RESTAURANT REVIEW:

The old joke about bar food is you have to be drunk to eat it. The “cuisine” consists of hot dogs, hamburgers and, if you’re lucky, chewy mozzarella sticks and even chewier chicken wings.

When microbrew pubs came along, the fare slowly began to change for the better. Though it still seems to be on the safe side.

Huntington Beach Beer Co. has consistently pushed the envelope and has evolved into not only a place for the beer aficionado, but food lovers as well.

The restaurant opened in 1992. I remember it was the first place I ever had jalapeño poppers, which I thought was a cool little appetizer. It was a nice place to look at the ocean and enjoy some beer.

Since then I have visited frequently and rarely been disappointed. What I enjoy most is that the menu shows imagination. They could have taken the easy way out and stuck with typical bar/sports grill food, but they haven’t.

The fries are a perfect example of the pub’s philosophy. There are two different types other than plain. One is made with sweet potatoes, and the other is beer-battered potato that can be ordered with Cajun and/or garlic spices to jazz them up.

Some of the other appetizers are even more inventive. Green mussels simmered in white wine, tomatoes and basil served with homemade beer bread to sop up the juice is a favorite of mine. Another is the ahi poke — fresh ahi sashimi diced with scallions and red peppers and accompanied by wonton chips and wasabi sauce.

The entrees are just as unique. On this visit I had Cajun jambalaya and, instead of rice, it was served beneath fettuccine. It was a much better way to present it and the combination of shrimp, clams, chicken, andouille sausage and peppers mixed nicely with the pasta. Adding onions and toasted almonds as a garnish only added to the flavor.

A dish I think everyone should try is the Brewers steak. A 10-ounce flat iron steak is mixed with a beef and mushroom sauce. The juice is perfect with the meat and a dark beer, like the restaurant’s Brickshot Red, really adds to the taste.

The pizzas are among my favorite items. There are 11 on the menu, but you can add toppings to any of them to form you own creation. The three-cheese with mozzarella, Parmesan and gouda is good, as is the HBBC Supreme, which has Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives and mozzarella.

More intrepid diners have exotic pizzas to choose from, including the California feta that features spinach, onions, olives and cilantro with tomatoes, feta and mozzarella. The Thai chicken is one of the specialties and the Thai grilled chicken is accompanied by cilantro, green onions, carrots and sprouts.

It’s difficult to choose among the beers on the menu. The brewery usually has several of its own on tap daily; a smart move is to order the round of samplers. That gives you six tastes of different beer if you don’t already have a favorite.

I had to laugh at myself because one of the most interesting beverages I found on the menu was nonalcoholic. The China Mist iced tea is a black China tea with a touch of passion fruit and tropical flavors. I ended up drinking that rather than one of the beers.

This is a great place to come on a sunny day and watch the ocean, even if you just want a beer, but it won’t be long before you become equally enamored with the food.

HUNTINGTON BEACH BEER CO.

Address: 201 Main St., Huntington Beach

Phone: (714) 960-5343

Cuisine: American

Specialty dish: One of the wood-fired brick oven pizzas

Alcohol served: Full bar

Dress: casual

Family friendly: Yes, 12-item children’s menu

Rating: *** stars

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants for the Independent.