It’s been awhile (too long, really) since Dwight and I have had a “fine dining” experience. After last night’s dinner at Deep Fork Grill, I sadly realized just how low my standards had fallen, and how much I longed for the kind of service and attention to detail restaurants like Deep Fork provide.

Our server was incredibly helpful without hovering and driving us crazy. Our empty plates were quickly cleared away, our water and wine glasses were always kept full, and perhaps most importantly, the pacing was perfect. Our entrées weren’t being rushed out before we’d even finished our soup and salad. We were given just enough time to linger in between courses. A nice, leisurely 90-minute meal.

Dwight ordered a bottle of syrah and we pored over the menu. My decision was easy – I’d had my heart set on the spinach salad and “Mac and Cheese” since about 11:00 that morning, when I’d perused the menu online at work. After some thought, Dwight finally chose the gazpacho, and the Angry Peppers for his entrée.

After we ordered, our server asked us if we were vegetarian (I’m guessing because we’d come to a steak and fish grill and ordered totally meatless dishes).

“Yes,” I replied. “Vegetarian except for cheese!”

We’d just started in on our warm rolls when suddenly two small plates appeared before us, “compliments of the chef.” I nearly squealed with glee when I realized what was on the plate – a huge piece of fresh mozzarella and a tomato slice, served on a small bed of field greens. Balsamic vinegar was lightly drizzled over the top. I couldn’t have been happier.

An amuse-bouche! How exciting! I dove in.

A couple minutes later, our server came by to check on us. “Had to make sure you got your cheese,” she said. Looking around, we noticed that all the other tables had some sort of small chicken dish as their amuses-bouche, and we were impressed that Deep Fork could accommodate vegetarians so nicely.

Our starters came next. My spinach salad was dressed with honey-cider vinaigrette and topped with toasted pecans, gorgonzola and sliced Granny Smith apples. Yum. But the real standout was Dwight’s gazpacho – a cold, salsa-like soup made from diced tomatoes, onion, cucumber and peppers. It was sweet and refreshing, with a wonderful, subtle undercurrent of heat from the peppers.

After plowing through about half of my salad and several bites of the gazpacho, I realized I was already pretty full. It was going to be a long evening, and I hadn’t done a very good job of pacing myself. Damn.

Next up, our entrées. My “Mac and Cheese” (penne with truffled asiago cream, leeks and roasted tomatoes) was deliciously full of complex flavors, but a little too rich for me. Dwight’s Angry Peppers (stuffed poblano and red peppers, atop a bed of perfectly cooked fettuccini and spinach) were also quite good, but he was a little more impressed with the pasta and spinach than the peppers.

I was only able to make it about halfway through my dinner before my too-full belly started begging for mercy. No mas! No mas! Our server came by and asked if we wanted dessert. Yeah, right. I was never eating again.

We lingered over the rest of our wine, when we noticed our server headed our direction with two martini glasses full of something very sweet-looking. “She is not bringing those things over here,” I whispered with a hint of panic.

She was. And I soon became acquainted with my new gastronomical best friend – fresh, chilled berries resting on top of some sort of sweet cream (crème anglais, maybe?) and raspberry sorbet. Oh – and a large mint leaf as a garnish. My palate was cleansed. My digestion was aided.

A few blissful moments later, I was eyeing the bottom of my empty glass, and asking Dwight if he needed help with his. Strangely, I somehow felt less painfully stuffed than before, and we speculated that perhaps there was some kind of chemical rationale to the after-dinner digestive course.

My only complaint about Deep Fork is that now I feel so totally spoiled, I don’t want to go anywhere else. And, now that I know an amuse-bouche and an after-dinner palate cleanser are included with the entrée, I may think twice about ordering a salad. Too much food last night, but all of it was spectacular.