Who says you have to have deep pockets to visit Maui?  We've traveled there more than 20 times in 20 years and have found great restaurants where you can have a Champagne dinner at sparkling-cider prices.  Here's how you too can pay coach and go first class, with a special splurge every now and then.

SAVE -- A.K's Café  www.akscafe.com

Here's where you'll find the "Recession Is Not An Option" menu. This award-winning restaurant was voted "Maui's best-kept secret" and you would be wise to seek it out in Wailuku, just a few minutes from the airport. We had heard incredible things about Chef Elaine's healthy fare, and believe us, it did not disappoint. The prices are as good as the fare - the crab cakes, for example, are $15.75, the baked ono is just $11 and many entrees come with two sides. Stars included the $10.75  coconut shrimp, $15.25 pot roast with gravy and $4 sweet-potato fries. During Happy Hour, Monday through Friday  from 5 - 7PM, mixed drinks are $5 and pupus are 20% off. We asked Chef Elaine her last name. "I married a Japanese, so my last name is Nakashima," she said, to which we replied, "It should have been nak-a-your-socks-off." That's how good the food is.

SPLURGE - Hula Grill   www.hulagrillkaanapali.com

We've eaten at the Hula Grill many times - but under the direction of Chef Bobby Masters the menu has reached new heights. Begin with the black tiger shrimp, marinated then grilled and served with delicious buckwheat noodles. For greens, the crunchy beet and Asian pear salad with candied macadamia nuts and yuzu (Japanese citrus) oil was a revelation. The fresh tomato soup is made with nary any oil or cream - just local tomatoes served with focaccia croutons and a goat cheese sandwich. Still hungry? We are still dreaming about the Molokai sweet-potato ravioli - the secret is coconut milk worked into the sweet potato and also used a sauce. Entrees start at $27.95 for kiawe-grilled fish of the day (which we loved); we also thrilled to the macadamia-nut crusted mahi ($31.95) that made our Hawaiian trip complete. Just the bread here will delight you - warm focaccia served in a little silver lunchbox to remind you of what the old plantation workers brought to work with them. Dip it into the warm chili water, which you can buy a bottle of to relive this incredible restaurant experience back home.

SAVE -- Pita Paradise   www.pitaparadisehawaii.com

During our stay at the Kea Lani, we met a couple who had already dined at Pita Paradise three times; they loved the food that much. And we get it. Owner Christine Arabatzis and her husband John - a professional fisherman who provides the restaurant's fish daily - own a local gem where the entrees start at just $18. This marvelous Mediterranean bistro specializes in homemade, authentic Greek and Italian favorites, with many of the items coming from handed-down family recipes. The gorgeous $10 Greek salad, for example, features huge cucumbers, organic tomatoes, onions, whole roasted garlic, grilled pita bread and flavorful tatziki yogurt sauce. For dinner, we ordered the $15 appetizer of spicy falafel, hummus, bruschetta  and grilled pita, and simply added on a skewer of mouthwatering mahi mahi. Other standouts include the chicken parmesan crusted in pita and rosemary, served over linguine and homemade marinara sauce. And don't miss the signature baklava ice cream cake made with organic honey - how sweet it is!

SPLURGE - Ko at the Fairmont Kea Lani Resort & Spa   www.Fairmont.com/kealani

The Fairmont Kea Lani has spent $5.1 million to renovate their Ko restaurant, and if you only dine at one restaurant on Maui - make it Ko. Here, Hawaii's plantation era comes alive through exquisite dishes that not only incorporate the finest local ingredients, but also weave in some of the most treasured family recipes of the resort's culinary team - recipes that have been handed down from generations of plantation workers of all ethnicities. The Filipino chicken-and-mushroom spring rolls were worth every calorie. Then we opted for the "Mauka Harvest" salad with pohole fern shoots, Kula baby lettuce and passion fruit vinaigrette, nicely complemented with macadamia nuts. But one dish, macadamia-nut shrimp, delivered very crisp and accented with a locally sourced lavender-honey, alone made it worth the trip. If you like dessert - and we love it - don't miss the chocolate baked custard served with a macadamia-nut praline crust or the killer Portuguese sweet bread pudding with Tahitian vanilla bean sauce and passion fruit gelato. So what if we ran an extra mile at the gym the next day - this divine dinner was worth it.

SAVE -- Alexander's   www.Alexandersfish.com

Alexander's owner Ken Randolph offers value-packed meals in Kihei at this Zagat-favored restaurant rated "Excellent" in 2011. Here's where you'll find, fins down, what locals have rated the No. 1 choice in Maui Time Magazine's readers poll for fish and chips on Maui for six years straight - at the incredible price of $9.95. We started with an order of seafood wontons filled with fish and cream cheese, and covered in a mango-chili sauce, which won the award for "Best Appetizer" in the local Whale Day festival.  Then we moved on to the "Taste of Lahaina" award-winning Cajun fish tacos smothered in fresh mango salsa that are also a great deal at just $8.95. It was delectable, our two portions bursting with flavor. We also recommend the $8.95 teriyaki chicken sandwich that's overflowing with teriyaki sauce and served on a fresh bun. Alexander's has been a favorite of locals and travelers since the day it opened 21 years ago and we understand why - the high-quality food comes in generous portions and is a great choice when you desire something simple and gentle on your wallet, yet terrific in taste. Finish your dinner with the $3.95 Mom's Mango Cobbler and for less than $20 per person you've had yourself one delicious dinner.

