For the first time since Aug. 8, when fire swept across Maui in one of the nation’s worst wildfires, Lahaina residents returned to their ravaged region to see what little remained of their homes and livelihoods. The western coastal town on the island was the hardest hit during the firestorm, with more than 2,200 structures destroyed or damaged. Rebuilding talks have only just begun. Recovery will take years, if not decades, to complete. And fire victims still need help.
For the entire month of October, more than a dozen O.C. restaurants will take part in the Ohana Mai Tai fundraiser. One hundred percent of all sales of Mai Tais, the rum-based cocktail synonymous with Tiki culture, will go toward the Legacy of Aloha Foundation, a newly formed nonprofit that will give grants to more than 800 TS Restaurants and Maui Brewing Co. employees on Maui, many of whom have lost their homes as a result of the fire.
Each restaurant will have a Mai Tai on its menu, like Brant Kitchen and Bar’s blood orange version or Mahé’s Mai Tai that uses mango rum and grenadine.
Mark your calendars at one of these places for October happy-hour gatherings. Seventeen Orange County restaurants in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Seal Beach and Costa Mesa will participate in the monthlong Mai Tai fundraising event:
Costa Mesa
Three-13 Bar, 820 W. 19th St.
Huntington Beach
Brant Kitchen and Bar, 21058 Pacific Coast Highway
Dos Amigos Cantina, 21022 Brookhurst St.
Duke’s, 317 Pacific Coast Highway
Johnny’s Saloon, 17428 Beach Blvd.
Longboard Restaurant & Pub, 217 Main St.
Mama’s Comfort Food + Craft Cocktails, 21022 Beach Blvd.
Matter of Craft, 21022 Beach Blvd.
Offshore 9 Rooftop Lounge at the Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton Hotel, 21100 Pacific Coast Highway
Ola Mexican Kitchen, 21040 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Hideaway at the Kimpton Shorebreak Resort, 500 Pacific Coast Highway
Sandy’s Beach Shack, 315 Pacific Coast Highway
Surf City Ale House Kitchen + Bar, 301 Main St.
Triple Crown Tavern, 714 East Adams Ave.
Newport Beach
The Cannery, 3010 Lafayette Ave.
Louie’s by the Bay, 2801 West Coast Highway
Seal Beach
Mahé, 1400 Pacific Coast Highway
