Mamas Fish House

07/09/09

$100 View, $0.50 quality, $0.10 customer service

by Mattson1

The location and view are top quality; with an ambience that requires a modest tweek to be "fine dining" material. The meal was a 7 out of 10.....Hey, when the entree prices rival those of high-end charity events, the meals MUST be truly outstanding to warrant higher praise.

The customer service is of McDonalds quality; my car was valet parked (mandatory at this restaurant) and returned to me with a 1.5 inch gash. The manager claimed his people are "above reproach and 100% honest" and apologized profusely for this unfortunate situation, but sadly, admitted he was "powerless" to "do" anything about it. Repeated calls to the establishments vice president (as suggested my the manager) were met with deafening silence. I was left to cover the repair cost by the rental agency (who actually recommended the restaurant).

Overall, a very frustrating experience ruining a perfectly good day during our honeymoon; a very expensive meal indeed.

BTW, a top notch meal was had at Stella Blues in Kihei; for about half the price!! Now that's a real quality restaurant!!

• Pros: View
• Cons: Zero Customer Service

03/04/09

Very good experience!

by lalakitty

On our first trip to Maui we decided to have a special dinner at Mama's. We made a reservation for 5:45 so we could watch the sky darken over the ocean (you can't actually see the sunset from this location, but it's beautiful just the same). We were seated immediately at a table one back from the windows, as it wasn't yet too crowded. We ordered drinks and the lobster and avocado appetizer w/taro chips, which was yummy. I ordered a curry dish w/three types of fish (ahi, opah, mahimahi) that came w/a small side plate of chutney, diced bananas and macadamia nuts. It was out of this world! Perfectly cooked and an ample amount of food for me (and I can eat). My husband got the opah w/caramelized maui onion. He said it was exactly what he was hoping it would be: flavorful, well-seasoned, and perfectly cooked. We enjoyed a leisurely meal, listening to in-house music system, mixed w/the sounds of the surf and voices of other patrons.

Our service was, overall, quite satisfactory. We weren't rushed or constantly hassled. In fact, it seemed that two other waiters serving nearby tables kept an eye out for opportunities to assist us (more water, etc.). My main issue was our server was a little lax in her duties. She seemed to disappear after our meals were served. She also didn't seem as eager to anticipate our needs (possibly the other waiters knew this, so were trying to help compensate?). We didn't let it bother us too much, since we were enjoying our food and the atmosphere so much.

Drinks were good, though expensive. Based on others' reviews and our assessment of the available options, we chose the Tahitian Black Pearl Dessert. It's both pretty to look at and tasty, and after such a filling and wonderful meal, it wasn't too heavy (I hate a dessert that sits in your belly like a rock afterwards).

Overall, a wonderful dining experience, if expensive. Be prepared to drop a good amount of money on dinner (~$150 for 2p). Go early to avoid serious crowds.

• Pros: Ambiance, Food, View

02/09/09

Still drooling over the macadamia-nut-crusted mahi mahi

by cpevey

OK, yeah, it's expensive. The Hawaiian fish chowder was a great way to start the meal. The curry was flavorful. And the crab-stuffed, macadamia-nut-crusted mahi mahi with lobster tail was fresh. Service was very attentive. Nice view of the ocean. You only live once, so go.

• Pros: It's DELICIOUS!
• Cons: It's EXPEN$IVE!