We began our meal with roasted apple and red bell pepper soup.

Dressed with thyme chantilly, it is an inspired combination, rich and a little sweet, with just the right amount of tartness from the apples.

Al had a Caesar salad to start, and it came in a basket made from Parmesan cheese that was as pretty as it was delicious.

The bread basket here was worth commenting on. It offered three choices of really crispy bread and two types of butter, one plain and one flavored with chives. We needed to have it refilled, and it was.

Joe and I chose the seared barbarie duck breast

with roast pearl barley, red cabbage braised with apple, and lavender au jus. That was a mouthful, and believe me, my mouth was full throughout the entire meal. It was delicious; the duck was very flavorful and moist, and the red cabbage and apple was just as good as it sounds. I even found that I enjoyed the creamy pearl barley, especially with the lavender au jus. The meals were all very visually appealing as well.

Al had grilled Argentinean beef tenderloin with creamed polenta and Cajun butter. He didn’t leave anything on his plate, which I think speaks for itself. The tenderloin was so tender, it literally melted in your mouth.

The menu here was eclectic, and if we must judge by what we ordered, the meals are all excellent. They offer selections as varied as grilled venison, guinea fowl, farfalle with chorizo, caramelized Atlantic salmon, and ravioli crepes.

We finished our meal with coffee and decaf, and we wished we had had room for their excellent dessert selection. The restaurant is closed on Mondays, so unfortunately, we were not able to repeat our wonderful experience.