News more than a year ago that a nightclub manager was taking over the former Bistro site at Century Center was met with skepticism. Running a restaurant shares some of the logistics of the party/lounge/entertainment world. Neither is very forgiving, although it is easier to extract booze money from thrill-seeking youngsters than from finicky foodsters.

So I tried Aria and didn't bother to write it up. The prices, the old-fashioned format, the circa 1980s menu — it wasn't long for this world, and it wouldn't have been right to beat up on a doomed endeavor in need of a major overhaul, beginning with the concept.

It's actually got one now that lounge vets Flash Hansen and Matty Hazelgrove, of Flash and Matty Boy Present, are in the house, re-dubbed Apartment3. I had no clue they had culinary ambitions, and the idea intrigued me, especially after Flash told me he envisioned a gastro pub known not just for serving food, but award-winning cuisine. And not just award-winning, but sustainable cuisine. A tall order for even the most experienced restaurateurs.

The easiest way to start is to bring in a chef from an award-winning restaurant, and here that would be Robert McGee, who hails from Higgins in Portland, Ore., one of the most progressive cities in the nation when it comes to green thinking. McGee brings with him firm grounding in sustainable kitchen practices. He's versed in using all parts of plants and animals so that nothing is wasted. He's also working with farms so that ingredients like the citrusy herb sorrel, rarely see on local menus, is grown specially for his kitchen.

Otherwise, the thing about this latest food movement is that change — unlike with earlier trends and food styles — isn't evident on the plate. You'll read more about it than experience it because for most diners a sustainable piece of produce, grown locally and organically, often doesn't taste much different from produce grown with fertilizers and flown in. But in this unlikely lounge setting — with decor that registers as Italian bordello with black-and-silver-striped wallpaper and an eclectic mash-up of decorative flourishes spanning centuries and styles — there's a reverence for food that's evident in vibrant flavors, freshness and presentation. And McGee is just getting warmed up.

In addition to bringing his own aesthetic and philosophy to his work, McGee must answer to F&M, who have their own ideas as to what their clientele craves. That is simple, nonfussy comfort and finger foods that require no big commitment and can be shared with friends over drinks. McGee has done the near impossible in creating a menu both palatable to foodies and manageable for those juggling cocktails and minuscule paychecks. It's quite a feat. The food experiments are continuing, so dishes will come and go, depending on demand.

Many dishes perform double duty as appetizers or pupu platters made for picking through the course of an evening. “;Cheese and Honey”; ($13) is a daily array of cheeses paired with nuts, local honey and fruits, while The Yard Sale ($13) features house-cured meats, pickled vegetables and olives. Many opt to huddle over one of the Apartment3 thin-crust pizzas, such as the “;Green Greek”; ($11) topped with white-wine wilted spinach, garlic cream, feta, pine nuts and red onion; “;The Pickled Pepper”; ($12) layered with house-made fennel sausage, soppresatta, mozzarella and pepperoncinis; or “;The Parma,”; featuring a light marinara, prosciutto, Maui onion and mozzarella, with a verdant blanket of Ma'o Farms baby arugula.

Pigs in a Blanket become the ultimate finger food when wrapped and baked in puff pastry. These house-made links of spiced Italian sausage, lamb marguez and bratwurst are wrapped snug with, respectively, pepperonata, harissa aioli and whole grain mustard, at $4 each or three for $11.

If you don't mind the house music, you can have a wonderful, traditional sit-down dinner here that might begin with a salad of smoky roasted golden beets ($10), arugula, orange slices, goat cheese and pistachios tossed with a light honey dressing.

There's a sense of humor at work in tweaking basic comfort fare as with an “;After School Special”; of a grilled cheese (gruyere) sandwich served with creamy tomato soup ($10); the “;Ultimate Mac and Cheese”; ($15) with fusilli enveloped in aged white cheddar dotted with pieces of Dungeness crab and house-made chorizo; or just for Southern boy Matty, shrimp and grits ($19) comprising creamy corn polenta topped with butter-poached prawns, chorizo and a poached egg.

Ratatouille ($9) didn't hit me with the wave of joy that struck Anton Ego in the animated film “;Ratatouille,”; but that's because I didn't grow up with the dish. Even so, I ended up fighting for the last morsels of the melty roasted eggplant stacked with tomatoes, summer squash, fennel and mozzarella.

“;Better than Mom's Meatloaf”; ($16) takes the form of a half-pound burger patty wrapped in pancetta, topped with a fried egg and served with fries.

Two Two Chicken ($15) starts with half a free-range chicken fried twice for a crisp coat then tossed in a spicy Korean sauce. It's a dangerous dish if you're trying to make a good first impression. Many who try it end up red-faced from stray sauce. The chicken pieces are huge so can be dry in the interior, calling for extra sauce to be slathered on where needed.

Lastly, sate your inner child with dessert of vanilla-infused milk paired with a daily cookie ($7), anything from oatmeal to chocolate chip to Snickerdoodles. Then there's a deconstructed warm apple compote “;pie”; ($7) astride a cinnamon palmier, with vanilla ice cream drizzled with Hawaiian salt caramel.

See you on the “;best of”; lists.

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Read more about happy hour at Apartment3 in “;In the Mix”; in HiLife on Friday.