Isana — Restaurant in Maui

I’m happy to report I can turn my frown upside down for my review almost a decade ago.

The spouse said we’re going to Isana for a friend’s birthday dinner. I silently exhaled with disappointment as while I do enjoy some varieties of sushi, it’s not my favorite type of cuisine.

ATMOSPHERE: Gone is the upstairs loft bar and seating area. The space looks lightly renovated, with the teppanyaki-style hood vents throughout, though they’re all decommissioned but still present.

RESERVATIONS: Recommended as they’re pretty popular.

PARKING: Extremely limited with no overflow options nearby. The lot behind the restaurant is for the condo that shares the property. There are some unofficial street stalls on the shoulder of S Kihei Rd., but it’s on sand/dirt and is part of the beach park.

MENU: Strong list of booze & mocktails, sushi, tempura, ramen, salads, seafood/meat/poultry entrées (yay), desserts.

BEVERAGE: Menehune Mule - $14.00 The bartender forewarned me that theirs has no ginger beer in it, instead replaced with a homemade ginger simple syrup. I concurred. It was good but a mule definitely needs ginger beer with its signature cough-inducing fizz and intense flavor.

Hokule’a - $14.00 Served martini-style, this was really refreshing and well-balanced all around. The pineapple flavor wasn’t overpowering either, a plus for me. Two yums up!

Lilo N Sip - $14.00 The tiki-faced glass and mint green contents brought oohs and ahhs from the table. Finished blended, it was thick, creamy and very milkshake-like. Another highly recommended bev.

Shiso Cool - $13.00 I had a DD, thank you very much. Ice cold with crunchy bits of ice swimming around, another winner that was more tart than sweet. And, an anglerfish-like fin ray sported a candied piece of ginger at the end which was excellent to chew on and enjoy throughout the drink.

FOOD: I partook in a few sushi dishes ordered for the table, including California, shrimp tempura and unagi rolls - all were good. But, my favorite was definitely the Ribeye Steak Pupu, a sizzling platter of tender steak, mushrooms and onions. I was intent on ordering the Garlic Prawn Noodles but I was pretty content by then.

SERVICE: Everyone was terrific! Even with our large party, everything went smoothly with no hiccups. They were so lax about splitting checks too, thank you!

OVERALL: My stomach gets a whole lot happier when there’s more than sushi...

We made reservations for my 3 year old daughters birthday and told them ahead of time when making the reservation about the birthday celebration. When we first got there everyone was very friendly and said happy birthday to my little 3 year old angel. In fact our server was very kind and helpful and the manager was as well. The sushi was good for the most part especially the locally fresh fish. They have many other dishes as well if you don't want to eat raw fish like steak and kalbi. At the end of the meal we were expecting a small dessert for our little 3 year old birthday girl but there was none. After we paid for our meal we asked about it and the server said she didn't know it was a birthday celebration and apologized then went to give us a to go dessert. I guess there was a miscommunication between the server and hostess. Why I gave a 1☆ is because while we were waiting for the dessert a heavy set local looking woman with tattoos that was the hostess working named Nanda got into my wifes and grandmothers face with a mean look and said "so what!" The hostess Nanda didn't apologize and her attitude was shocking,rude and mean. I didn't want to cause a scene because I was holding my daughter so kept a smile on my face just wanting to leave the horrible feeling Nanda was giving to us. I dont even know why the hostess Nanda was approaching us because that was not her position to do so, it should have been the Manager to approach us. The manager was fairly quiet and standoffish but seemed alot more kind about the situation. We ended up getting a small ice cream and left. I think they should get rid of Nanda because one bad apple will ruin the bunch and could ruin the reputation of an establishment. I hope Nanda the hostess will treat others more professionally in her next job that she gets. God bless! There is no need to call and talk about it, your team should know how to...

If you ever decide to eat at a sushi restaurant, never sit at a table, always go to the sushi bar and sit with the chef that will prepare your sushi.

As we entered, the hostess told us there were no tables available and we were fine as we asked to be seated at the sushi bar (not drink bar). We were lucky to be seated in front of chef Ylone. He is an amazing sushi chef.

We ordered the following: -- "oyster shooters": Goes down very smoothly. The sake was smooth and the oyster was delicate (not tough at all). -- "spicy yellowtail roll": Light rice outside. The seaweed was a bit tough to bite through. The yellowtail was very buttery -- "amberjack nigiri": Forgot what leaf was used in between the rice and fish, but it was very fresh and added a different flavoring. The ponzu mix was better as a choice over the standard soy+wasabi. The fish is a bit tougher then salmon or yellowtail. -- "yellowtail sashimi": Since the yellowtail roll was so buttery, we ordered the sashimi and were treated with the belly part. SO GOOD! This tasted like toro (fatty tuna belly). The best dish of the night! -- "spicy salmon roll": The fish is fresh, and the consistency of rice to fish was well split. Light rice, thick cuts of salmon. -- "amberjack sashimi": Tougher fish. Would not recommend if you also don't like red fish (like tilapia or a geoduck). We may skip this next time, as we may try tuna instead. -- 2x rum cocktails: not strong/heavy at all. A nice pairing with light/whiter sashimi.

In short, we would recommend if you decide to come here, sit in front of your chef, like Ylone, who gets to know you and have some great recommendations as well as preparation and gets to understand what you may like.

Definitely a great experience, thanks Ylone & Isana!! We...