It’s going to be fun to watch which direction the Brilliant Ox charges off in, now that it’s open at Ala Moana Center. Will its owners keep things simple and focus on running a successful gastropub, or will they seek to recapture some of the nightlife magic found at Pearl Ultralounge before it closed in 2013?
If you can remember partying at Pearl, there will definitely be some major deja vu when you first walk into the Brilliant Ox, which held its official grand opening earlier this month. While a number of cosmetic changes have freshened the room’s appearance, the layout is essentially the same — a showcase bar occupies one wall of the dining room, with a second lounge area overlooking the mall’s mauka rooftop parking deck.
The most noticeable difference, to me, is the removal of a third bar on the Ewa side. It has been replaced with a pair of private dining rooms that utilize barn-style doors to provide extra privacy.
Lots of wood and brick are used throughout, with vintage-looking light bulbs and wooden barrels hanging from the ceiling; the barrels were also cut up to create accent walls. A replica English telephone booth near the lounge also holds a surprise if you open the door.
The Ox’s opening strategy has been a focus on the food by majority partners Annie “Sunnie” Edwards, JC Moto (Raging Crab) and Brandon Lam (La Tour Bakehouse), with most of the emphasis on executive chef Brian Gremillion, who moved here from San Francisco to develop a full lineup of “new-American and local-style dishes with a brilliant twist.”
The cocktail program, on the other hand, seemed a little sparse during multiple visits during the restaurant’s soft-opening phase. With just four signature cocktails and four beers available (including a “Brilliant Ox Brown” courtesy Waikiki Brewing Co.), it felt like my choices were a little limited. But the bartenders settled me down with news that another 11 taps should be installed behind the main bar soon; three additional cocktails were also added for the gastropub’s grand opening.
The most Instagram-worthy of the drinks here is the Ume-Migos ($12), a margarita inspired by Via Gelato’s strawberry sorbet. Mixing strawberry puree with Casamigos tequila and Mito No Kairakuen plum liqueur gives this one a nice one-two punch of sweet and sour, with some ume added for a little extra pucker factor. The Pretty Pine ($12) is probably the most well-balanced cocktail on the menu, with sweetness from vodka infused with pineapple and cardamom, countered by the bitterness of the French aperitif Salers Gentiane liqueur. A ginger-honey syrup helps round out the mouthfeel, with a splash of soda added to provide effervescence.
I also enjoyed the Ox’s Rosemary Boulevardier ($12), which wasn’t overpowered by the herb’s influence and had just the right whiskey kick, thanks to the use of High West American Prairie bourbon. The Boulevardier is a classic cocktail that can easily cross into way-too-bitter territory if you use too much Campari, but the Ox’s version thankfully doesn’t go that far.
The Brilliant Ox is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and until midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Expect more details about happy-hour, late-night and brunch options in the months to come; call 377-4803 or follow @thebrilliantox on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
Congrats to Duke’s Waikiki, which recently celebrated 25 years of fun just steps from the ocean at the Outrigger Waikiki Resort on the Beach. To commemorate the anniversary, Kona Brewing Co. revisited the formulation of Duke’s Blonde Ale, the brewery’s signature recipe created specifically for the Waikiki bar.
The new version is unfiltered and brewed with lemon peel and three types of hops (Cascade, Willamette and Hallertauer). A pint sampled earlier this month didn’t disappoint; with the faintest hint of citrus, this stuff is made for hot summer days when you’re looking for something that tastes good.
I’m happy to report that every last drop of Duke’s Blonde is brewed in Hawaii as part of Kona Brewing’s Backyard Batch lineup produced at the company’s original brewing facility in Kona. Find it for $7 a pint at Duke’s Waikiki, 2335 Kalakaua Ave. Call 922-2268.
Jason Genegabus has written about the local bar and drink scenes since 2001. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram or email jason@staradvertiser.com.
