If the Star-Advertiser’s ‘Ilima Awards ceremony had been slated a week later than this past Monday, Prima would have surely made the list of best new restaurants of the year. Its absence from our annual restaurant guide was a matter of timing rather than quality, the restaurant having opened after our guide went to press.

No matter. Prima will have its due, whether it’s in the media or in word-of-mouth praise from knowledgeable diners.

All eyes have been on restaurateurs/chefs Lindsey Ozawa and Alejandro Briceno since they put the brakes on the popular food truck, Melt, for the last time. There are quite a few people who probably wish Ozawa opted to continue making grilled-cheese sandwiches and croque monsieurs, but no matter how high the quality of meat and cheese that went into them, making these basics can sustain a chef’s ambitions for only so long. Eventually, there’ll be need to show off one’s chops.

That time has come with Prima, which opened in the Foodland complex on Hekili Street in Kailua, a good place for attracting those who already shop at the gourmet R. Field Wine Company section of the store. (Conveniently, while the restaurant awaits its liquor license, diners can walk over to the grocery for BYOB purchases.)

Of the writeups I’ve seen about Prima to date, the restaurant has been consistently described as an Italian restaurant, but I think that’s misleading. To hear that description still conjures images of spaghetti and meatballs and carbonara, and anyone seeking such old-school classics had best look elsewhere.

Instead, Prima is a contemporary restaurant that draws on Mediterranean and Italian as well as local inspirations to create a tasting menu of small plates. Oh, it can also claim the title for best pizza in Kailua, thanks to Briceno.

It’s a restaurant that those of us in Honolulu would have loved to see on this side of the island. I’m not sure Kailua is ready for a restaurant like Prima when, for the longest time, Buzz’s Steak House has represented the height of special-occasion dining in the beach town, and there is no precedence for the casual yet upscale tasting menu, unless you count Kalapawai Market’s recent innovations.

I can already hear the complaints from Kailua’s crabby set: "It’s too expensive," "the portions are too small." Having lived there for a decade, I finally moved away because of the grousing, NIMBY attitudes and having grown tired of running from geriatrics in their cars as they gunned for pedestrians crossing the parking lot at Longs or Times.

But if Ozawa and crew are also looking for an audience of international, sophisticated travelers, this is one place they’ll be sure to look. And just as young food enthusiasts have followed other Vertical Junkies endeavors from V-Lounge to Heeia Kea Pier General Store & Deli, townies who otherwise would find little occasion to cross the Pali are flooding in to see what’s new with the crew.

The menu offers about 14 dishes daily, along with a handful of sides and pizzas. If you’re familiar with V-Lounge’s pizzas, the quality and selection is essentially the same here, including the popular sopressatta ($14), prosciutto and arugula ($15) and boquerones (white anchovy, $15) pizzas. General consensus among foodies is that this is still the best pizza on the island, so I need not say more. It’s the rest of the menu I’m focused on.

It starts simply with caprese ($10) and field green ($8) salads, but I couldn’t wait to sample the more ambitious dishes, such as a fennel panna cotta ($11). Also in the kitchen is Kevin Lee, who worked at New York’s Dovetail restaurant (see what I ate there at bit.ly/oktsrc) before coming to Hawaii, and this dish reminded me of that restaurant and its chefs’ ability to coax the essence out of any ingredient. I thought it was brilliant, with the flavor of puréed fennel coming through, but so fluffy and light it was like a vegetable dessert, served with candied fennel-stem marmalade to enhance that quality.

Equally amazing was crudo of smoked whitefish ($15), with shaved hearts of palm and sprigs of purslane.

More on the entertaining side were "Buffalo" clams, a riff off Buffalo chicken wings. Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is stirred into the broth with clams, slivers of celery and duck confit that imparts some of the crunch expected if these were chicken wings.

The plates are made for sharing, and with the exception of the Buffalo clams, most would feed two at best. It’s recommended you order at least four plates, which is plenty for me, but I’ve heard that people accustomed to big plates and traditional meals are leaving hungry. A place like this really calls for another approach to dining, savoring each bite, rather than gulping things down to fill one’s gut.

Next up was the one classic pasta on the menu, hand-cut pappardelle topped with light curry Bolognese and crisp fried curry leaves ($16). Any fear that the curry would overwhelm the dish was quickly put to rest.

Less impressive from an artistic perspective were what would be considered the entree selections. Mahimahi was perfectly cooked to a crisp exterior and moist interior, but accompaniments of fingerling potatoes and smoked paprika carrot purée failed to elevate the fish or excite this diner.

It was the same with veal breast ($21) served with mashed potatoes and bitter greens with marsala sauce, and topped with a round of pan-crisped soppressata. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this dish, but given the price and capabilities in this kitchen, I just expected a little more novelty. But, that’s just me. A lot more diners would be supremely happy with well-cooked veal and traditional marsala sauce.

Inspiration returned in Briceno’s desserts that included a multiflavor sampler of gelato and sorbetto ($6), ricotta tart layered with peach jam, ricotta cream and topped off with shaved dark chocolate ($5), and fragole con panna of toasted, crumbled brioche topped with mascarpone cream and encircled with slices of strawberries ($5).

Beyond food, service was capable and efficient, above and beyond the usual amiable surf-kid service that permeates Kailua. I was impressed.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at 529-4775 or via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com.