At first blush Whole Foods at Ward has plenty to offer

Maybe it’s a sign that I’m getting older, but I was pretty excited at first when I heard the new Whole Foods Market Queen planned to open with not one, but two bars on separate levels at Ward Village.

Talk about multitasking; with just one stop, I can pick up ingredients for dinner, grab a quick bite for myself at one of the grab-and-go counters, get some computer work done at an outside table, then pau hana with a cold one at the bar.

Downstairs, Two Tides is dominated by a square-shaped central bar that seats about two dozen customers and is fully outfitted with television screens and 36 taps that pour a mix of mainstream, craft and locally made beers. A mix of family-style dining and bar tables fill-out the room, and there’s even a corner outfitted with a couple of couches to lounge on. There’s even more space to relax upstairs, where the bar seats about 15 along one wall, with the rest of the room dedicated to what feels like cafe­teria-style seating. Six televisions are spread throughout the space, with a nine-screen video wall near the bar as well.

And while there’s nothing groundbreaking about the drink menu, I think it’s a well-executed, middle-of-the-road approach that will appeal to just about any type of customer who walks in. It warms my heart to see a beer menu that offers plenty of local options and still has enough tap space to serve quality craft beers from outside the state. The wine list features brands you’ll recognize at relatively affordable prices, and they even offer canned wines you can try before committing to multiples in Whole Foods Queen’s liquor department. A limited selection of sake is on the menu, too.

Cocktails at Two Tides take the classic approach, with a few local twists on classic recipes, like the Ho Farms Collins ($12), which features tomatoes from the North Shore farm, or the KoHana ($12), a traditional daiquiri made with sugarcane juice from stalks grown on KoHana’s land in Kunia. And if you don’t feel like a Moscow Mule, Manhattan or Cadillac margarita, give the Day Trippin’ ($12) a try; made with coconut rum and passion fruit puree, this one is a refreshing mid-afternoon adult pick- me-up.

But now that I’ve had the chance to visit the Two Tides bars a few times, my excitement has been tempered somewhat. Where Two Tides wipes out, for me anyway, is in the decision to limit customers’ choices. While the downstairs bar offers food and liquor, customers upstairs are encouraged to pick up takeout in the store before sitting down, and drink choices are limited to beer and wine (no cocktails). There’s no table service upstairs, either, which is a little annoying given the prices you pay for drinks.

With more visibility downstairs, and full food and drink menus available, it’s no surprise that bar is the more popular of the two. What I don’t understand, however, is the decision to not allow drinking on the lanai. Whole Foods can afford to pay an employee to keep an eye on customers out there and make sure there’s no funny business, if you ask me.

Despite those minor setbacks, I’m sure I’ll be back at Two Tides sooner rather than later. Whole Foods Market Queen is located at 388 Kamakee St. and is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Call 379-1800.

WHEN IT comes to craft cocktails in Kakaako, one place I’ve been itching to get back to is the Hi Brau Room, the speakeasy-style bar located above Aloha Beer Co. at 700 Queen St. Hi Brau opened in April 2017 under the direction of beverage director Brad Miller, who has since left Hawaii and was replaced by Ben Flores earlier this year.

What I appreciate about Flores is that he’s kept a number of cocktails Miller introduced, yet he’s added his own personal touch with an update that debuted in April. He’s put a lot of thought into how the flavors in his cocktails are complemented and elevated by the addition of beer from the brewery downstairs.

I can’t do justice to Flores’ description of how “Apocalypse Now” helped inspire him to name his Charlie Don’t Surf ($10) after a scene from the film. But I can tell you that combining Aloha Brewing’s Wellenreiter beer with Fords gin and Fiorente elderflower liqueur results in a cocktail that some might try to call a shandy, yet it’s so much more sophisticated than just adding a shot of liquor to a beer.

The Keep It Country ($12.50) is a worthy update of the Hi Brau’s original daiquiri, with Flores’ version adding house falernum and a spritz of Aperol to KoHana agricole rum and finishing with a foamy Aloha Brewing Waimanalo Farmhouse beer “head” on top. And I can’t wait to go back and order a Take Off My Boots ($13), made with El Silencio mezcal that Flores has barrel-aged himself along with Laphroaig Scotch whisky and finished with black walnut and chocolate bitters.

The Hi Brau Room is open from 5 p.m. to midnight Thursdays through Saturdays. Call 544-1605 for reservations.

DID YOU know Thursday is National Bourbon Day in America? To help celebrate, L’Aperitif at La Mer in Halekulani is offering a special tasting of Elijah Craig bourbon that includes an exclusive pour you can’t get anywhere else.

Today through Saturday, La Mer offers a special tasting flight of three different Elijah Craig expressions for $80. You’ll get to try a half-ounce pour of the Halekulani’s exclusive single-barrel bottling of Elijah Craig that includes the addition of whiskey from a 1950s bottle of bourbon produced for the hotel. You also get tastes of Elijah Craig Small Batch Barrel Proof bourbon (normally $45 per 1.5-ounce serving) and Elijah Craig 23, the oldest aged bourbon the brand offers to the general public (normally priced at $180 per serving).

Along with the whiskey, the special tasting flight will include a trio of small bites. La Mer is open from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. daily; call 923-2311.

Jason Genegabus has written about the local bar and drink scenes since 2001. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @honolulupulse or email jason@staradvertiser.com.