Chef Peter Merriman’s Honolulu restaurant opens Saturday in the Anaha complex in Ward Villages.

Preview sessions at Merriman’s began Monday, introducing the menu to Anaha residents, employees of other restaurants in the Merriman’s family, vendors, suppliers and the media.

Merriman said the restaurant will reflect the farm-to-table roots of all his restaurants, but with a recognition of its location in modern Kakaako. “One of our themes is farm to high-rise,” he said.

Specialties developed for the Merriman’s Ward location include Tako & Country Bread, served escargot-style covered in garlic butter; Kualoa Ranch “Smokin’ Oysters,” infused with smoke under a dome to be released with hazy aplomb at the table; and roasted cauliflower served with walnuts, romaine and aged sherry.

Classic Merriman’s dishes from either the original Waimea restaurant on the Big Island or in Kapalua, Maui, include steamed clams in garlic butter and a lobster pot pie, both made with seafood from Keahole.

Merriman, one of the original Hawaii Regional Cuisine chefs, has seven restaurants on four islands. This new restaurant will be his eighth and the first in Honolulu directly owned by him (his more casual Monkeypod Kitchen and Moku Kitchen are partnerships with Handcrafted Restaurants).

The executive chef at Ward is Jon Matsubara, who has opened three previous high-end Honolulu restaurants — Stage at the Honolulu Design Center, Azure at the Royal Hawaiian and Forty Carrots at Bloomingdale’s.

Reservations for opening night and beyond are being taking at merrimanshawaii.com. Hours at the Ward location will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily; with happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m.