Kailua barbecue restaurant Easy ’Que launched its brunch late last February, and we all know what came next. The pandemic upended business as usual, and more than a year passed before I ventured across the Pali again. I started with the recently reintroduced brunch and, being a meat person, was soon back for dinner.

I was wondering how the brunch would differ from the fare at its breakfast-centric sister restaurant, Over Easy, just down the street — and of course, it’s the meats! While Over Easy offers more traditional breakfast dishes, the emphasis over at its BBQ-serving relative are such temptations as smoky brisket and kalua pork.

The brunch menu is actually quite small, with just five main entree options. Within that roster is something for meat eaters, their carb-loving companions and those in between.

Meat eaters will be most drawn to the brisket loco moco ($18), 15-hour smoked brisket over rice with brown gravy and choice of scrambled or seven-minute boiled egg with a more jammy than liquid center.

On the carb-lovers side are a bruleed banana pudding waffle ($11), a chewy mochi-textured waffle accompanied by a slice of caramelized banana and side of banana pudding, which is not the milky, sugary confection you’re thinking of, but a fruity helping of fresh mashed bananas.

A little bit of both worlds is presented in a pairing of kalua pork with an irresistible sweet corn cake ($14) dressed with an avocado-tomato salsa. It also comes with a choice of eggs.

Those who like to eat with their hands will find a breakfast burrito ($14) filled with rice, black beans, shredded pork and scrambled eggs; and a BLT sandwich ($13) that includes scrambled eggs and brisket fat aioli to flavor the main ingredients. You get a choice of potatoes or mixed greens and I’m glad I went with the potatoes, a crispy mixture of regular, sweet potatoes and Okinawan purple potatoes.

Sunday brunch runs from 9 a.m. to noon, overlapping with the regular menu that starts at 11. I consider that the magic hour, if meat is what you want. That’s when — after a full breakfast — I was sold on an add-on of juicy, dry-rubbed, clove-scented pork belly and knew I had to return for dinner.

THE PANDEMIC has changed a lot about the way restaurants operate. Here, it’s recommended that dinner guests place orders when they make their reservations. This helps gauge demand and ensures they’ll get what they’re craving, particularly those who have late reservations. Limited-quantity items are most likely to run out, such as Brussels sprouts chips and the prized burnt ends of the brisket ($6), the fat cap that collects all the flavors of fat, smoke and sauce, amounting to pure beef candy.

I was so glad the Brussels chips were recommended ahead of time. I marveled at the work that goes into producing these simple crisped leaves, a dish initially created to make use of leaves that separated in the course of preparing a smoked Brussels sprouts side dish. The loose leaves are dusted with cornstarch and deep-fried, producing crispy snacks so popular they now have to go through the laborious task of tearing leaves off the sprouts when loose leaves are in short supply. If only these could be packaged! They would be a welcome alternative to potato chips.

Before even getting started you’ll be given a lengthy menu of bourbon, whiskey and rye, plus cocktails such as Kentucky Lemonade or a Green Julep that combines Russell Reserve 10-year bourbon, green tea and mint. Those who favor sweet drinks might try any of a trio of alcoholic slushies ($10 each). These change daily, but the constant is a hard lilikoi sweet tea with vodka and black tea. Flights may soon be available.

A handful of sandwiches includes the Kanaka Stack ($13) of kalua pork, roasted tomatoes, onions and cilantro; and the crispy KFC sandwich (Kailua Fried Chicken, $14) with pickles and mustard to balance out the fatty fried food. There’s even a veggie option, Livin’ on the Veg ($13), starring eggplant, sprouts, tomatoes and onions with spicy aioli.

But I was there for meat, and among choices were the smoked brisket ($22 plate) and kalbi brisket ($22 plate). I preferred the unadorned brisket. Maybe it was a matter of mindset, but in this setting, the soy-marinated kalbi-style meat seemed like sacrilege, masking the smoky character of the meat, the main reason most people would come here.

SPEAKING OF adornment, in my view the moistest parts of the brisket needed no assistance, but for drier sections there are three house barbecue sauces: the classic Over Easy, a Kansas City-style tomato-based sauce that most of us associate with Southern barbecue; the Kailua Green, a verdant blend of Thai curry, cilantro and shrimp paste; and the li-hing- flavored Crackseed, most often paired with chicken.

It’s pork I favored most, and the barbecue sauce-coated half-rack ribs ($23 plate) and pork belly alone are worth a drive to the Windward side. The pork belly is $17 for a plate with two sides, or $9 a la carte for a half-pound side order, or $17 for a pound.

The plates will get you two sides and a bread choice of plain white, King’s sweet roll or housemade cornbread. Of course you should choose the cornbread, and ask for a pat of honey butter to go with it.

When I made a post to Instagram, someone asked — online it’s hard to tell whether someone is being sincere or facetious — if there were any vegetables to go along with all that meat. And the answer is yes! It was so nice to see fresh coleslaw, tart braised red cabbage, smoked Brussels sprouts and a cup of Mexican-style corn to go with all the meat.

If you don’t care about getting your daily veggies, there is mac n’ cheese, as well as baked beans stirred with plenty of shredded meat.

Then, if there’s any room left for dessert, try the ’Que Cake, a decadent chocolate buttermilk cake with peanut butter buttercream, dobash-style chocolate pudding, peanut brittle crust and topping, plus whipped cream. Joy!

EASY ‘QUE

767 Kailua Road

Food: ***1/2

Service: ****

Ambiance: ***1/2

Value: ***1/2

>> Call: 762-3089

>> Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays; Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to noon with regular lunch/ dinner menu 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

>> Prices: Brunch about $40 for two; dinner about $50 for two without drinks

Ratings compare similar restaurants:

**** – excellent

*** – very good

** – average

* – below average

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.