Our trip to Maui last month encompassed lots of active pursuits and, if you’ve been reading my blogs for a while, you won’t be surprised to learn that they were fueled by some delicious meals we sought out at local spots on the island. On this trip Harry and I took a back seat to choosing our meals out, letting the younger generation (daughter Jenny; her boyfriend, Josh; and my niece, Alison) do the research and guide our gustatory explorations. Jenny had read somewhere about Star Noodle, located at the top of a hill on the far eastern side of Lahaina, set in an industrial business park and far removed from the water and tourists. We thought perhaps we were lost until we came upon the building, and we knew we were in for some good eats when we noticed a number of local patrons waiting outside the door for an open table. The 30-minute wait allowed our snorkeling attire to dry and our appetites to sharpen and proved more than worth it. The dining room features seating at the bar (several sakés, cocktails, beer and wine grace the menu, along with nonalcoholic beverages),   a long communal table down the middle, and tables and booths around the perimeter. Chef Sheldon Simeon, a Hilo native, competed on Top Chef and earned two James Beard award nominations for Rising Star Chef of the Year and Best New Restaurant in 2011. His menu includes a number of shared plates (which can be expanded, depending on the size of your party, or halved) and noodle dishes, so we four ordered the Garlic Noodles  (simple yet so satisfying), Kalbi steak   (very savory marinated beef), Pad Thai,   Hot n Sour noodles (amazing combo of smoked prosciutto, shrimp and herbs) and the Vietnamese crepe (served with butter lettuce and meant to be eaten like a lettuce wrap, with a blend of shrimp, pork, nuoc cham and bean sprouts).   Everything is presented beautifully, and each dish shows a skill in combining flavors and textures to arrive at delectable, palate-pleasing bites. The meal sated our post-swim hungries, and we topped it off with sugar-dusted malasadas served with chocolate and butterscotch sauces and crushed peanuts. We opted for a slightly dressier dinner place for our final evening in Maui, but the location would not have clued us in to the good food within. Cuatro shares its parking lot with a grocery store in a strip mall on Kihei’s main drag, and the dining room accommodates less than 20 tables. (Best to call ahead for a reservation.) Current policy is BYOB, with a $10 corkage fee, so we brought along a nice red blend. We shared a plate of crab cakes with an Asian-influenced sauce. They passed my test: moist, flavorful, not overwhelmed with fillers or breading. We each ordered different entrées and found each delicious and generous in proportions. Alison in particular raved about her Asian marinated grilled rib eye steak with chimichurri sauce;  and Harry, usually the big-steak guy, found the Asian-style seafood stir fry (shrimp, scallops, sautéed fish) with Upcountry vegetables satisfyingly filling and flavorful. My  Hawaiian fish of the day was perfectly grilled and delectable in its “Mauiterranean” sauce. With starters in the $10–20 range and entrées $20–30 and influences including the Pacific Rim and Mexico, Cuatro delivers sophisticated flavors with attentive service in a serene setting — albeit an unconventional location! If you visit Maui, you can certainly find some wonderful fine-dining restaurants at the resorts along the West and South shores, but don’t neglect investigating those surprising and satisfying off-the-beaten-track possibilities. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor