Apartment3: New Chef, New Menu

Apartment3 recently announced its enhanced food menu and the appointment of executive chef, Robert McGee, from Portland’s The Slowbar. I stopped by yesterday curious to see what items were added and which items were tested against Chef Bob’s discerning palate.

Everything is different, though customer favorites like the Mac and Cheese with snow crab are still there with a few tweaks. “Gourmet takes on comfort food” is how Chef Bob describes the food. And, he does it with a farm-to-table approach. “We use Mao Farms and Big Island beef… I’ll drive to Waimanalo on weekends just to visit KK Poultry and pick up eggs that were laid the day before,” mentions McGee. “We want to work off this Island as much as possible.”

The menu, which includes stacked ratatouille, meatloaf, and shrimp and grits, is unlike any I’ve seen in Honolulu. And though Apartment3 is known more as a bar, “it’s a place where people can customize their own evening and create their own experience,” explains part-owner Matty Hazelgrove. “So, people can choose to come for dinner and drink light cocktails or drink more and eat light pupu. Either way, you’ll feel like a million bucks without spending it.”

Century Center, 3rd Floor, 1750 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu.
Open Tuesday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday from 7 p.m.
Full kitchen menu available till 12:30 a.m. nightly.
Happy hour available Tuesday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Take a look at some of the dishes I tried:

Beet Salad with Mao arugula, roasted golden beets, citrus, island honey, goat cheese and pistachios. ($10)

Stripped Down Caesar with Parmesan, garlic, lemon, white anchovies and croutons. ($9)

Stacked Ratatouille with roasted eggplant, summer squash, island tomatoes, oven finished with fresh mozarella and a fennel tomato broth. Served with crostini. ($9)

The Parma pizza with sweet Maui onion, prosciutto, mozzarella, and Mao arugula tossed in white balsamic vinegar. In back, the Pickled Pepper pizza with marinara, house made fennel sausage, soppresatta, mozzarella and pepperoncinis. ($12 each)

Pigs in a Blanket with house made links (andouille, spiced Italian sausage and bratwurst) wrapped in puff pastry, each with its own sauce. (2 for $4 or 6 for $11)

Ultimate Mac and Cheese with Grafton 2-year aged white cheddar, snow crab, and house made chorizo sausage. ($15)

Pork n’ Beans with chile and honey glazed pork loin sliced over slow cooked white beans and Mao Farms braising greens. ($18)

Shrimp n’ Grits with prawns poached in a butter and chorizo broth sitting atop grilled sweet corn polenta and finished with a slow poached egg. ($19)