The food was superb, but we were sorry to be there on the day which, apparently, every single staff member lost a dear relative…or their cat…or…..really, this was the gloomiest set of service personnel I have experienced in years, and generally the mood of a food establishment starts at the top, and filters down…so something was amiss.

But the food? Divine.

Our (gloomy) server delivered water, bread, herb butter and a few mixed olives to the table and asked for our drink order, which was taken and delivered.

We started with the smoke gouda and emmenthaler, warmed in the wood-fired oven, and accompanied by apple slices, poached asparagus spears, and crusty bread. Served in a ramikin with a warmer, at first glance, I was disappointed in the small serving, but it proved to be more than ample.

My dining companion order the Thai Pad ravioli, a melange of vegetables in a spicy broth with vegetable stuffed ravioli.

I ordered one of the wood-fired pizzas, whichwas great, crispy bubbled crust, ample serving of hard “artisan” salami, a red seasoned red gravy sauce, and fresh mozzarella. As you know, I am a big pizza eater, and the serving was on the smallish size, at least in my first thought, but the fondue had made a big dent in my peckishness, so I was not able to finish the pizza. Ok, i ate the toppings and left the crust. Would I return? Sure, but I would be better prepared next time to have a FOOD experience, and not a DINING experience.