They came, they ate, they voted and here you have it: Maui No Ka Oi's readers choice restaurant favorites. Below you'll find the top two in 25 different dining categories from Best Place to Eat in a Swim Suit to Most Romantic. For detailed contact info, maps to restaurant, or past years' winners log onto www.mauimagazine.net. Bon Appetite! 

Restaurant of the Year 
1. The Banyan Tree at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, (808) 669-6200 
2. Mama's Fish House, Kuau, (808) 579-8488 

Chef of the Year 
Bev Gannon, Haliimaile General Store and Joe's Bar & Grill 

Best Service 
1. David Paul's Lahaina Grill, Lahaina, (808) 667-5117 
2. Nick's Fishmarket at Fairmont Kea Lani Maui, Wailea, (808) 879-7224 

Best New Restaurant 
1. Pineapple Grill, Kapalua, (808) 669-9600 
2. Mala Ocean Tavern, Lahaina, (808) 667-9394 

Best Waterfront Dining 
1. Mama's Fish House, Kuau, (808) 579-8488 
2. Pacific'O, Lahaina, (808) 667-4341 

Most Romantic 
1. Gerard's, Lahaina, (808) 661-8939 
2. Sarento's on the Beach, Kihei, (808) 875-7555 

Best Wine List 
1. David Paul's Lahaina Grill, Lahaina, (808) 667-5117 
2. Longhi's Wailea, The Shops at Wailea, (808) 891-8883 

Best Hawai`i Regional Cuisine 
1. Haliimaile General Store, Haliimaile, (808) 572-2666 
2. Roy's Kahana Bar & Grill, (808) 669-6999 

Best Asian 
1. A Saigon Café, Wailuku, (808) 243-9560 
2. Tokyo Tei, Wailuku, (808) 242-9630 

Best Dinner Value 
1. Penne Pasta, Lahaina, (808) 661-6633 
2. A Saigon Café, Wailuku, (808) 243-9560 

Best Lobby Lounge 
1. Lobby Lounge, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, (808) 669-6200 
2. Lobby Lounge, Four Seasons, Wailea, (808) 874-8000 

Best Vegetarian Fare 
1. Mala Ocean Tavern, Lahaina, (808) 667-9394 
2. (tie) Joy's Place, Kihei, (808) 879-9258 
2. (tie) Fresh Mint, Paia, (808) 579-9144 

Most "Maui-est" 
1. Aloha Mixed Plate, Lahaina, (808) 661-3322 
2. Mama's Fish House, Kuau, (808) 579-8488 

Best Business Lunch 
1. Tommy Bahama's Tropical Cafe, The Shops at Wailea, (808) 579-9144 
2. Mala Ocean Tavern, Lahaina, (808) 667-9394 

Best Plate Lunch
1. Aloha Mixed Plate, Lahaina, (808) 661-3322 
2. Da Kitchen, Kahului, (808) 871-7782 

Best Place to Dine with Kids 
1. Barefoot Bar at Hula Grill, Lahaina, (808) 667-6636 
2. Kobe Japanese Steak House, Lahaina, (808) 667-5555

Best Breakfast 
1. Gazebo Restaurant, Napili, (808) 669-5621 
2. The Plantation House Restaurant, Kapalua, (808) 669-6299 
 

Best Cheap Eats 
1. Cilantro Fresh Mexican Grill, Lahaina, (808) 661-9091 
2. Da Kitchen, Kahului, (808) 871-7782 

Most Innovative 
1. Spago, Four Seasons Resort Maui, Wailea, (808) 874-8000 
2. The Banyan Tree at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, (808) 669-6200 

Best-Kept Secret 
1.Class Act, Maui Community College, Kahului, (808) 984-3280 
2. Castaway Cafe, Maui Kaanapali Villas and Resorts, Kaanapali, (808) 661-9091 

Best Dessert 
1. Roy's Kahana Bar & Grill, (808) 669-6999 
2. Haliimaile General Store, Haliimaile, (808) 572-2666 

