In the limelight: At Stage, chef Jon Matsubara creates what he calles "couture cuisine," using local ingredients. Advertiser libray photo

Stage   Stage exemplifies a kind of restaurant that is late to Hawai'i, but making a showing now: urban in feel, up-to-the-nanosecond in design (its in the new Honolulu Design Center, after all, furnished with pieces from the sales floor and overlooking a busy intersection). Though aggressively local in sourcing Island ingredients, the menu is distinctly not the oh-so-tired papaya salsa on a piece of 'opakapaka. And Stage is staffed by veterans of Hawaii's high-end galaxy (chef Jon Matsubara, formerly of the CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani; manager Charly Yoshida and pastry chef Mark Okumura, formerly of Alan Wong's, plus familiar-looking servers and line chefs) so they appreciate Island palates without losing one bit of new-to-town edge. A taste? Grilled scallop in Parmesan foam, chilled crab with Kohala citrus salad, Waipio fiddleheads with white asparagus and San Daniele prosciutto, cardamom-spiced lamb chops, and a triple-threat Panache of Coffee Bean dessert. All we can say is welcome to the city.  1250 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu Design Center, second floor.237-5429. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Reservations for parties of six or more. Self-parking. AX, DC, DS, MC, VS. No checks. Lunch: $$. Dinner: $$$$.