If there were ever a restaurant where gay and lesbian customers automatically received brawny warm hugs just for showing up, it would have to be Full Moon. And believe me, by the time you traveled through the queerless streets of Ramona to get there, you would want to give back double the love.

In actuality, Full Moon is the only “out” dinner house in this seemingly gay-forbidden settlement. It is owned and operated by Donna Danzig and Rebecca Wise, longtime partners who don’t give a damn what the rednecks think about their lesbian brand of hospitality. But friendly casualness is the key to building bridges in this neck of the woods. And their ambitious menus of Belizean-jerked meats and gourmet sushi have further contributed to a steady stream of repeat customers since opening this year.

The restaurant’s modest façade gives way to a spacious interior decorated in Japanese lanterns, Oriental fans and colorful aquariums. Booth seating dominates the floor plan, which leads to a folksy sushi bar in the acoustically challenged back dining area. The atmosphere may be chic for Ramona, but city dwellers will unanimously view it as an unpretentious, salt-of-the-earth place to park their stomachs.

The primarily Asian-themed menu embodies a few incongruous offerings, such as hand-cut top sirloin steaks, grilled chicken and a corn-infused Salmon Chowder stamped with all-American goodness. Yet the staff’s culinary prowess clearly lies in the big and beautiful sushi creations that paraded by us; the Donna Roll made with soft shell crab, or the Ramona Delight constructed with spicy scallops and topped with eel sauce.

My dining companion and I, however, arrived with a hankering for meat, but prefaced our meal with a few Asian sides including Tempura-Battered Egg Rolls that were light and appealing. Ditto for the bowl of Edamame beans and Sherry’s Oyshee Cucumbers, which we plowed through as Danzig spoke openly with us about her involvement with womenmoto.com (a.k.a., Dykes on Bikes). The unmistakably straight customers in earshot never flinched, which goes to show that being out and proud in backwater country works pretty well when food and geniality are involved.

My companion’s Belizean-Jerked Steak was a winner, given its buttery texture and piquant coating. Guests can also choose teriyaki or Delmonico preparations for their meat. Chicken includes the same choices, in addition to a lemon-garlic-ginger coating that I chose. But the flavoring was a few notches weaker than I expected, which led me to request a side of luscious homemade teriyaki sauce that paired more romantically with the grilled breast.

Entrees are served with a choice of soup or salad, plus steamed or green curry rice. And there are also a few fish choices on the menu, which like the steaks, are hand-cut and prepared in those above-mentioned Caribbean or Asian flavor choices. Fickle appetites will get a good run for their money here, although the reasonable prices won’t drain your wallet.

According to Wise, who brings years of food experience into the kitchen, Full Moon’s provisional menu may eventually expand into other ethnic territories once the couple further establishes the business. Cuban style meals with rice and beans are currently on the drawing board, although the sushi bar with its many fine offerings will remain firmly planted in the scheme of things.

Fun and frolic enter into the equation a few nights a week when guitarist-singer “Indian Joe Stewart” entertains guests with a varied repertoire of music on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Danzig often joins him with her own guitar. The drinks start flying. And the place becomes one big happy family that perfectly dislodges the line between gay and straight.