PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Merriman's is peerless. Although founder/owner/chef Peter Merriman now commutes between the Big Island and Maui, where he runs the Hula Grill, he manages to maintain the sizzle that has made Merriman's a premier Hawaii attraction. Order anything from Chinese short ribs to a goat-cheese-and-eggplant sandwich for lunch; at dinner, choose from the signature wok-charred ahi, kung pao shrimp, lamb from nearby Kahua Ranch, and a noteworthy vegetarian selection. Among my favorites are the Caesar salad with sashimi, Pahoa corn and shrimp fritters, and the sautéed sesame-crusted fresh catch with spicy lilikoi sauce. Kalua-pig quesadillas and the famous platters of seafood and meats are among the many reasons this is still the best, and busiest, dining spot in Waimea.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Hawaii 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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