Thursday, November 06, 2008

Gone But Not Forgotten

I heart Google!

Google is like all the libraries I ever wanted to visit, and it’s at my fingertips.

Average weight of a gooney bird? 53,000 pounds.

Oh, hang on, that’s an airplane, not the bird. Well, at least it’s an answer.

So, you’re wondering where this is going and in the spirit of humanity I’m going to tell you.

The other day I was reminiscing about a restaurant I visited many, many years ago and wondered if it was still there. A quick Google search informed me that it wasn’t.

Long gone.

Kaput.

Too bad, actually. I’ve only visited Hawaii once and that was almost too long ago for anyone to remember. But, I do recall vividly returning to our condo along the beach around sunset and discussing where to go for dinner.

As we strolled up the beach we saw lights, heard laughter and music. A small sign said:


Crab Catcher
beach entrance


Hey, we thought, we could go in for a pre-dinner drink, relax a bit, and figure out where to have dinner.

Of course, you know what happened. The Crab Catcher turned out to be one of those magical restaurants you visit by serendipity in which each moment is eclipsed by a better moment until you finally can’t stand it.

The Crab Catcher was all that and more.

We were seated at a little table on the patio overlooking the Pacific. The sun was setting. Another sunset in paradise. How many had we seen? Many, but this one was spectacular.

Golden and pink clouds. Sun reflecting across the still waters of the Pacific. Incredible smells of cooking food. A bottle or three of wine.

Yep, a typical Hawaiian sunset.

A drink led to appetizers which led to the dinner menu which led to dinner.

I recall having a very nicely grilled tuna steak with grilled, local, vegetables. And, not too filling, because this was a rare occasion we opted for dessert and what a dessert it was.

Macadamia nut turtle pie. Macadamia nuts with macadamia nut ice cream with chocolate ice cream and a graham cracker crust with chocolate syrup and, well, I fainted after the first bite but it might have had caramel and whipped cream.

All I remember is the dessert going down. The wine going down. The sun going down.

At the end we slumped in our chairs and I might have asked the waiter if we could just sleep the night here. I think he was cool with it.

The Crab Catcher. Maui, Hawaii.

Gone but not forgotten.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Sea Captain's House, Myrtle Beach SC.

Prompted by your post, I had to check-happy to report that it is still open.

Same serendipitous experience. I can still taste that She Crab Soup. Mmmmm.

Jodie said...

I remember places like that! We found one by accident on a drive around the big island.

Anonymous said...

Sun Do chinese restaurant, Sevenoaks, Kent, UK.

First visit sometime in 1985, last one just over 5 years ago. I'm hoping it will still be there when we move back to the UK.

Oh, and make it set meal C with duck.

RANGER said...

It's still there: The Willows restaurant, Oahu, Hawaii.
One can dine at tables on a wooden pier set out over the water. If you throw some bread to the fish swimming below, they are so full that they just nose it and ask if you don't have any lobster, instead.