Best Luau 
1. Old Lahaina Luau, Lahaina, (808) 667-0700 
2. Feast at Lele, Lahaina, (808) 667-5353 

Best Sushi 
1. Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, multiple locations, (808) 669-6286 
2. Kai at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, (808) 669-6200 

Best Late-Night Dining 
1. Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, multiple locations, (808) 669-6286 
2. Lahaina Coolers, Lahaina, (808) 661-7082 

Best Place to Eat in a Bathing Suit 
1. Barefoot Bar at Hula Grill, Kaanapali, (808) 667-6636 
2. Aloha Mixed Plate, Lahaina, (808) 661-3322 

Best Pau Hana 
1. Hula Grill, Kaanapali, (808) 667-6636 
2. Tommy Bahama's Tropical 

Mauians are revitalizing natural habitats. They are reawakening ancient taro patches. Some are preserving precious marine resources. Others are sharing authentic Hawaiian cultural experiences. All are part of the same fabric. And the quilt they are weaving is called Malama Maui - "to nurture Maui."

SEA AND LAND ON MAUI: ECOLOGY AND HAWAIIAN VALUES CO-EXIST HARMONIOUSLY

As every Maui visitor who ever donned a snorkel mask knows, the near shore waters of this popular island are teeming with life. In reef areas, colorful fish of myriad shapes spiral and dart around swimmers. Moray eels peek out from dark crevices, and sea turtles float past like great underwater birds. But first time snorkelers often view all of this in a kind of dazzled ignorance. It's not immediately apparent that this coastal world is unique on the planet, that it is fragile, and that it is vital to Maui's traditional island culture. 

Thoughtful visitors to Maui Nui, which includes the neighboring islands of Moloka`i and Lana`i, find that a little education really sharpens the view through the glass of their snorkel masks. And that education makes them allies in the growing community effort to malama - care for and
protect - the precious resource of island reef and coastal ecology. 

Marine biologist Ann Fielding has spent the past 20 years showing Maui visitors that this "education" is a thrilling, uplifting experience. The approach she and her trained guides at Snorkel Maui take is eminently simple: meet a marine expert at the shoreline and let them give you a personal tour. With them, you do more than stare at fish; you meet individual animals and watch them engage their environments. A cleaner wrasse with a regular station among the coral heads receives fishy "customers" and nibbles off their parasites. Beak-mouthed parrot fish chew on coral and excrete beach sand. After a few introductions like these, the snorkeler realizes what a privilege it is to float for a time in that other world. 

"Knowledgeable guides give context to what people are seeing," says Ann. "They show the animals as individuals with interesting lives rather than mindless blobs floating in the water or sitting on the bottom." 

One-fourth of the fish in Maui's coastal waters are unique to the Hawaiian Islands. Many other common species are uncommon elsewhere. This ecological uniqueness mirrors the same situation on dry land, where endemic plants and animals evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. Maui's reefs, just as much as its remote mountain peaks, represent a delicate treasure of the Earth's natural environment. 

The reefs are also vitally important to traditional Hawaiian culture, which not only harvests the fish and limu (seaweed) but also venerates these creatures, giving them important symbolism in chants and myths. Before it was disrupted by the outside world, Hawaiian culture depended on daily interaction with the shoreline, the all-important zone where "wai" (fresh water in mountain streams) met "kai" (salt water of the sea). By diverting wai into shallow terraced beds called lo`i, they grew their staple crop taro. This wai then spilled from the lo`i and tumbled into the sea, mingling with the kai, where the taro farmer laid his traps and nets or perhaps built a fishpond. Thus, the "wai-kai" zone was essential to the industrious Hawaiian, who was both farmer and fisherman on any given day. 

Most Hawaiians lived by the shore, but even if they lived inland, Hawaiian culture preserved this shore based economy through the ahupua`a system. The traditional land division of native society, an ahupua`a stretched from the top of the mountain down to the shore. The job of the local konohiki (land baron), was to see that the flow of goods between sea and land was extended to all who lived in the district. In this way, the vital coastline remained the center of life throughout the land. 

