New seasonal items at Square Barrels

The downtown hangout rolled out some new menu items

January 25, 2018

Melissa Chang,

They say that if a business makes it to the three year mark, they’re going to be okay. Can you believe it’s only been three years since Square Barrels opened in Tamarind Park downtown?

Part of what keeps them going is their solid food menu and exceptional selection of local beers. But every so often, owner Thomas Ray throws out some new drinks, new concepts and combinations, or in this season’s case, some new additional menu offerings. Chef Sean McGonigle had us over to try some of the new things he’s created, and we were impressed. Too bad they’re seasonal, but at least we’re telling you about them early so you can try them yourself.

Start the meal with a dark berry salad ($11) comprised of mixed greens, blackberries, blueberries, Korean pear, red onion, almonds, feta cheese, and
honey tarragon balsamic vinaigrette. It’s a beautiful blend of tart, sweet, and various textures.

If you’re all about the IG pics, eat the wagyu burger ($21) during the day, since daylight photos make it look gorgeous. If you just care about taste, eat it any
time of day. My night photo skills aside, this juicy, savory burger is worth every bite, and the addition of the prosciutto, Swiss cheese and caramelized onions
round out the flavors to make it a perfect match for any beer. It doesn’t really need the IPA mustard and fried caper relish, it’s just that good.

The new green chili burger ($16) was insipired by the Heisenburger featured in “Breaking Bad.” The house-made salsa verde is spicy but not too much,
and after a lot of R&D, Ray found that American cheese worked best with this whole combination.

McGonigle with our favorite thing on the new menu, the lamb chops. Everything on this plate was perfect — the meat, sauce, even the potatoes.

For dessert, bananas foster ($14) features bananas caramelized in brown sugar and rum, lit at the table and paired with gelato. We tried this with vanilla,
and lilikoi cheesecake gelato. Super decadent!

In the middle of dessert, Nicolas Wong of Beer Lab Hawaii came by with some new, 32-ounce cans of new concoctions and dropped some knowledge
(and beer) in exchange for the rest of our bananas foster. I wonder who got the better deal? It was good to get educated on local beers and their company
and we’re looking forward to seeing what collab events he has coming up at Square Barrels and around town.

The new menu items, with the exception of the lamb, are available for both lunch and dinner. For those of you who don’t work downtown, just park in the Bishop Square lot and the restaurant will validate.

Square Barrels
1001 Bishop St.
808-524-BRGR (2747)