Pleasant wine bar/bistro isn't yet a huge draw, but it's got potential

The wine bar at chef George Mavrothalassitis' upscale Downtown bistro Cassis doesn't have the kind of pau-hana lounge crowds former occupant Palomino Euro Bistro had. And that's good and bad news.

THE WINE BAR AT CASSIS

Where: Harbor Court, mezzanine, 66 Queen St., 545-8100

Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-midnight Fridays; 5 p.m.-midnight Saturdays

The appeal: A Downtown wine bar with French bistro cuisine by Chef Mavro with two happy hours on Fridays and Saturdays and an attentive, cordial staff.

The crowd: Couplings of pau-hana, casually dressed co-workers and intimates, age thirty- through fiftysomething, peaking at about 15 patrons, near 7 p.m. on the Friday we stopped in. Full disclosure: It was the eve of a long holiday weekend. Still, Palomino's lounge was generally bustling with klatches of just-off-work, on-the-prowl young adults on similar days.

Interiors: Still too reminiscent of Palomino's pretentiousness (right down to granite accents and some furnishings) to allow Cassis to develop its own identity. I liked the room best post-sunset when the wine bar's new, dimmed-down, recessed and discreet spotlighting gave the room a darker, intimate feel.

Best time to stop by: Happy hours 4-7 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 5-7 p.m. Saturdays; and late night 10 p.m.-closing Fridays and Saturdays. Why? A selection of Chef Mavro-created tapas at up to half-off regular price. Our favorite? A crisp, thin-crusted tarte flambee, oven-baked with caramelized onion, bacon, coriander and thyme on a bubbling bed of creme fraiche and Swiss cheese. Like other offerings, it's too pricey — given its modest portion — at its regular price ($12.50); OK at its happy hour price ($7).

Libations: A couple of red and white wine flights ($7 each for three 2-ounce servings) and a trio of creme de cassis-enhanced cocktails at $4 each were about it for signature cocktails and happy-hour specials. The wine list, however, is extensive (even if it is not offered on arrival). And wine flights change weekly.

Who are you? New, more-fashionable Downtown watering holes angling for post-work office drones exacted a noticeable toll on Palomino in its later years and are doing the same to Cassis. I don't miss Palomino's lounge, which in its final years seemed a sad shadow of its early days as a hip after-work "meet" market. But it was still drawing a loyal crowd with that identity 10 years on. The wine bar at Cassis is trying (see below). But it won't attract and keep bar kids without a clear identity of its own.

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.