The Lanai brings taste of Maui to Coeur d’Alene

When Byron and Kim Brown sought a mainland site to expand their Akamai Coffee Company and Maui restaurants, they settled on Coeur d’Alene.

That’s where they also bought a second home in 2021. Since his wife has family near Bothell, Washington, the couple narrowed in on the Northwest. After visits and initially renting here, the Lake City was the right fit.

The couple opened the Lanai on Feb. 7 in midtown Coeur d’Alene – bringing similar food, vibes and decor as its Hawaiian counterparts. Brown is chef de cuisine and operator. His wife handles front-house operations, office and hiring.

“The Lanai is a restaurant that has a high-end coffee bar, serviced by Akamai Coffee Company,” Byron Brown said.

The couple decided to diversify holdings when COVID-19’s long shutdowns hit hard in Maui.

“We started looking at areas where we’d enjoy to live as well. A lot of people in Coeur d’Alene travel to Maui. So many people who come in here say they can’t believe a place they love in Maui exists here. This is the vibe we have there, too.”

In Maui, where the couple’s enterprises go by the Akamai name, they started a first location in 2007. Now, they have three separate Maui sites : a restaurant, a cafe and a drive-thru coffee stand.

Here, the Browns chose the name “Lanai” – Hawaiian for patio – for an off-island twist. It’s decorated with white oak, plants, natural grass shades for lights and a large mural closeup of a Hawaiian tea leaf plant. Byron did the construction work here, coming from owning a construction company in Maui.

Growing up in San Diego and later living in Aspen, Colorado, he moved to Maui in 2003. That’s where he met Kim, a Seattle University graduate with a psychology background. Over the years as a builder, Byron regularly did side culinary work.

“I worked in culinary with some of the highest-end chefs,” he said. “When I lived in Aspen, Colorado, I worked for a family as an assistant and got to work with chef legends. I grew up cooking; my mom’s an amazing cook, so I’m really good with flavor and presentation.”

He also worked in the front-end side of Spago Restaurant – a Wolfgang Puck flagship – in the Four Seasons Resort Maui. “That got me into fine dining and working with customers.”

Brown said he and his wife focus on such top customer service.

Even on a recent Monday morning, the Lanai’s customers filled most tables to order specialty coffees, pastries or Brown’s scratch-made dishes. Choices cover breakfast to dinner, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.

There’s a Belgian waffle with an option of berry compote, or choices of avocado toast, egg toast or French toast. Its sandwiches and wraps – with ingredients ranging from house-made hummus to fresh-chopped vegetables – include the caprese, croissant, banh mi and vegan veggie.

A few Hawaii dishes enter as specialties, such as Wagyu Loco Moco with steamed Jasmine rice, Wagyu patty, house-made gravy and eggs sunny-side. Others are a pork fried rice dish with egg and a Spam musubi that has steamed rice, grilled spam and teriyaki – seaweed wrapped.

“Our menu here is the same as in Maui, then we added a few additional items and a happy hour,” Brown said.

“Maui is a culinary island. Everything is fresh. Most items I use here are organic.”

Although there are mimosas, wines and beer, Akamai Coffee is the star attraction. Featured coffees include the Hawaiian Honeybee – with espresso, milk, coconut, vanilla and honey – and Road to Hana with espresso, milk, chocolate, macadamia nut and toffee nut.

The Browns got passionate about coffee more than 20 years ago. Island voters in local publications have ranked Akamai Coffee No. 1 since 2016.

“Coffee is our main business,” he said. “We roast our coffee to where it has an excellent flavor profile.”

The couple first sourced all coffee from a Maui farm but had to expand the scope as sales volume grew. Then, the devastating Maui wildfires in August 2023 burned all the crops at the farm where they mainly bought beans.

They put the Coeur d’Alene eatery on hold that year, when they returned to help Maui friends and family in the aftermath. Today, the Browns are business partners in a coffee farm in Chiapas, Mexico, near Guatemala, where much of their coffee originates.

The Lanai has a Mexico menu nod: Chilaquiles with organic corn chips, egg, chile verde, lime, cilantro cream, pico de gallo and queso fresco.

In warmer months, the Lanai will extend its hours and open an outdoor patio. When taps arrive, expected soon, Byron said Maui Brewing Company beers will be featured along with other selections.

The couple will divide time between Coeur d’Alene and Maui, but for now, the Browns will focus energy here.

“We’re passionate that everything is done right and the customer gets the same experience every time,” he said. “The way that works is our employees come first, and then that translates to our customers.

“Our motto – since the very beginning of our business – is that our interaction with customers could be the very best part of their day. We want to make sure they feel cared for. That’s our goal, day in and day out.”