By the time this article is printed, Dish! will have expanded its hours to seven days a week with the bar opening at 5 p.m. and the restaurant at 5:30, which means you could be eating there tonight!

My honey, Sharon, and I dined at DISH! recently and it was fabulous. We were warmly greeted by the lovely Gretchen tending bar. She’s always friendly and quick to say something to make you smile.

After jawing with Gretchen and one of the owners, Rocky, at the bar for a while, we finally let them seat us for dinner and started to ponder the menu choices. We were there on a Thursday night, which is half-price wine night, by the glass or the bottle, so of course we started with a bottle. The wine list has a nice mix of Californian and European wines.

We had a rough time deciding what food to order. This is a common "problem" I have when trying to write about our wonderful Rehoboth restaurants. I’d never eaten at DISH! before, so of course I wanted to try everything on the menu so that I could tell you all about it. Alas, there were only two of us, and while we did our best to try as much as possible and stuff ourselves silly, in the end, you will be faced with your own "problem" when you peruse the menu for yourself.

The choices are inviting. To start with, we had the famous Fried Calamari. I found it to be the most tender calamari I’ve ever eaten. The batter was substantial without being bready. The dipping sauce was very spicy with tons of peanuts, cilantro and a sweet undertone. It reminded me of a Thai satay sauce.

The menu is eclectic. Riche Griffin, co-owner and chef, describes the menu as the love child of Betty Crocker and Julia Child. Some would call it upscale comfort food, since the entrees have a retro feel, such as the "Shake and Bake" chicken, beef stroganoff, and the award-winning burger and fries. While these may sound like your mother’s cooking, they have been re-invented with hints of French and Asian influences.

To cleanse our palates, we ordered a simple mixed green salad. After a few bites, we were digging out the menu to look up the dressing. It complemented the salad without overpowering and turned out to be simply rice wine vinegar. Perfect.

We ordered the specials of the day, but while we were waiting for them, we asked to sample the soup of the day. I just wanted a little taste, but once I tried it, I gobbled it up and asked Sharon if she was going to finish hers. It was a cream of mushroom made with wild mushrooms and topped with truffle oil and fried onions.

This soup was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I think it was the truffle oil that made me literally groan with pleasure. Some say truffle oil is an aphrodisiac, and Riche is not stingy with it. He adds it to several of his dish!es, including his French fries, and perhaps that partly explains the huge popularity of his fries. Some people come to happy hour and just order martinis and fries. Boy, that’s a combination that will send you to heaven!

While Sharon refused to give up her soup, I scraped every drop out of my bowl and looked forward to the entrees. And I had time to look around.

First, if you’ve never been to DISH! before, you need to know that it’s located below street level on the first block of Baltimore Avenue; this lends a cozy air to the place. DISH! describes itself as a "Retro Dining Gallery and Lava Lounge," with huge lava lamps in the windows, Rubik Cubes, Etch-A-Sketches and more.

On the night we were there, they were exhibiting photographs by Danielle Hernandez, who still uses real slide film and produces great close-ups that help you look at ordinary items with new appreciation—kind of like the DISH! menu!

Danielle was our wonderful (and patient) waitress, and when she brought us our entrees, we knew we’d made good choices, even if those choices took us forever to make.

We’d ordered the Osso Buco, which is usually made with a veal shank, but Riche used a pork shank, seared it and then slow roasted it with aromatic vegetables and a veal reduction that managed to be hearty and light at the same time. It was delicious and we ate every bit.

We’d also ordered a special oven-roasted chicken dish served with amazing scalloped potatoes, chicken au jus, wild mushrooms and perfectly steamed green beans. It was a light and flavorful dish; the chicken was very juicy. We loved it.

There was another special of the day that we didn’t get to try: a Teriyaki Grilled Tuna Steak served with egg and vegetable fried rice and fresh broccoli tossed in a sweet and sour sauce. It sounded really good, and I hope it’s a special again so I can try it next time.

For dessert we tried Lisa’s cheesecake of the day, and it was a rich pleasure! Then we got to try a new menu addition (also made by Lisa), which I fell in love with: French Sweet Cream, a white gelatin-based dish covered in fresh berries. When I took a bite, it was the perfect sweet and light end to a lovely meal. I feel lucky to have been there when Lisa brought out that sample dessert!

While the atmosphere is casual, presentation means a lot at DISH! Everything we ordered was served with a vertical element. I especially loved the slice of dark chocolate jutting out of the cheesecake. But as important as the beautiful presentation was the delicious taste of everything.

You can visit dishrehoboth.com to see pictures of the restaurant and samplings from the menu. DISH! is located at 26 Rehoboth Ave. and can be reached at 226-2112.