Pau Hana Patrol: The Study serves pricey drinks, pedestrian food

The Shrimp & Scallop Potstickers served at The Study, above, tasted bland. --George F. Lee / glee@staradvertiser.com

There are reasons to hang out at The Study, the renamed bar adjacent to the lobby of The Modern Honolulu — but saving money isn’t really one of them.

The Study has a new name and a new drink menu that takes its cues from well-known books. I’ve tried a couple of the new drink recipes, and they’re creative and pleasing. So that’s one plus.

The bar continues to look quite styling, with a design inherited from its previous management, when it was Edition. There are corner hideaway seats, and tables that allow you to be in the center of the action.

The lighting is mellow, the chairs and cushioned wall seating are low and cozy, and the setting is contemporary. It’s all very attractive and that’s another bonus.

So … you’re asking, “What’s the problem?”

THE problem is that happy hour isn’t much of an attractor, since the fancy drinks are not discounted. Meanwhile, the food — at least what I tried — is underwhelming and costly.

Food looks to be something that The Modern really needs to work on. Dishes for The Study and The Grove, the pool bar on the second level, come from the same kitchen, and having tasted plates at both locations, I’ve found the dishes to be bland yet priced at a relative premium.

Case in point: On my last visit, to try out The Study’s new, late-night “reverse happy hour,” I ordered the Shrimp & Scallop Potstickers. This order of three normally sized dumplings, each set on a slice of pineapple, came out not quite warm enough and had no particularly distinguishing characteristics.

I couldn’t make out individual ingredients, as one might with a freshly made item, and it impressed me as hanging somewhere in the balance between stale and adequate.

At $14 for three bites? Honestly, I expect much more.

Don’t care what you’re spending? In that case, the cocktails are a draw right now.

On a previous visit I tasted the West Thai Story ($10) and found it as billed, a “light, exotic twist on the pina colada,” sweet, bruised and just strong enough to carry me through an evening.

A good night to sample the drink menu might be Sunday, even though it’s not a happy hour. Anit and Compose, two of Honolulu’s top DJs and residents at The Modern’s nightclub, Addiction, spin “31 flavors of music” till 3 a.m. for Ice Cream Sundays. Specialty drinks like a Rootbeer Float are served that night in addition to The Study’s other menu items. Sounds fun.

Stolichnaya vodka on the rocks and a 'Wuthering Heights.' --George F. Lee / glee@staradvertiser.com

I last visited on a Wednesday, and ordered the Wuthering Heights, billed as an “award-winning classic” by mixologist Tony Abou Garmin. It was delish, with spiced Sailor Jerry, curacao and a press of fresh lemon, served in a martini glass rimmed with warming cinnamon.

That cocktail was absolutely a winner — but could not overcome my misgivings over the late-night tastes and maintenance of the room.

THE STUDY could lure me back, if it lands on the right mix of atmosphere, attractive food and drink, and price point. But in my view, everything needs a little tweaking right now.

It’s billed as The Study, but don’t look too closely at the books on the shelves in the back of the bar. They are an odd, vintage mix, seemingly chosen for their absurd titles.

And while this hotel seems designed to create a feeling of luxe, contemporary mastery of one’s domain, it breaks the illusion to find paper towels strewn across the floor in the bathrooms, or to touch the sticky edge of the cocktail tables.

You get the picture. I have my gripes. But I’m also drawn to the memory of my literary cocktail. I’ll be hoping hotel managers study up and step up their game.