Address: 250 South Hotel Street

Tel: 808-586-0900

Half the pleasure of dining at Ed Kenney's latest spot—the Oahu-born chef also runs Honolulu's wildly popular Town bistro—is the location. Far from the madding beach crowd, this ýber-minimalist dining room is inside the Hawaii State Art Museum, in the leafy city center. Then there's the food. Imaginative but not overwrought, the ever-changing menu highlights produce from Oahu's best farms. Recently there was a perfectly dressed salad of beets, ricotta salata, and pistachios, followed by a roasted pork loin sweetened just so with spiced butter rum and dates. Like the entrées, the desserts come and go with the latest harvest, but, luckily, the olive oil cake is a constant. For now, Downtown at the HiSAM serves lunch only, although with the arrival this summer of its liquor license, the place will be open for dinner, too (entrées, $9–$16).