Harborside hideaway a winning way to end day

You may not yet be familiar with Harbor Restaurant at Pier 38, which opened above Nico’s on the waterfront in May 2016 — but I’m here to suggest you check it out. The restaurant’s long, cheery “Huki Pau,” meant to play on the idea of playing hooky and the concept of starting off your pau hana nice and early, is a good thing.

The experience

Happy hour takes place at and around the restaurant’s attractive Copper Top Bar — yes, it has its own proper name, as is fitting for the impressive, dominant feature in the room. There are also several high-top tables, and a few seats at a counter overlooking Harbor’s signature, wood-fueled and Spanish-made brasa ovens.

The open view of the kitchen is a nice touch, as are the tall, harbor-front windows that line the restaurant, opposite its entrance. While there is a good view out to the harbor, the bar area is cool and dim, appropriate to feeling hidden away for a break from the day.

My friend and I sat at the bar, where we were treated to the theater of watching Harbor’s ultra-pro, friendly bartenders glide from customer to customer, drink order to drink order. The atmosphere is chill and efficient.

Live music at Harbor is offered Thursday through Sunday, generally from 5 till 8 p.m.; that’s a bonus. As is the free parking.

The food

Chef Rob McDaniel, a gregarious guy who spotted us looky-looing the kiawe-fueled brasa oven and came out to talk it up, says Harbor keeps its store of kiawe for the oven right below on the premises.

He proudly suggested we try the prime rib bites ($12) from Harbor’s bar menu. Developed to use extra cuttings from the prime rib dinner service, it’s served with caramelized onion, mushroom, red bell pepper and a demi-glace. Served hot, cooked to a T and so, so tasty and juicy, with just the right amount of smoky flavor, this is a definite draw.

McDaniel was avidly enthusiastic about the advantages of Harbor’s location and licensing; the restaurant is run on the premises of fishing supply company POP (Pacific Ocean Producers), he said, and gets its maritime product literally right off the dock each day.

When it’s gone, it’s gone, McDaniel noted, and he often serves up enough that certain dishes may run out before closing time, so be advised to order early and often.

In that spirit, we ordered — and loved — the Harbor Ceviche (market price; $14 on our visit), a medley of fish cut poke-style topped with a citrusy sauce and served on a bed of baby arugula. Don’t pass this one by.

The servings are fairly generous and relatively rich, so a couple of dishes served us well. I’m eager to return to try other brasa-grilled Huki Pau pupu, including brasa-grilled prawn with avocado (and a calamansi vinaigrette, $12) and a signature dish, the Brasa Mushroom with Egg ($8).

The drink

Keeping with our smoky theme, I ordered a Smoked Pineapple Martini ($7 during happy hour, regularly $13), made with Zaya rum, lime, house-made pineapple syrup and bitters. The finishing touch for this one involved lighting a bit of kiawe under glass and allowing the smoke to infuse your cocktail. The drink was a kick — pungent and layered, sweet and sour.

Other happy hour cocktails, also $7, include a Lychee Martini made with coconut vodka, a Lilikoi Martini based on Ketel Citron, and classic gin or vodka martinis. Not shabby. (Cocktails are priced at $10 and above outside of pau hana time.)

The $6 draft pints offered here span a nice range for beer lovers, with offerings including Maui and Kona breweries, Guinness, Erdinger and admired craft-beer brands including several varieties of Ballast Point (try the Sculpin IPA), Deschutes and Lagunitas. You can also get bottled Heinekin Corona, Bud or Miller Lite for $4.

House wines, sourced from California and not common choices in Hawaii, are $6 a glass.

The verdict

At Harbor, the food’s a draw, the environment’s classy and the atmosphere’s friendly. Combine that with the only-in-Hawaii waterfront setting and you’ve got yourself a winning choice.