Happy Hour at Chart House (Honolulu, HI)

After an exhausting day of sipping iced mochas at Starbucks and going to the movies, we decided to unwind by taking advantage of happy hour at Chart House lounge, where we’d last gone in 2009. The popularity of the bar—or maybe it’s the terrific view of the marina and the setting sun from almost any vantage point—is reflected in all the ‘Reserved’ tables against the windows. It also helps to have a good selection of pupus to go along with the specially priced alcoholic beverages, including a popular drink called Guy Tai, presumably named after the bartender whose special mai tai is made with two kinds of rum and served in a 16-ounce glass. Pupus (appetizers) include fish & chips, oyster shooters, ahi limu poke, ahi wontons, spinach salad, escargot, pork chops, fried rice (with or without kimchi), edamame and pasta with shrimp and scallop scampi. Their unique offering is what is called Kimmi’s firecracker unroll, basically a sushi that hasn’t been rolled, flat rice piled with spicy poke, onion and shredded nori.

We decided on three other pupu items: fried calamari (crispy but chewy, served with horseradish chili sauce, light on squid flavor, ☆☆½), Caesar salad (plentiful, nice dressing, ☆☆½) and garlic chicken (thigh pieces richly sauced with garlicky teriyaki flavors, attached skin supremely crispy, sprinkled with white and black sesame seeds, ☆☆☆½). The lychee martini was insipid (☆☆), but it was easy to see why Guy Tai is so well-liked though it was a bit heavy on the fruit juices (☆☆☆).