As much technical expertise as chefs have, there’s one thing they can’t achieve in a typical restaurant: imparting the smoky, rustic essence of the backyard grill to their dishes. This gives the at-home Everyman an upper hand.

With summer comes a hunger for grilling in the great outdoors, but not everyone has access to this basic luxury, whether due to location or condo regulations.

Harbor Restaurant at Pier 38 has opened at the perfect time for those craving a taste of the summer grill. The menu is built around its charcoal- and kiawe wood-burning brasa ovens, which use high heat and convection to cook food quickly and seal in natural juices while imparting that irresistible backyard grill flavor. As far as I know, it’s the first on the island to introduce two brasa ovens, and their performance might inspire copycats.

The restaurant is a welcome addition to the harbor. It’s set in the former underutilized banquet space above Nico’s restaurant, marking an impressive expansion into the culinary world by owner POP Fishing & Marine. It’s no surprise that fishermen are often foodies. Hari Kojima, one of our pioneering local TV celebs, parlayed his fishing prowess into the combo fishing/cooking show “Let’s Go Fishing.” But this restaurant goes way beyond Kojima’s signature of slathering fresh catch with a layer of mayo.

From my house I can see Honolulu Harbor, although I’ve never found much beauty in the industrial setting and the shipping container lifts that look like the AT-AT walkers in “Star Wars.” But monolithic vessels aside, the close-up ocean view from the second floor is indeed beautiful and relaxing.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, and at the center of the room is the Copper Top Bar. Open from 3 to 6 p.m. daily, it offers an escape from life’s stressors via 16 draft beers and more bottled options, wine, cocktails and sangria.

Lunch and dinner menus share a handful of appetizers. Must-tries include a perfect pau hana pupu of cracked pepper wings ($9) simply seasoned with Hawaiian salt and fresh-cracked pepper, and tender, lightly grilled Spanish octopus ($14) that’s sliced and layered in a martini glass over a bed of arugula. It’s enough to be considered a small salad, but most goes to waste — I saw glasses being returned with the seafood gone but the greens intact. I thought the cooked octopus was a better option than lackluster Spanish-style poke sauced with lemon juice and olive oil (market price).

Appetizer lists are usually filled with deep-fried specialties, so I appreciated the offering of a half roasted eggplant ($10), topped with shaved Parmesan and garlic, to be scooped and eaten on toast.

Most of the salads also appear on both menus, although prices are higher in the evening. These entree salads are huge and could easily be shared by two to four. They include a roasted red and golden beet salad ($14 lunch, $17 dinner), a brasa-grilled chicken salad ($16/$18) and a Nicoise-style Cajun-smoked Pacific swordfish salad ($17/$20). I usually steer clear of swordfish for various reasons, including dryness, but here the fish retains its moisture and picks up its smoky flavor from the brasa.

Both menus also offer pastas, including a carbonara ($19/$24) with baby spinach and pancetta; brasa-grilled scampi ($24/$28); and lobster mac ’n’ cheese ($21/$24) that’s a work in progress. When I tried it, the pasta was runny with too much water, too little cheese and salty, rather than sweet, morsels of lobster.

The major point of departure is the sandwiches offered at lunchtime. These range from a vegetable panini with provolone ($12.50) to such crowd pleasers as an ahi tuna melt ($14), pastrami Reuben ($14.50), bourbon bacon BLT ($14) and bourbon bacon cheddar burger ($16) topped with fried egg, and, if you want, a side of terrific waffle potato chips.

With evening comes heavier entree choices such as a brasa- roasted half-chicken with herb stuffing ($23), a brasa-smoked pork chop ($25), a filet mignon with Bearnaise sauce ($40) or a bone-in rib eye ($36) with Gorgonzola-mustard sauce.

A thick slab of prime rib ($36) seasoned with rock salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic seemed like a good idea but, because of the thickness, wasn’t as tender or juicy as I expected. I enjoyed the roasted potatoes and vegetables on the plate much more than the main attraction. I might have had it on an off night. Others have shared better experiences with me on Facebook.

A seafood paella ($28) also had its pluses and minuses. On the plus side were wonderful Spanish flavors. Also, this is the only local restaurant I’ve come across that manages to serve paella with socarrat, that wonderful browned, crusty layer of rice that forms on the bottom of the pan. This goodness overrides the bad — fish overcooked to a bouncy state. That is more easily fixed than the absence of socarrat.

Finish with some of the best salted caramel ice cream you’ve ever tasted, or go with one more staple of summer campfires: an order of skillet s’mores.