SAVE AND SPLURGE -- Roy's Kahana   www.roysrestaurant.com

We have one word for you here - butterfish.  Roy's is where you will find perhaps the most delicious piece of fish you will ever eat in your life -sable marinated for 72 hours in mirin, sake, sugar and miso. In fact, we ordered the trio of fish ($40) and enjoyed some of the most indescribably yummy fish ever - pesto-covered opah, the butterfish, and macadamia-crusted mahi. Is $40 for an entrée too deep for your pockets? For less moolah, consider the $45 prix fixe menu offered every night that includes an appetizer, entrée and the signature, luscious melting hot chocolate soufflé made with Guittard chocolate. Also, at the bar from 5:30pm - 6:30pm and 8:30pm - 9:30pm, appetizers are half off. Just the spicy edamame that come with the fresh-from-the-oven rolls are worth the price of admission. Starting in 2012, Roy's Kahana will move to Kaanapali Beach, and we know it will give all of the other restaurants there a run for their money.

SAVE AND SPLURGE -- Duke's Beach House   www.Dukesmaui.com

Who doesn't love a delicious Hawaiian dinner at an open-air restaurant bursting with tiki torches, palapas and tons of surfing memorabilia, especially that of the late Duke Kahanamoku, the father of international surfing? Duke's Beach House at the Honua Kai Resort and Spa is one place you'll definitely want to dine at. We've thrilled for years to Duke's (and its famous Barefoot Bar) on Waikiki, so we were delighted that this restaurant has expanded to Maui. If you're on a budget, you have several options at Duke's. Happy Hour from 3pm -5pm features live music and wallet-friendly $5.25 sliders, $5 tacos and $5 Mai Tais. In the Chia Bar, all night long, you'll find affordable deals - the coconut shrimp is just $10.75, fish tacos are $14.50 and fish and chips is $14.25. Duke's Tasting Menu, available from 5pm - 6pm daily, is just $25.95 for three courses. But if you are in the mood for a splurge, have a seat in the main restaurant and go to town. Start with the sweet, purple, warm taro rolls, which set the mood for the rest of the lovely meal to come. You'll find Duke's famous Caesar salad, another terrific salad made with rocket and  balsamic, and Maui onion soup. We opted for the $28.75 baked mahi with a garlic, lemon and basil glaze that was complemented with green beans, golden beets and rice pilaf. For dessert, try the decadent flourless chocolate mousse cake - we learned that it was made by the Alden Merrell company that until recently had a store in our hometown in Boston! Small world. (And don't forget to hang ten while you're at it.)

SAVE and SPLURGE -- Leilani's On The Beach   www.leilanis.com

Happy Hour is the name of the game at Leilani's on the beachwalk at Kaanapali Beach.; from 3pm - 5pm daily discounts are offered on sliders as well as draft beers and margaritas. And let's not forget "Taco Tuesdays," when you-know-what is available at just $4 each. Start your evening at Leilani's with pupus of Portobello mushroom ravioli featuring truffle butter and shaved Parmesan and follow it up with the local baby Kula greens with a papaya-lime dressing. Fresh fish dinners range in price from $26.95 to $31.95 - the pistachio-roasted fresh catch is awe-inspiring, served with a risotto cake and mustard butter sauce. Save room for the famous - or should we say infamous - Hula Pie - a huge Oreo cookie crust filled with macadamia nut ice cream, and topped with mountains of fudge and whipped cream. After dinner, take a long romantic walk on the beachwalk that fronts all the hotels from the Sheraton to the Hyatt Regency Maui. Walking under the waving palms beneath the stars, serenaded by the sound of the waves - it's what Maui is famous for.

SAVE -- Honu Seafood and Pizza   www.honumaui.com

Chef Mark Ellman is well-known in Hawaii - we ate at his Avalon restaurant on Maui for years, and we still think about the fried onion strings and tamarind ketchup that he served. (When Yoko Ono was on Maui, she ate at Avalon every night of her trip.) Chef Ellman is at it again, with his new restaurant Honu in Lahaina, where you are also guaranteed a great meal. He told us his 90-seat restaurant, which is just five feet from the ocean, "is where Cape Cod meets Hawaii." The signature item here is the wok-fried whole crab with Malaysian black-pepper sauce and the ahi bruschetta appetizer served with a delicious smear of edamame. But Chef Ellman also offers novel menu items such as gluten-free pizza (the Margherita is $17), a $15 house-made veggie cheeseburger and a $9 vegan- and gluten-free chocolate mousse cake. While you're there, you simply must purchase Chef Ellman's book entitled Practice Aloha, a loving tribute to the ways that living daily life Hawaiian style is a tremendous asset.  No surprise here - everything associated with Chef Ellman is a winner.

SPLURGE - Ferraro's at The Four Seasons   www.fourseasons.com/Maui

Money. Power. Hollywood. That's the experience of Ferraro's at The Four Seasons Maui Resort at Wailea, an incredible rustica cucina where we never miss a chance to dine. Here Chef Nicholas Porreca has created an impressive array of Italian treats and you'll sit under the stars, by torchlight, hearing the sounds of the waves, at one of the most beautiful and romantic restaurants on all of Maui. We started with an indescribably delicious tomato-and-fennel soup that unbelievably, contains no cream and just pureed onions, shallots, fennel, tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil and Pernod. Entrees such as roasted sea bass and veal marsala run from $20 - $35 apiece.  Everything here is made from scratch - including the molten chocolate lava cake made with Manjari semi-sweet chocolate. And here's something else. We don't even really like strawberries - but the strawberry gelato here - essentially strawberry jam mixed with cream - was so remarkable that we just couldn't stop eating it. When you want to feel like a VIP - or just dine like one - Ferraro's is the place. Don't leave Maui without a dinner here.