The reason I'd never seen the restaurant before is that Lalime's is a little off the beaten track. You get to it by taking the Gilman Street exit off I-80; it's at 1329 Gilman, in a tiny cluster of stores that includes a fancy-schmancy grocery and an old-time filling station with a cool vintage pump.

The restaurant itself is unassuming from the outside, but once you step in you can tell this is a quality establishment. Care has gone into the decor here; there are dramatic arrangements of fresh flowers, and the staff is unfailingly attentive. It's also -- yes, Jeff -- more laid back than Chez Panisse, which I'm sorry to say that I've always found a little pretentious. While the waitstaff at CP can give you the feeling they're merely tolerating your presence, at Lalime's they seem genuinely interested in whether or not you have a good time.

So what about the food? To start, I had a dish called Duck Crepinettes, and my partner had a salad with arugula, roasted beets and blue cheese. The salad was respectable but unspectacular. The crepinettes weren't exactly what I'd envisaged: I was expecting small pancakes, but these were more like duck meatballs. They were pretty good, though, and came with a port wine sauce that was so delicious I found myself mopping up the excess with bread.

As an entree, I chose an Asian-inspired fish dish which paired salmon and tuna in a ginger broth with potstickers. The hubster had duck breast on parsnip puree. Everything was delicious -- especially the potstickers, which were filled with some kind of minced mushroom mixture. (I think they might have been called something fancier than potstickers, so don't quote me.) In any case, the only fault I can find is that I would have quite liked to have some kind of green vegetable with the entree. Lalime's menu didn't give us that choice, although I'd hazard a guess that the kitchen would accomodate a request for a side of greens.

For dessert, we shared a kind of fruit pastry thing that was possibly the highlight of the meal. I don't usually go gaga over desserts but this was definitely one of the greats: flaky, melt-in-the-mouth pastry surrounding tangy fruit with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and two separate and delicious fruit sauces. I caught sight of some other desserts on nearby tables, and felt confident we'd made a good choice (there was a chunky, serious-looking brownie -- but why go to a fancy restaurant for a brownie?)

Finally, at the risk of repetition, let me say again how utterly impressed I was with the service. All through the meal, it was totally professional without being either slimy or snooty. Our server perfectly anticipated the moments for refills and table-clearings. The maitre'd did his part too, bringing along a free drink to thank my partner for moving his chair to accomodate another party. Little touches like that made me confident that Lalime's would be THE place to take my parents (possibly the most hyper-critical diners on the planet) next time they're in town.

With drinks, the meal set us back $85. That definitely pitches it into the special occasion/parent-treat stratosphere, though Lalime's has midweek prix fixe menus that run around $26 per person. It also does special meals on holidays, and runs a winemaker's dinner (with coordinated wines and dishes) every few weeks. Check it all out on the restaurant's informative website, which includes a monthly newsletter from the owner. Like the restaurant, the website is full of quiet charm. No doubt about it: Lalime's is a class act.

Sarah Coleman