Sharon Sparlin: FEAST AT LELE

This 3-hour luau was the culmination of a 44^th wedding anniversary week which began in Oahu at the Pro Bowl 2016 game. Lele is the ancient name for Lahaina and we found ourselves on the same beach where the royal family of Maui would feast and entertain. The Feast at Lele represented a musical and 5-course culinary journey of the islands of Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti and Samoa and was, by far, one of the best luau experiences we have ever had.

We arrived a little early to just enjoy our Mai Tai and admire the ocean view. For your designated drivers there were also delicious non-alcoholic juices available.

At 6:00pm, Mai Tai in hand, we began the seating process. As we started down the ramp to the beach sounds from a three-member ukulele group filled the air. We each received a beautiful purple fresh flower lei and were then escorted to our private table, 2^nd row and just to the left of center stage. Banana & sweet potato chips served with a tropical ginger & ogo seaweed salsa awaited us at our table. I loved the fact that we were seated at our own table, right on the beach with a slight tropical breeze and gorgeous sunset. Everything about it screamed romantic.

While others were being seated we strolled leisurely down to the waters edge to enjoy the spectacular Maui sunset. Here you can also opt to have professional photos taken with the sunset as your backdrop.

Once we were back at our table our assigned server and drink runner jumped to attention, attending to our every request. “I’ll have a Blue Hawaii” I requested of our drink runner only to discover I didn’t like the taste. He suggested the Lava Flow so I gave that a try. This is basically a strawberry pina colada and goes down extremely easy. Any and all beverages are included in the price of your ticket so I found it fun to experiment with the different drinks. If you are planning on having adult beverages however, you must present your ID so be sure to bring it along.

Everything is served right at your table so there is no need to move once you sit down, unlike your typical luau. The Feast at Lele is a 5 course fixed menu, served family style at your individual table and sprinkled with a 5-7 minute performance between each course. The food preparation is well thought out and takes you through four different regional flavors. Each region comes with three plates of food showcasing some of the regional specialties.

My favorite dish throughout the evening hailed from the island of New Zealand and consisted of a medley of stewed mushrooms and onions served on orange and purple sweet potato accompanied by a 5-hour island scented braised short rib in a kiwi fruit soy jus. Absolutely melt in your mouth beef. My next favorite dish was from the island of Samoa and consisted of grilled mango ginger chicken with a Tahitian vanilla aoli & mango relish. Just as a side not , I could not recommend this for young children. Not because of the $125 price tag but because the menu is fixed and you won't be able to order 'mac and cheese' for them.

Between each course you are entertained by a 5-7 minute dance from each of the four different Polynesian cultures that corresponds to the culinary experience you just enjoyed. The dance troupe is relatively small and they perform all of the different island dances. Even with all the costume and makeup changes, they were very enthusiastic and energetic and their personalities added immensely to the overall experience.