THERE must be a great cheerleader behind Honolulu's latest microbrewery restaurant Brew Moon. It takes a mighty spirited individual to motivate a team, convincing each member to embrace the company line. How else could the staff happily utter such a phrase as "Welcome to the moon!" without a groan, wince or rolling of the eyes? Brew’s great; the food
—well, it’s OKThey're a real enthusiastic, friendly bunch. You'll find a lot of waiters and managers stopping by your table to make sure everything's OK. So if you "vant to be alone," go someplace else.
Here, you'll be keeping company with a lot of twentysomethings on the weekends. On week nights, there's a smaller pau hana crowd. The loudest area fronts the bar, naturally, but sedate spaces are available in the back of the house.
This is one place where it seems there are enough waiters to go around, but then again, it may be the bartenders who have the heavier workload. Beer flows fast, particularly via a $5.50 "Lunar Sampler" set of five 4-ounce servings of handcrafted brews, plus the brewmaster's special, which currently is the Big Kahuna Brown Ale I like best. Samplers are fun during the getting-to-know-you phase, but you only have to order the sampler once to pick a favorite. THE menu is comparable to what's offered by the competition over at Gordon Biersch. It won't be a foodie's first choice, but most will find something to like about the menu, starting with the small stuff, like Dill-Fried Calamari ($7.50) served with a Vietnamese dipping sauce accented with jalapenos and a spicy tomato sauce; or Apple-Wood Smoked Salmon ($7.25) served atop a salad of mesclun dotted with citrus creme fraiche.
I didn't care for the Thai Shrimp and Scallops ($8.75), which were overcooked and served cold. And Grilled Portabello Mushroom ($7.25) arrives saturated with vinegar. A hint to the kitchen: All is probably not well if diners are making scrunched up faces, as if biting into lemon. The mushroom fares a little better as part of the Veggie Stack ($10.50) topping a polenta cake.
Brew Moon is one of the few places with service running straight from lunch through dinner. The lunch menu, however, is heavier on sandwiches, while the dinner menu is heavier on entree plates. Of the dinner entrees, I didn't care for the dry Molasses and Cumin Charred Pork Tenderloin ($16.50), or the Shrimp and Cheese Ravioli ($15.75) that swam in about a half inch of butter, too much for arteries to handle.
On the other hand, Kakaako Chicken Curry ($12.75) is a tasty concoction for fruit lovers. In addition to the chicken, it contains slices of banana, apricot and pineapple. Even better is the Moroccan Spiced Half Chicken ($15.25), rubbed with herbs, roasted to a rich mahogany on the outside and savory throughout.
There are plenty of desserts on the menu too, but for the first time, you might as well go for the Brewers' Root Beer Float ($3.50) for a sampling of the house homemade root beer to complete the Brew Moon experience.
Brew Moon Restaurant & Microbrewery: Ward Centre
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Wednesday; 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday to Saturday; and 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sundays
Prices: About $25 to $35 without beer (ha!)
Call: 593-0088See a listing of past restaurants reviewed in the
section online. Click the logo to go!
Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
-- excellent;
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com
