Michael's Table is a cozy little restaurant in the corner of Zelda Place. After seeing the Web site and the menu, I had to see and taste what this bistro had to offer. Chef Michael Hochhalter has created a beautiful and charming experience, bringing a variety of worldwide influences into our local dining scene.

The menu is sparse in comparison to some area restaurants, but Michael's Table still serves a variety of dishes. The restaurant offers soups, salads and some appetizers. The entrees include spaghetti, pork loin, roast beef, swordfish, cabbage rolls and chicken lettuce wraps. There is an extensive wine list, but we chose to forego alcohol on our visit.

We started our meal with spinach salad ($7) and a bowl of gazpacho ($7). The salad was a mix of wilted baby spinach, sautéed bacon and red onion tossed in a moonshine poppy seed dressing with boiled egg. It took a moment to adjust to the warm spinach and the sweet, sweet dressing but I really enjoyed this salad. My friend's gazpacho, a cold tomato soup, was served in a large bowl and accompanied by small bowls of parmesan, sour cream, chives and cilantro. The large bowl of soup was way too much for a starter, but my friend enjoyed most of it and took the rest home. The Southerner in me never understood the concept of cold soup, so I had never had gazpacho before. I sampled the soup and was pleasantly surprised. The tomatoes were fresh and the soup was very flavorful, reminiscent of a chunky salsa.

I chose the Livornese Style Couscous ($22) for my main dish. It consisted of grilled swordfish with couscous, white beans, sweet potatoes and greens. The 5-ounce swordfish was lightly seasoned and delicious. It was slightly overcooked, but the texture and taste were still pleasant. Cherry tomatoes and onions were mixed in with the beans. The taste was mild as was the couscous, but they complimented the other more flavorful side dishes.

The sweet potato was blended smoothly, and I could taste just a touch of cinnamon. The greens were the biggest surprise. Wilted and tossed in olive oil with Parmesan cheese, they were fresh, slightly bitter, but definitely an enjoyable change from the overly cooked greens I normally have. All the portions were small, but satisfying, which is a refreshing change from restaurants that serve enough food to bloat the diner into misery.

My date had the grilled tenderloin of beef ($20). He ordered his tenderloin cooked medium (hot red center) and it was served perfectly to his request. The beef was flavorful and tender. It came in a bowl over potatoes and tomatoes and topped with oregano and feta cheese. I know he enjoyed his meal because nothing was left on his plate.

For dessert we split Ian's Moka Toka Lakta Yaya ($6). This concoction is as divine as the name implies. A very dense and mildly sweet chocolate bread pudding accompanied by a scoop of chocolate ice cream with mocha crème, a bittersweet ganache and roasted pine nuts. We fell in love with this dish. It was chocolaty, but not overpowering in any way. I love chocolate, but a lot of times chocolate desserts will overload my senses and I become numb to the taste. But this dessert was delicious to the last bite.

Our service was great and we never had to ask for anything. The owner has put a lot of thought and time into making sure every dish is a perfect combination of flavors and textures and that the service is impeccable. I was very impressed with my entire experience.

Chef Hochhalter touts his dishes as healthier versions of comfort foods and I agree. My friend and I left satisfied, but not feeling overly stuffed from our wonderful meal. And other than dessert, I didn't go too far out of my normal daily calorie intake. Our meal cost $72, which we found reasonable considering the quality of the food and our service.

This was one of the best dining experiences I have had in an extremely long time. I plan to dine at Michael's Table again for dinner very soon and look forward to sampling the lunch menu, too.