There are a number of ways that Maui visitors can expand their appreciation of shoreline ecosystems. In fact, there are more all the time. As the island grows, we're seeing a grassroots effort to enhance awareness and conservation of these natural resources. For Maui, this awareness is the wave of the future. 

In Kihei, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary continues to improve as a resource in marine education. The newest of the nation's marine sanctuaries, this one serves primarily as a federal education and research station for humpback whale studies. Its Sanctuary Education Center, open weekdays with no admission charge, provides an ever growing number of exhibits and a regular schedule of informative talks. 

This is the place to find out about one of the greatest success stories of the "Malama Maui" cause — the protection of the humpback whale population, which had been dwindling ever since the period of American whaling ventures in the 19th century. These gigantic, singing cetaceans come every winter to the waters of Maui Nui, where they calve and mate. Thanks to a concerted global effort, much of it centered on Maui, these amazing animals have reversed their slide toward extinction and increase in numbers every year. 

But it's an ancient fishpond, even more than the humpback whales, that's igniting restoration fervor at the Kihei Sanctuary these days. K?`ie`ie Fishpond is a superb example of the loko i`a, a technological innovation of days now forgotten. Few of these old fishponds remain: expertly crafted stone walls that enclose (in this case) three acres of seawater where Hawaiians conveniently bred the most delectable type of fish. This loko i`a in Kihei, right offshore from the Sanctuary, is so old that when Kamehameha landed here with his invading armies in the late 18th Century, no one could tell the Big Island chief who had originally built the clever pen. Kamehameha had his warriors restore the fishpond, but the site fell into obscurity until the Sanctuary decided to repair it with the help of local Hawaiians, especially Kimokeo (Bully) Kapahulehua. The Sanctuary's slogan for this ongoing work is "revitalize a wall; revitalize a culture." 

Speaking of fishponds, similar restoration projects are taking place on Moloka`i. This island has the world's most spectacular collection of loko i`a — almost 60 of them, one after the other, stretching for miles along the south shore. For this construction, the ancients took advantage of the Moloka`i's enormous shallow reef (the largest reef system in the United States). Some of these loko i`a are hidden now in mangrove thickets, but most markedly visible from the air and from the island's main road. Kayakers like to explore them as they paddle the reef area. None of these fishponds have been put back to work raising food — yet — but they represent a true achievement in prehistoric engineering technology. 

Speaking of technological achievements, Maui Ocean Center in Ma`alaea is one of the finest, most advanced aquariums you'll find, and it's a superb place for learning about Maui's off shore environment. The sea creatures who live here in the aquarium's ingenious displays are simply temporary guests. Gathered right off shore, they are returned to the wild as soon as they show signs of displeasure with their artificial homes. The displays are mesmerizing. Miniature ones hang on the wall like museum art. One large vertical column of Plexiglas is filled with jellyfish that rise and sink in a slow ballet. The highlight of the visit is a stroll through the middle of a 750,000-gallon tank that holds a spinning world of sharks, sting-rays ... and occasional scuba divers who want the thrill of hand-feeding clams to a lot of very wild sea creatures. 

Nearby at Ma`alaea Harbor Village, the Pacific Whale Foundation offers a number of programs to increase public understanding of Maui's marine environment. These include free "information stations" - one for the humpback whales at the McGregor Point lookout on the Pali (cliff) drive to Lahaina; the other focusing on coral reefs with tidepool hikes at `Ulua Beach in Wailea. The nonprofit foundation is still improving its new Ocean Science Discovery Center at the Ma`alaea site. 

Other nonprofit groups are working for shoreline awareness by organizing community volunteers to monitor coastal conditions and to educate visitors. For example, Project S.E.A.-Link, a local partner of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) has Kanaka Malama Kai ("Ocean Caretakers") who serve as roving marine naturalists at popular snorkel sites. Another group, the Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, is providing on-site interpretation at the Natural Area Reserve of `Ahihi-Kina`u in South Maui. 

