Pacific’O – Ocean Front Dining in Lahaina
UNFORTUNATELY DUE TO THE LAHAINA FIRE PACIFIC’O HAS CLOSED
Farm to Table is not a new concept, however it is something society has gotten away from and is something we are finally seeing a return to. People have always grown their own food and bought or traded from nearby farmers. They did this knowing the food they put on their plates and into their bodies was fresh, local, and for the most part, organic. This same food can be in transit for weeks now. With the rise of the Industrial Revolution, refrigeration and the general populous moving into more urbanized areas, food is now being transported thousands of miles and is no longer picked from the farm and served within a day or so. This has a huge impact on Hawaii.
Bringing quality locally sourced ingredients back to the table proves challenging at times, conversely Pacific’O thrives on doing just that. Ocean front on a white sandy beach in Lahaina, Pacific’O was the first restaurant on Maui to endeavor operating its own farm, O’o Farm, with exclusive use for the restaurant. Our Chef is continuously inspired; poised to make original and exotic dishes, not only delicious, but nutritious. Nutrients and flavor dissipate quickly. So the longer the time between harvest and your fork, the more quality is lost. It’s not uncommon to have our produced delivered the day it is harvested and on your plate within hours.
At O’o Farm you we offer guided foot tours of our orchards and gardens, through rows of beets, heirloom carrots, radishes, pole beans, coffee trees etc… In addition to educating our guests on these tours, we often invite them to help gather or harvest our fresh produce and incorporate it into our gourmet lunch. It’s not uncommon for the aromas of our Maui grown coffee beans being freshly roasted, to make their way across the farm. We are proud to showcase our new coffee roasting facility and are now offering a “seed to cup” tour as well.
This time of year inspires unique farm to table creations ultimately building the dish you will see on the cover. Pan seared catch, shimeji mushrooms, brussel sprouts, compressed green apples, cilantro-mint pudding, nata de coco (coconut gells) with a coconut reduction, this is simply a deconstructed version of green curry with fish. Tropical fruits such as banana and pineapple add a subtle sweetness to the sauce, which balances the heat from the green chilies.
In addition to farm to table fare, Pacific’O has long held a reputation for having the freshest fish around. We maintain outstanding relationships with several sports fishing boats and daily the fisherman bring in their freshly caught Mahi Mahi, Ono, Opakapaka and the occasional 200lb Tuna, in through our front doors.
There is never a shortage of exciting seasonably inspired dishes @ pacific’O. We’ll see you soon!
