Jaunted

Airports

Aloha-Mex at EWR: Smashmouth Delish

November 30, 2006 at 12:56 PM | 1 Comment

(Alex Salkever is the editor of Hawaii travel blog Hawaiirama and a general travel maven on all things Hawaii. He also spends a lot of time in NYC and writes about it.)

There are two great things about Newark's Liberty International Airport with regard to Hawaii. First, Continental flies a daily non-stop to and from Honolulu from/to EWR. This flight is by far the most comfortable, hassle-free way to travel between Oahu and the Eastern US (if you are going outer island, you may do just as well changing planes on the West Coast for a non-stop to Maui, Kauai or the Big Island). The other great thing about Newark's airport is the presence of Maui Tacos in Concourse C. This is one of 18 franchises of the Maui-based Hawaii-Mex chain founded in 1993 by celeb chef Mark Ellman of Avalon and Mala Wharf fame.

The burritos at Maui Tacos are chunky, large and not greasy at all. The highlight, however, is their stupendous fixings bar with six kinds of fresh salsa, fresh cilantro, onions, lime slices, escabeche, and even pickled jalapenos. The salsas are outrageously good and somewhat unique. Our favorite is the chile arbol spiked with pineapple juice--it's a velvet glove of a condiment that sings sweetly then smashmouths you with a wicked blow to the palate. Your seatmate may not appreciate the meal, but for a long flight, and considering the generally crappy cuisine that airline food remains, a go box from Maui Tacos is a primo way to fuel up at the airport. The Newark outpost is open from 6 am to 9 pm; entrees typically run from $3-$10.

[Photo: roenke47]