Although I’ve been dining in the space at 62 Market Street for years, I’m really excited about its newest rebirth into SixtyTwo MarcKet, a restaurant by chef Marc McDowell and Larry Badua. The menu has excellent options that fill a niche Wailuku doesn’t have right now, serving breakfast, lunch, and a brunch buffet. It’s all focused around fresh seasonal cuisine, creatively expressed in the kitchen.
“We emphasize our strong ties with our farmer, rancher friends, from the restaurant decoration to the menu design, to our logo design,” says chef McDowell. “We only use the freshest ingredients of the day to prepare the meal. Also, we want to re-emphasize the concept of seasonal cuisine. Although Maui does not have definite four seasons, for our farmer friends, there are still seasonalities. They know the best time to harvest avocado, mango, or oranges. We want to help our guests know more and enjoy the best preparation for the best of the season.”
The menu revolves around appetizers, salads, and entrees, like the papaya and shrimp salad, grilled veggie and mozzarella stack, grilled mahi in sandwich and salad, daily savory crepe wrap, potstickers, clams, panini, monte cristo, fish taco, fish entree, and poke bowl. There are burgers, ribs, fried chicken sandos. It’s elegant and comfortable at the same time, with prices ranging from $6 to $17.
“My mom was always my biggest inspiration for cooking,” says chef McDowell. “She always makes things from scratch, uses the freshest ingredients, and creates the best flavors in the world. She grows in her garden and uses them in the dishes. I think I got the fresh concept straight from her. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, I came to Maui to start my culinary career. From opening up the Grand Wailea to becoming executive sous chef at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, to a career as executive chef at Makena Beach and Golf Resort, I always use my background of French cooking and my specialty of using exotic herbs and spices with fresh Hawaiian ingredients to create new flavor profiles for the palette. As a certified Master Gardener, I also started the herb and vegetable garden and garden tours at Ritz-Carlton and Makena Resort. Then I experienced the independent restaurant world, including Haliʻimaile General Store.”
SixtyTwo MarcKet incorporates a lot of details and complex flavors into each dish. Caramelized onion on the burger, inamono in the poke, kaffir lime vinaigrette on the mahi salad – it really packs a lot of local into each item. You don’t need to get attached to the specifics because they will morph into something new every 62 days. It’s all part of taking the seasonal route.
“We change our menu every 62 days (to tie with our name SixtyTwo MarcKet),” says chef McDowell. “And if you have not noticed yet, our street number is 62 N. Market Street. Menu changing is not only a way to keep us being creative, but also to tie into our Maui agriculture harvest schedule. We talk with our farmer friends and know what would be best for the next two months. We create a new menu based on the latest harvest produce. So, if you have something you want to try on this menu, get it quick, as our next menu will launch in early February! Also, we update our Sunday Brunch menu every week. We want to make sure even if you come every Sunday, you will be surprised with new dishes and new flavors.
The brunch buffet spread on Sunday rocks. The eggs benedict on cornbread was my favorite, but there’s much to explore. Chef McDowell knows his way around a buffet: There were blitzes, crepes, breakfast meats, poke, artisan cheeses, poached seafood, soups, salads, entrees, fruits, and desserts. Brunch is reasonable too: $29 for adults, $15 for keiki. Children ages 3 and under eat free with paying adults. It is just the way you want to graze through a Sunday morning. And it’s all happening in Wailuku.
“Wailuku has the potential of being the next destination, and I want our restaurant SixtyTwo MarcKet to help it become a great destination,” says chef McDowell. “We love the concept of reWailuku projects and genuinely want to provide the neighborhood with another excellent restaurant selection.”
The destination is one thing, but their attention to farmers and harvest is what will keep you coming back to see what is new. Their signature items the Eggs Benedict with Lilikoi Hollandaise for breakfast, and the Seared Scallops with Confit Hearts of Palm, Baby Potato and Bean Salpicon, Heirloom Carrots, Truffle Lobster Nage, and Kabayaki for lunch have quickly become the most popular on the current menu.
“Abundance is the word that first comes to my mind, when I think of Maui and food,” says chef McDowell. “Do you know Maui has the most microclimates on Earth? With so much to offer, we want to be another advocate for eating local and growing local, to our community and visitors. We do not save food to the next day, meaning all the daily freshness gets consumed on that day. Sometimes we might run out of items, but we do want to make sure every single dish is fresh. Also, we make everything to its best use. Vegetable scraps will turn into stocks. All the microgreens, after cutting the top for flavor and garnish, we replant them with all our other vegetables and herbs right outside of the restaurant. We have strong relationships with Kumu Farms, Maui Oma Coffee, Kahanu Aina Greens, just to name a few.”
SixtyTwo MarcKet also has a market store in the front where you can pick up seasonal rubs, sauces, and seasonings. For more info or to spock the menu out go to sixtytwomarcket.com or call 1-808-793-2277.
SixtyTwo MarcKet Restaurant
62 Market Street, Wailuku HI 96793
808-793-2277
https://www.sixtytwomarcket.com/
Monday through Friday 7am to 3pm
Sunday Brunch from 9am to 1pm
Cuisine: Farm to Table
