The Grape Escape

Brasserie Du Vin is a tranquil downtown oasis—even if you don’t drink

BRASSERIE DU VIN 1115 Bethel St. 545-1115 Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The downtown bar and eatery Brasserie Du Vin has a wine list of nearly 300 different selections, including a bottle of French Bordeaux that is worth more than my Toyota Camry. It also has a huge Old World bar, replete with brass foot rails and a large picture mirror. It’s a hulking, wooden mass of booze, which dominates the space’s front half, beckoning to the thirsty and chasing away tee-totaling passersby like me. At first glance—at every glance, actually—Du Vin is all about the grape. I am not.

But the Nuuanu Avenue bar and restaurant also has a small menu board that faces the street, advertising its handful of daily special meals, simple and elegant little bites that seem perfect for lunch. On my first visit to Du Vin, I had a delightful open-faced chicken salad sandwich on toasted bread that hit the spot. The chicken was plentiful and the flavors were moderate and understated. There was a little mayo, some cumin, maybe a few shakes of curry powder and definitely a healthy pinch of salt. Simple and satisfying tastes, nothing that would compete with a good glass of wine or, in my case, an ice tea.

Several weeks later, I visited Du Vin with several of my office mates. There wasn’t a crowd, and we quickly found a table in the open courtyard in the back of the eatery. The sunny space, dressed up in brick, stone, stucco and earth-toned paint, looks like a patio either in Paris or on Kahala Avenue.

Du Vin features a menu that seamlessly mixes salads, appetizers and side dishes with light entrées: Brie Baked in Puff Pastry Served with Fresh Apples and Pears ($14); Salad of Marinated Artichokes, Roasted Bell Pepper, Olives, Salami and Besaola ($13); Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon with Remoulade Potatoes, Frisee and Sauce Ravigote ($16). There are also extensive selections of artisan cheeses and preserved meats.

Smokin’: Brasserie Du Vin’s salmon is cold smoked, a process that leaves the fish moist and plump and full of flavor. photo: Jimmy Forrest

As I had before, I went to the daily menu board and ordered the Chilled Salad of Salt Spring Mussels ($16), which featured asparagus, alii mushrooms, greens and a saffron curry cream. Two of my lunch companions ordered the salmon. While we waited for our food, our waitress brought us a sliced baguette with butter, olives ($4) and a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar ($2).

The mussels were terrific. Most places cook the shellfish to a gummy bearlike rubber, but Du Vin’s mussels were plump, moist, soft and loaded with flavor. The meaty alii mushrooms mimicked the shellfish’s pleasant texture, while the asparagus added a nice, contrasting crunch. The greens contributed crispiness and the creamy, subtly spicy sauce tied everything together.

I snuck a couple of bites from my neighbor’s salmon and had the same reaction. The flavors were bright, but not overpowering, and the cooking was executed perfectly.

On the way to Du Vin, I joked about how I was going to order that $3,000 bottle of wine to accompany our $80 lunch. Of course, I didn’t, drinking another ice tea and having a great time anyway. Maybe someday, but not anytime soon. I’ve still got about a year’s worth of car payments to make on the Camry.

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