The lap of luxury

As we stood waiting for a table and taking in the atmosphere at Lexie’s Restaurant in the Siena, my friend Lisa and I discussed the aesthetics of fine lighting. Already, we were hooked. Hooked by the delicate amber spheres suspended above Lexie’s sea of diners. Hooked on the soft luminescence they gave off.

“It’s all so hip,” I whispered.

Lisa replied that when she snags her dream house, she too wants tiny suspended lamps. She wants hers to be shaped like flowers.

Our conversation trailed off as our hostess approached to tell us our table was ready. She led us into the back room, which is designated a smoking section but was smoker-free as far as I could see. The smoking section tables don’t overlook the moonlit river as most of the main room seating does, but I liked the quiet and seclusion. As we sank into massive rose-colored chairs, our hostess unfurled the table’s white cloth napkins and placed them daintily on our laps. She then handed us leather-bound menus as big as a children’s picture Bible and told us our waiter would soon be with us.

“I hope it’s the Eduardos,” I said to Lisa.

I’d been to Lexie’s once before, two weeks prior. I’d been impressed by the whole Lexie’s experience—the food, the wine, the desert—but most of all by my multiple waiters. The first one, who looked a bit like Jeff Goldblum, explained that his name was Eduardo and he would be serving us that evening, along with his assistant.

“His name is also Eduardo,” said Eduardo No. 1.

Lisa and I didn’t get the Eduardos, but we did get a swift and courteous waiter named Kamel. I started by ordering a glass of house merlot ($4) from Kamel.

I decided on the grilled salmon ($19.95), but Lisa, whose father is in the restaurant and hotel business, was still perusing every inch of the menu.

While I waited, my eye wandered across the meaty selections and settled on venison chops.

“The name ‘venison chops’ sounds sort of vulgar,” I said.

“You don’t like deer?” queried Lisa. “I love venison.”

“Oh, I like deer. But I don’t eat deer. And the name sounds funny.”

“Would you rather they call it Bambi chops?”

Lisa decided to order the Bambi—ur, venison—chops ($19.95). While we waited for our main course, we had ample helpings of French bread, spread thick with butter from little rosebud-shaped pats.

Our food soon arrived. My salmon was excellent. Lisa raved over her venison, which was thickly glazed in a rich sauce.

For dessert, we shared an amazing Crème Brulee ($6.50)—seriously one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. Lisa commented on its thin, perfectly browned crust. Our spoons were at war for the last few bites.

When Kamel came to clear away our dessert plate, I told him I was skipping straight to the Crème Brulee next time.

“I’ll bring you four of them next time,” he assured me.

Scrumptious meat, delectable sweets, chivalrous waiters, fabulous lighting—the Lexie’s experience is a luxury that’s well worth the price.