As we settled in our seats, G.B. and I, and good friends Linda and Matthew, marveled at the surroundings, which felt more like we were in someone's home kitchen.

And in fact, we were. Our "hosts" for the evening were Norman and Samira, who have owned and operated this charming eatery for the past 10 years.

Cordon Bleu-trained, Norman does the cooking. Meanwhile, Samira joked that she's an artist by day, and dishwasher and waitress by night.

Together, the hospitable couple provided us with a memorable evening, plying us with food that defied culinary boundaries, borrowing from French, Italian and local flavors.

The menu here is extensive, even by standards of larger-sized restaurants. Thanks to Norman, though, we were led to the right dishes.

For starters, he suggested we try the crabcake ($12.50), one of his specialties. So Matthew and Linda did. G.B. and I settled on the spinach-and-ricotta-cheese-filled homemade ravioli ($9.50).

As he went into the kitchen — which is literally only steps away from the dining room — we could hear Norman at work and, more noticeably, we could smell our appetizers being prepared.

Measuring roughly the same size as a hamburger patty, the crabcake was made with real Maryland lump crab and was topped with a spicy — much to the delight of both Linda and Matthew — and mouthwatering remoulade sauce.

We used thin slices of crusty French bread to soak up the remaining remoulade and later to wipe the plate clean of the zesty marinara sauce that blanketed the plump ravioli.

While it was easy choosing our appetizers, selecting an entree proved to be more challenging.

However, five of the 22 entrees were out of the question: the Alaskan king crab legs and claws, bouillabaisse, osso buco, duck cassoulet and chicken cacciatore all have to be ordered one day in advance. But, since the menu states, "Ask if they're serving any that night," we thought we may get lucky and so we inquired about the cassoulet and bouillabaisse. No such luck.

Norman said he sold out of both dishes the night before.

However, he did have some oxtail stew — not soup — that would be served with saffron rice and fresh fruit ($24.50). Matthew was sold on this, while Linda opted for the half-pound Alaskan halibut ($28.50), which she asked to be prepared in a fiery, Italian-style fra diavolo sauce. (And she wondered why she was sweating!)

G.B. had the Cordon Bleu chicken breast ($26.50), appropriate, she thought, given Norman's training. Accompanied by a bed of arugula salad and mashed potatoes, the almond-and-herb-crusted chicken was fork tender and gooey inside since it was stuffed with mozzarella cheese.

I wavered between the chicken breast picata ($24.50) and the chicken parmigiana ($26.50), which I eventually had by default, since Norman was out of his picata sauce.

The bed of linguine tasted like it was homemade, which Norman confirmed. Again the chicken was tender and the marinara sauce had just enough zing.

Portions here are substantial, but we did have room for dessert, which included a mango-flavored flan ($5.50) and creme caramel ($5.50). We devoured both within minutes.