Meridian pleases all senses

Meridian is my favorite Winston-Salem restaurant. A gracious greeting upon entry leads to consistently friendly attention throughout the evening. Pacing is appropriate, checkbacks well-timed, but servers never seem obtrusive — just there if you need them.

The place looks nice, too — modern, urbane and on the ground floor of Tar Branch Towers condominium building, with picture windows that look into Old Salem.

Herbed foccacia with excellent olive oil provides the prelude. I would pay particular compliment to the wine list. You can't get a bad wine or pay an unreasonable price. Artisan beers merit attention.

Mark Grohman, the chef-proprietor who trained as a pilot then changed careers after 9/11, sources ingredients locally, buying organic whenever feasible, often citing the names of local farms. Shore Farms Organic Heirloom Tomato Napoleon ($13) exudes the unique freshness of vine-ripened tomatoes and flavor that cannot be found in hybrids. Mozzarella cheese is made in-house, layered between tomato slices, drizzled with balsamic reduction and flanked by a basil-chevre (goat cheese) mousse.

My serving of Grilled Yellowfin Tuna Salad ($15) revealed bright, fresh tuna flavor, no gristle, and garnished with black olives, haricot vert (al dente green beans), boiled egg and oven-roasted tomatoes presented over Bibb lettuce. A roasted tomato-sherry vinaigrette added bite while marrying the tuna and olive flavors. A couple of anchovy strips completed the assembly.

Fried N.C. Oysters ($12) are especially good — fresh tasting, coated with a light, crisp corn meal crust, placed over creamed spinach with a lemon hollandaise sauce and scattered with applewood smoked bacon. Flash Sautéed Calamari ($9) are naked, Mediterranean style, not fried. I rated the flavor excellent — a function of spicy crushed tomatoes, Genoese basil and lemon pepper aioli.

One entrée generated disagreement around the table. I liked the Roasted Eggplant and Spinach Manicotti ($18), blended with a center of herbed ricotta cheese with sliced black olives and covered with intense San Marzano tomato sauce. But some considered the eggplant overshadowed by cheese and tomato. And, given the level of cheese, I would not want anyone to consider this a diet dish, even if it is vegetarian.

All other main courses earned unanimous praise. The unique taste of fresh pasta is evident in the Tagliatelle Pasta with N.C. Brown Shrimp ($22). Large, tender, deveined shrimp join black olives and sugar snap peas in heirloom tomato consume, enhanced with Genoese basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

The Pan Roasted Local Poulet Rouge Chicken ($24) struck me as the best fowl I've encountered in quite some time — just a better taste from the chicken, gaining both texture and flavor from morsels of crisp skin enriched with Madeira wine pan sauce. The kitchen should consider adding the accompanying sweet potato-goat cheese gratin as an entrée — an original, delightful creation joined on the plate by roasted corn, carrots and sautéed green beans.

I was especially pleased to see the origin cited for Grilled Faroe Island Salmon ($27) (see http://salmon-from-the-faroe-islands.com/), affirming the quality of the fish. The flavor is excellent, due to some extent to the kitchen's skill in imparting a crust. Basil pesto with macadamia nuts lends complexity. The portion is placed over roasted shallot couscous, with sautéed sugar snap peas and heirloom tomatoes alongside.

Sautéed Veal Scaloppini ($24) shows quality flavor from the meat, extended by heirloom tomato pan sauce. Parmesan polenta and braised escarole (one of my favorite vegetables) complete this well-matched conception.

Desserts are all made in-house. Chocolate Mousse Cake ($7) layers rich mousse between devil's food slices, the flavors well-balanced, enhanced with fresh raspberries and surrounded by caramel sauce and whipped cream. This is worth the calories.

Tables are placed far enough apart to allow conversation; the noise level is moderate. Nick, an unindicted co-conspirator, remarked that you feel "neither crushed nor rushed."