Moloka`i provides fascinating opportunities for shoreline exploration. Located just a ferry trip or plane hop across the channel from West Maui, Moloka`i is great for kayaking. Paddlers can kayak with guides from Moloka`i Fish & Dive for a deep jungle paddling adventure, penetrating a dense mangrove forest to enter a hidden fishpond where fresh and saltwater mix.

Because Moloka`i's economy is still largely dependent on harvesting the natural resources of the sea, this is the place to learn about traditional interactions of sea and land. The island's few charter boats, nearly all of them stationed at Kaunakakai Wharf, provide showcase the sea as a resource, whether visitors are snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, or whale watching. 

Notable among Moloka`i's skippers is Walter Naki, who departs from Halawa Valley at the island's East End and tackles the rough, cliff lined North Shore in his sturdy 21-foot Boston Whaler. Walter's own family roots go back to remote and now uninhabited Wailau Valley. He delights in stopping at the valley to take people ashore for evidence of traditional Hawaiian living in daily relationship to the sea. 

However they do it, visitors to Maui Nui should give themselves some kind of introductory education in the life and times of the vibrant marine environment. The best companies will provide at least some of that education. 

Brian Yesland of Keli`i Kayak Tours on Maui concurs. "We educate people how the reef system works and give a certain basic reef etiquette - don't touch the coral, don't chase the sea turtles." His company takes groups of eight or fewer people in low impact "paddle boats" that launch from pristine coastal spots at Makena, Olowalu, and Honolua Bay. "We think visitors should experience a good, structured outing at least one time before they go on their own to the marine conservation areas."

Here is an ecologically minded and deep way to discover Maui Nui: start with a learning plunge into the reef world, with mind alert to the natural complexity of this aquatic world, learning from guides who know and care. Then venture forth to the spectacular marine preserves, such as `Ahihi-Kina`u in South Maui, Honolua Bay (best in summer) at the West End, or Hulopo`e Bay, one of the planet's most amazing marine environments, just a ferry trip across the channel to Lana`i. 

Being mindful of the natural and cultural heritage of these places, you will not only magnify your enjoyment but also join the common cause of these islands - to malama (care for) Maui. 

BEAMING UP TO HALEAKALA AND UPCOUNTRY, MAUI

The drive to the summit of Haleakala, the enormous dormant volcano that dominates the island of Maui, can be compared to driving from the sub-tropical beaches of Mexico to the forests of Alaska in two hours -- and then arriving on the moon. As the road winds upward, the changes in climate, mood and vegetation are dramatic. Swaying tropical palms give way to pines, eucalyptus and even giant redwoods. The scents are invigorating, the panoramas breathtaking.

The name Haleakala means House of the Sun. More than 1 million people a year make the pilgrimage to the top of the mountain to watch the sun as it seemingly rises from within the volcanic crater and ignites the eerie landscape in hues of umber, amber, rose and jade. The beauty of the dawn sears the soul. 

It was here in this place that Maui, superman of Hawaiian myth, lassoed the sun and made it travel more slowly across the sky, giving Mauians more sunshine to enjoy the day.

Haleakala's summit crater, 3,000 feet deep and 21 miles around, is large enough to hold the island of Manhattan, skyscrapers and all. It harbors plants, such as the magnificent silversword, and wildlife found no place else on the planet. The strange vastness is so much like the face of the moon that the American astronauts trained here for their lunar landing. They placed a prism on the moon, and laser light beams are bounced to it from Science City, a research facility atop the volcano. The roundtrip takes two seconds.

Horseback tours, 32 miles of hiking trails, and a few cabins and campsites make the crater accessible. The entire summit is part of Haleakala National Park. 

The drive to the 10,023-foot summit, through the area known as Upcountry Maui, is as much a part of the experience as the crater itself. The slopes of the mountain are quilted in colorful, fragrant flower farms. Because of the cool elevation, carnations, roses and the glorious protea thrive. Many farmers welcome visitors and will ship flowers to their homes. The University of Hawaii offers free self-guided walking tours of its 34-acre experimental garden. Upcountry botanical gardens grow everything from orchids to Christmas trees. 
 

