When former Star of Honolulu executive chef Adam Gilbert opened Plantation Tavern two years ago, his focus was squarely on the farm-to-table menu he envisioned would showcase some of the best ingredients Hawaii producers had to offer.

He continues to succeed on that front, most recently with a win at this year’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser ‘Ilima Awards. A visit to Gilbert’s restaurant at Kapolei Marketplace will turn up dishes that feature shrimp from Kauai; ground beef, mushrooms and goat cheese from Hawaii island; Maui lettuce; sweet Ewa onions grown on Oahu; and fresh pork from a farm in Mililani.

But just because Plantation Tavern markets itself more as a restaurant than a bar, don’t let that discourage you from stopping by for drinks only. While the room can officially hold 70 people, the best seats are the 15 or so that line the bar that stretches nearly the entire length of the restaurant. A pair of televisions hang over the bar itself, and a small nook near the front entrance doubles as a performance area for live music on Friday nights.

Another area worth checking out later in the day is the outdoor seating that looks out to Farrington Highway. There’s quite a bit of landscaping to buffer the noise from passing traffic, but Kapolei’s hot midday sun makes it hard to utilize the area for day drinking. Your best bet is making a play for pau hana cocktails on the lanai or even waiting a bit later in the night for the dinner crowd to die down and vacate the space.

I can see myself returning to that lanai with a Spiked Plantation ($10), which looks sort of like a mai tai with its dark rum float but is actually more along the lines of a sweet rum punch, thanks to the addition of lemonade and a shot of amaretto liqueur to go with Koloa coconut-flavored rum.

I’ve also been waiting for a local bar to do something interesting with Maui-based Paniolo whiskey, and the Hawaiian Gentlemen ($10) might be just what I’ve been looking for. I can’t really get into the nontraditional taste of Paniolo’s pineapple-based distillate when drinking it neat, but mixed into a cocktail like this along with flavors of passion fruit and fresh lemon with a dash of chocolate bitters is a much more approachable way to enjoy the spirit.

Fresh fruit flavors are present in most drinks on the cocktail menu, including Plantation Tavern’s take on the Moscow Mule. The Passion Mule ($10) adds passion fruit puree to vodka, fresh lime and ginger beer, which takes much of the spiciness from the ginger beer out of the equation and turns this one into more of a sugar bomb. Those with a sweet tooth will also want to try the Ginger Passion Mojito ($12), which takes that same passion fruit puree and adds fresh ginger syrup to go with the traditional ingredients of rum and fresh mint leaves.

All in all, Plantation Tavern isn’t trying to be something it’s not. Looking for more of a raucous bar scene on a Friday or Saturday night? There are other options nearby for that. This is a more of a place where you can sneak away for a couple of drinks while your other half goes shopping, or a quiet spot to bring the entire family out for a meal while also giving the adults a chance to enjoy themselves. With an award-winning food menu and drinks that get the job done using flavors customers enjoy, chef Gilbert and his staff have established themselves as a destination in Kapolei for years to come.