The brick red door opened into the chic, rustic room with whitewashed walls and overwhelmed me with the warm smell of a kitchen hard at work. The lights were just dim enough to create a relaxing vibe.

Quiet background music emerged from the bar side of the small restaurant called simply “The Restaurant at 323 Main”.  A pleasant change from the usually blaring music at most other restaurants.

After immediately being seated at brown leather seats at a table in the back, I was handed a menu in which the quality food choices and the high prices surprised me. I don’t know much about pricing, but when I’m dining at even a nice low-key restaurant like this one, I like to order an entreé for a price in the teens.

Some menu items include Sesame Crusted Tuna, Braised Lamb Shank, and Roasted Salmon. Entrée prices range from $18 for the Eggplant Parmagiana to $30 for the Tea Smoked Duck Breast.

Despite this, the menu turned out to be quite tasteful. With dishes ranging from lamb to salmon to chicken to pork, I finally decided on mac & cheese appetizer and the chicken under-a-brick entrée.

The mac & cheese was brought out quickly and was absolutely delicious. The soft, light, creamy cheese tasted like it was homemade.

After the appetizer was collected, at around 7:15 p.m., the place became more crowded and with the influx of customers, there was a slight decrease of a few minutes in service efficiency.

Although, when the next course did finally arrive, it was well worth the wait. The chicken was moist and flavorful, as was the asparagus and gravy on the side. The only downfall was the bland mashed potatoes, but that could easily be overlooked because of the outstanding chicken.

The amazing food and wonderful atmosphere added up to a wonderful experience that greatly outweighed the small defects.

If you’ve got the coin, check out The Restaurant at 323 Main.