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NEW-WAVE HAWAIIAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
By Chris Barnett
March 28, 2013 -- What's an ex-plumber from San Francisco's fog-shrouded Sunset district doing running a hot, new Hawaiian-themed joint in The Fillmore?

And at a time when many of San Francisco's publords are quietly pushing up prices and skimping on portions and pours, why does James Cheng's Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant have one of the most generous happy hours in the city?

The answers can be summed up in a sentence: Cheng is eager to please and virtually his entire staff are complete rookies to the bar, restaurant and lounge world.

But there is more: Cheng and crew know they're competing not just with a crop of tony San Francisco cantinas, but also with downtown hotels that aggressively court business travelers to drink and dine where they sleep.

One example: The Urban Tavern, the ground-floor bar inside the city's biggest hotel, the 1,900-room Hilton San Francisco. It has its own door opening to the street and it is packed from late afternoon through the evening. One reason? The servers are given free rein to treat patrons as if they were longtime regulars in their own neighborhood bar.

I was recently at The Urban mulling whether to order a house Chardonnay or a pricier pour. Alice Myhuong brought me two full glasses and said, "Try both and tell me which one you like. And enjoy them both." Turns out Alice has been working at the Hilton as a server ("don't call me a barmaid") since the day it opened, 48 years ago, and she thinks the Urban Tavern is hers.

Meanwhile, Michelle Lun, chatty, personable and originally from Guangzhou, China, has been working the Urban for 14 years and greets total strangers like kinfolk. "Here's the best Chinese restaurant in San Francisco," she confides, and writes out the name, address and directions.

Back at Pa'ina, a 10-minute, $10 cab ride west of the Hilton and Union Square, Cheng's servers and barkeeps are young. His recipe is to woo downtowners and neighborhood folks alike with bargains. Most bars only discount their well (read cheapest) drinks during happy hours--if they even have one at all. During Pa'ina's three-hour Happy Hour, barkeeps whip up five tropical cocktails made with top-shelf ingredients for a mere $5 each.

Pa'ina's Island Sunset is fashioned out of Island 808 vodka distilled on Maui, pineapple juice, grenadine and fresh lime juice. The Lycheehoo Tini is a potent blend of Hawaiian-made lychee vodka, triple sec and simple syrup. And a Mai Tai Mambu is made with two rums, amaretto, pineapple juice and orange juice.

Other great deals at Pa'ina's happiest hours range from eight draft beers ($4 a pint or $16 a pitcher) to cranberry, orange and pineapple mimosas for $5. Well cocktails are also $5 and basic wines run $6 each.

Hungry? The $5 Happy Hour pupus keep the deep fryer busy and span the gamut from Kalua Pig cheese fries to "krispy kalamari." Hawaiians may favor fried foods, but most health-savvy San Franciscans avoid anything submerged in bubbling fat.

Still, there is plenty of protein on Pa'ina's menu. Cabbage wrapped pork-and-shrimp spring rolls with a side of pineapple hoisin BBQ sauce sell for $7. Three Kalua pig sliders or two Kobe beef sliders go for $9. From the raw fish bar, several "Poke bowls"--poke is a raw Hawaiian salad--offer Hamichi; spicy Chipotle Ahi tuna with Maui onion and wonton chips; or Ahi with wasabi and sesame oil. They are priced at $12 per bowl.

Pa'ina is a family affair. Daughter Samantha Chang is the creative sparkplug and, from what I can see, she's a tough, no-nonsense manager a bit short on the art of schmoozing. Papa James is soft-spoken, bordering on the shy, which is refreshing since so many club owners these days are either hovering control freaks or absentee number crunchers.

More surprising is the look and feel of Pa'ina. When I heard it served tiny paper umbrellas with certain cocktails, I thought the Changs were climbing aboard the recent revival of the Tiki Bar craze. Would it be a neighborhood version of the Fairmont Hotel's venerable Torch Room? Would the late Don Ho's Tiny Bubbles come floating out of the speakers? Would you get lei'd by a smiling lovely with plumeria in her hair?

None of those. "We didn't want a little-grass-shack, Hula-skirt stereotype of Hawaii," says Samantha.

Instead, the 7,500-square-foot, split-level Pa'ina is sleek and sophisticated. The bar top and public spaces are fashioned from foam-green glass. Bar seats are black leather. Opposite the upstairs bar is a triangular communal table with more of the leather bar chairs. When the sun sets, the step-down lounge is seductively lit with white and blue fixtures. Down a narrow hall are two private rooms decorated with leather sofas, a conference table and large screen TVs. They are available for meetings or serve as a "green room' for bands.

Still, while Pa'ina isn't festooned with Hawaiiana, it has taken a page from the vintage Trader Vic's and the legendary Don The Beachcomber. It has created three "signature goblets" that require two hands to lift and are best served with two straws. Filled with 16 ounces of liquors and fruit juices, they're very fairly priced at $21 apiece. And they're fun, with gummy worms and edible crimson lips floating in some drinks.

Businesswomen seem to have discovered Pa'ina. Pals Faviola Garcia, a medical researcher, and Stephanie Mariani, a paralegal, were splitting a goblet in their first visit to the bar. "I walked in and felt very welcome," said Mariani.

Diana Tan, an Army staff sergeant who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was more blunt in her assessment. "This place doesn't have a snobbish air where they look you up and down for show," she explained.

Speaking of show, Samantha Cheng books the talent herself. The cover charge is often waived and it maxes out at $10 for a name act. Other gigs at Pa'ina include fashion shows, magic shows and Polynesian luaus.

Pa'ina is always surprising. Ask for a napkin and you get a scented towel. Order the chicken skewers and you get huge chunks of breast meat, shitake mushrooms and a tasty carrot puree for $7. A grilled 10-ounce New York steak dinner retails at just $18.

"We didn't open a business just to make money," says James Cheng. "Money isn't everything."

ABOUT CHRIS BARNETT Chris Barnett writes about business-travel tactics and strategies that save time and money and help minimize hassles. He is based in San Francisco and has written for a wide variety of major newspapers and national magazines.

THE FINE PRINT Joe Brancatelli makes this space available to Chris Barnett in the spirit of free speech and to help encourage editorial diversity and the wider discussion of important travel issues. All of the opinions and material in this column are the sole property of Barnett. This material may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Chris Barnett.

This column is Copyright © 2013 by Chris Barnett. JoeSentMe is Copyright © 2013 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.