Surrounding the fields of flowers are rolling green meadows where paniolo, Hawaiian cowboys, ride the range. The biggest event of the year in Upcountry is the Makawao Parade and Rodeo on the Fourth of July. Smaller rodeos are held regularly year round. 

Historic Ulupalakua Ranch uncorked a new era when they planted grapes. Their Tedeschi Winery now produces a fine brut champagne, Maui Blanc de Noirs, which has been served at Presidential Inaugural Balls in Washington D.C. Tours are conducted of the winery and vineyards, ending in the tasting room, where a discouraging word is seldom heard.

From earliest times, the Hawaiians farmed the fertile Upcountry fields, growing taro and sweet potato. When the whaling fleets arrived in the early nineteenth century, they switched to Irish potatoes to supply the ships. Upcountry farmers fed the 49ers during the California Gold Rush. When the American Civil War broke out, the Union Army, cut off from its Dixie sources, marched into battle in uniforms of Maui cotton. 

The most famous food crop today is the Maui onion, so sweet it can almost be eaten like an apple. It is prominently featured on island menus.

The biggest little town in Upcountry is Makawao, the center of ranching country. Cowboys still ride their horses down the rustic main street, but now they're as likely to pass by a thriving art gallery or craft emporium as an old feed, grain and saddle shop. 

Leading the art trend is the Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center holding classes, exhibits, and workshops by prominent artists on the grounds of a gracious Upcountry estate. 

One of the great treasures of the area can be discovered in a small white octagonal church in Kula, newly restored to jewel-like perfection. Its magnificent altar was a gift to the Portuguese plantation workers of Maui from the king and queen of Portugal.

Several fine restaurants have taken hold in Upcountry, in Makawao, Kula, Pukalani and Haliimaile. Stop by for the big, unabashedly caloric and dangerously delicious cream puffs at Komoda's Bakery in Makawao.

It is safe to say that no other place in the world offers both down-to-earth and out-of-this-world experiences in a place called the House of the Sun that looks like the face of the moon.

This delicious dish has been supplied 
by Jacky Pluton, the Fairway Gourmet.THIS NEEDS TO BE CHANGED FOR SPRING 07

2# Fresh Scallops 4 ea Shallots, finely minced (or 1 small red onion)
½# fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed, chopped 
3 Tablespoons finely minced, peeled fresh ginger
¼ cup Shao xing rice wine (available from Asian specialty grocery stores) -or dry white wine 
1 Tablespoon chives, minced 
½ Bunch Cilantro, stems and leaves,
Finely chopped Salt and ground black pepper to taste 
2 packages Pot sticker or Gyoza wrappers (available from Asian specialty grocery stores) 
½ cup canola oil 

1) Clean the scallops by removing the tough muscle off the sides. Set aside.
2) Sauté the mushrooms, ginger, and shallots in 1 tablespoon of the canola oil on high heat until
fragrant and tender.
3) Deglaze with the shao xing wine and cook until all the wine has evaporated and then remove
from the heat.
4) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a plate, and cool in the refrigerator.
5) Place the scallops in a food processor and pulse a few times so the mix is coarsely chopped, not pureed (alternately, chop the scallops by hand until they resemble the texture of ground beef). Transfer the chopped scallops to a mixing bowl.
6) Fold the chilled mushroom mix and remaining ingredients in by hand and season again with salt and pepper. 
7) Place 1 tbsp of the mix into the center of each wrapper, brush the entire edge with water and fold the wrapper in half to form a half moon shape. Crimp the edges together with the edge of a fork to seal. 
8) Steam the pot stickers in a lightly oiled steamer basket for 4 minutes.
9) Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath: to a large mixing bowl add ice cubes and cold water to fill.
10) Transfer the cooked pot stickers to the ice bath and allow them to cool for 5 minutes, no more, or they will become soggy.
11) Drain them well on folded kitchen towels.
12) Use your fingers or a pastry brush to lightly coat each pot sticker with canola oil.

Note: the dumplings will keep well, if covered tightly and refrigerated, for up to three days at this
point, or in the freezer for up to two weeks.