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Barfly Jason Genegabus |
Surf spot is worth a drink
I'M NOT much of a surfer. Never have been. When I did try to learn back in high school, the only thing I had any talent at was falling off my board and proceeding to have it chase me towards shore.
But even though I haven't been in the ocean for a while, I didn't feel out of place at all when I visited Boardriders Bar and Grill.
For an establishment that is supposed to be Kailua's "apres surf" hangout for both kamaaina and visitors alike (apres is French for "after," if you didn't know), there were more customers with beer bellies there than ones who looked like they had just wrapped up a sunset session and wanted to stop off for a drink.
Boardriders Bar and Grill
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily
Location: 201-A Hamakua Drive
Phone: 261-4600
THEN AGAIN, you don't need to be a surfer to know that there aren't many spots to take your board out on the Windward side.
Maybe that's why I was kind of confused when Boardriders owners Jim Mansell, Brian Smith and Jason Clark told the Star-Bulletin last November that they were ditching the paddling theme of the previous restaurant, Jaron's, when the bar and grill reopened with its new name.
Sure, you can kitesurf and windsurf at Kailua Beach Park or off the beach at Lanikai, but the closest thing to traditional surfing you'll find out there are a few beginners in the water at Sherwoods or Cockaroach Bay in Waimanalo. Almost everyone else heads into town or out to the North Shore in order to find swells worth riding.
And while there are a number of surfboards on the walls at Boardriders, it's pretty obvious that none of them has ever been used. Each one bears the logo of a different beer company, which means the bar probably got them as part of a promotional deal.
I would have been more impressed if management had decided to hang up the boards of noteworthy Hawaii residents that loved to surf. Instead of making the neighborhood part of the scenery here, it seems more like the owners just spent some money to give the Boardriders its surfing theme -- sort of like how some bars on the mainland take on a kitschy Hawaiian/Polynesian theme without really caring about its authenticity.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
Bartender Joy Ainsworth pours a Cos- mopolitan behind the bar at Boardriders Bar and Grill in Kailua.
ONCE YOU get past the contrived surf vibe, it's a bit easier to relax and enjoy yourself here. The layout is great -- a couple of pool tables and dart machines take up the side of the bar facing Hamakua Drive, while the other half of the room contains most of the 15 tables you can sit down at, as well as a space for bands to play when live entertainment is scheduled.
Another 10 stools are available at the bar, which is probably this establishment's saving grace. There aren't a lot of places where you can get a pitcher of Dos Equis, Red Hook or Guinness, but Boardriders boasts all three brews among the dozen taps that serve up liquid courage to customers. It was also a nice touch to get chilled mason jars to drink out of instead of beer mugs. That's something you don't usually see in a bar.
And unlike some other nearby watering holes in the area, you're more than welcome to bring the family here before 10 p.m.
I saw a number of keiki running around when I visited earlier in the week, some eating with their parents while others took turns at the dart machines and the bar's lone Megatouch game. It reminded me of an old pizza parlor down the street near the post office that used to be the early evening spot for our family during baseball season when I was growing up.
While Boardriders might wipe out when it comes to aesthetics, it seems to be doing just fine as a destination for the community to kick back and relax. If I were still living on that side of the island, you can bet the place would be a regular stop for me on a Friday or Saturday night.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
Customers can enjoy the two pool tables, two dart machines, and a Megatouch machine.
How much for a Bud Light?
The Barfly wants you!
Want to help determine the best bottled beer in Hawaii? Think you have what it takes to sample a variety of martinis without climbing onto the bar and doing the Macarena?Since last year's "40 oz. Taste Test" was so popular among Barfly readers, we've decided to give anyone who is interested a chance to help out with future tests.
Send us your name, age, occupation and telephone number with the best time to call to "Barfly Taste Testers," c/o the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd. #7-210, Honolulu 96813. You can also e-mail your contact information to jason@starbulletin.com.
Those selected to participate will be notified by phone; others may be contacted to take part in future bar reviews.
The Barfly drank $10.50 pitchers of Bud Light at Boardriders during his visit. Try calling ahead to see if there are any drink specials planned on the day you visit, or else drinking some of the good stuff here will get expensive real quick.Get things to do?
Pool tables, dart machines, a Megatouch game and Golden Tee 2004 are all available, and there are eight televisions located throughout the room. Live entertainment is also featured on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.What about the grinds?
Although the menu is quite extensive here, everything the Barfly tried at Boardriders Bar and Grill was just average. The Kailua Kal-Bi Ribs ($9.95) didn't do anything for me, and the kalua pork sandwich ($7.95) was a flop; I had to use a fork to eat it since the bun was too soggy to pick up. Plus, the only "secret sauce" I could taste on the sandwich was all the oil from the pork! The garlic fries ($3.95) I got were greasy and undercooked, too. There are also a variety of pastas ($11.95 to $15.95) and pizzas ($9.95 to $14.95), and even a vegan stir-fry ($10.95) on the menu, but you might be better off just stopping in for a couple of drinks.And the help?
There appeared to be only one server on duty during the Barfly's visit to Boardriders -- not a good thing when there were at least three dozen customers spread throughout the bar. Surprisingly, the only significant wait we had to endure was getting our first drink order of the night. Once we had a pitcher and some pupus, things went pretty smoothly during the rest of our visit. That said, be sure to sit at the bar if you want faster service.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Barfly appears every Friday in Star-Bulletin Weekend.
E-mail Jason Genegabus at jason@starbulletin.com with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.
