the service friendly, but so it is at many more conveniently located places. The big attraction has to be something else.
Situated on an isolated stretch of sandy beach, it conjures the perfect vision of a tropical hideaway. I've been to Mama's when the sea churns violently as if thrashing through nightmare visions, spewing high into the air on the surrounding rocks and lava tubes. I've also been there when the ocean laps gently onto the beach under the coconut groves that form Mama's front yard. In spite of the ocean's fickleness, Mama's remains supremely predictable. Just one thing. Where did the classic woodie go that used to act as the road sign for Mama's?
I forgot to ask. As I made my way down the path formed from cleverly designed interlocking gecko-shaped tiles, past the tiki gods and torches to the reservation desk, a thatched roof hut typically mobbed with waiting visitors, I was already so happy I forgot to worry about the missing surf mobile.
I tried once to figure out the site plan and architecture of Mama's. It looks like an added-on beach house. A few rooms have really large umbrellas for roofs and bamboo screens for walls that form the many separate dining areas. It would be a mess in lesser hands, but here the warm native wood floors, the tapa cloths, the beams and paneling pull it all together for a warm, upscale look. There's much to see while you wait even when the views outside go dark; vintage Hawaii posters, all sorts of Hawaiiana and locally made works of art.
Fish rules at Mama's. Sashimi, poke and fresh island fish are served with wonderful Pacific Rim flavorings and locally grown ingredients such as maui onions, paholo fern, roasted kukui nut, fresh hearts of palm, pineapple and lettuce and tomatoes organically grown vegetables from nearby Haiku farms.
Each day Mama's excitedly informs you who caught the fish you are eating and where on the island they snagged it. One of the specialties of the house is the mahimahi and luau leaf cooked in a ti bundle and opened at your table old Hawaiian style. If you'd like to try something other than fish order the duck cooked with lemongrass and bok choy or the filet and Kona lobster served with macadamia nut pesto potatoes. My mouth waters to write about it.
Mama's is the dream come true for the Christenson family who founded it after traveling extensively through Polynesia and falling in love with flavors and sights of this region. Hard to believe now, but when Mama's opened her doors in 1973, it was the first fresh fish restaurant here. That more than anything explains the enduring appeal of this Maui classic and reminds us of the importance of following your dreams.