French-Latin menu a unique flavor blend

Bless you, Grondin, for staking a claim on Chinatown’s Hotel Street. Though you are the only upscale eatery on the block between Smith and Maunakea streets (so far), you’ve proven that good food, devotion to detail and killer charcuterie can prevail.

Here’s some more good news: Beginning today, weather permitting, Grondin will be offering outdoor seating on a raised patio out back, in a lush setting at the Mendonca Building courtyard. Inquire at the front door, but you may be asked to enter via the courtyard gate at Maunakea Street.

Since it’s First Friday, you also have extra happy hour options today — Grondin offers late-night specials on the first Friday of each month, beginning at 10 p.m. It’s your lucky day, er, night!

Adventurous diners and downtown pleasure-seekers have discovered the restaurant, so that Grondin is nearly always pleasantly dotted with conversational customers. And its reputation continues to grow. For that reason, there may not always be a seat at the bar, which seats less than a dozen — but if you pass by and see one open, you’d be well advised to take it, especially at happy hour.

If the restaurant is full up for First Friday, you’ll have options: Happy hour is offered Monday through Friday, 5 to 6 p.m.

THE EXPERIENCE

The cozy bar is where the action is for happy hour; that’s where you’ll get a nice break on Grondin’s drinks, with the bonus of being able to interact with the bartender and other customers.

Thomas Unabia served us on a Tuesday pau hana, and his cheerful, competent approach provided an almost-immediate attitude adjustment. When the expertly mixed cocktails arrived, that was a bonus. Like many on the Grondin team, Unabia has done time in the restaurant and bar scenes of Manhattan and Brooklyn; he’s also a local who decided to return to Oahu, where his family resides. The city-honed knowledge and island-style kokua he extended is something the restaurant also embodies in its style.

This cafe-like restaurant has an attractive tile floor and handmade tables, effective fans, high ceiling and tall windows to make efficient use of ambient light and breezes. It’s compact, but everything you need for a fine drink and dinner is here. The service is well-informed and efficient.

Owners Jenny Grondin and David Segarra, recent transplants from New York, are both experienced restaurateurs. They drew from their own French and Ecuadoran backgrounds when designing the restaurant, which opened in 2014, from the decor on up to the food and drink menus.

THE DRINKS

Creative cocktails will set you back just $6 (normally $8 to $10). The Check Mate — pronounce the second word with two syllables, as in yerba mate — was just the right blend of strong and sweet, with Rittenhouse rye whiskey, lemon, local honey, bitters and, yes, yerba mate, for that extra bit of strength and energy you might need to make it through the night.

I also loved the Floriana, which, true to its name, was practically fluorescent, a tangerine-colored mix of sparkling wine, Aperol and citrus, attractively served in a coupe (curvy, stemmed cocktail glass).

If you’re a beer lover, Grondin has brought some New York-style fresheners to Honolulu, including the Michelada, a beer-based drink with citrus and spice. You could also try the Chan-chito, which adds tequila.

Wines, at $7 per glass, are individually sourced, and the happy hour choices include bottles from Italy, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria and New Mexico.

THE FOOD

Small plates, while not discounted, are full of flavor and won’t break the bank at $7 to $14. These are really the way to go at the bar.

Choices are unique, but not off the wall. "We try to find good things that aren’t very standard," Unabia said, and that seems about right. Try the Crepes Mole Negro, made with melt-in-your-mouth confit duck, at three pieces for $13.

And please, don’t sleep on the charcuterie. Grondin’s is one of the best in Honolulu, with chef-cured ham (no nitrates), homemade mustard, pate, pickled onions and, yep, pickles or perhaps delicate, pickled haricot vert (green beans), as I was served; $14, and big enough to share between two or three.

THE VERDICT

With its tiny bar, the cocktail menu is not the main focus at Grondin, but trust me: If you order one, you will not be disappointed. These drinks hold their own with those served at other hot spots esteemed for their expert bartenders.

As for food, Grondin offers flavors unlike any other eatery on the islands, and the thrill of discovery adds to the pleasure. A happy hour spent here is a rewarding, flavorful diversion from the stresses of a working day.