The best pasta sampled was the gemelli (short twisted tubes) in a light tomato-cream sauce dotted with sautéed garlic shrimp and crab meat.

The other was stuffed with prosciutto and cheese in a lush sauce dotted with mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes.

The prime pick from the menu is the velvety filet mignon in a creamy, brandy sauce dotted with green peppercorns.

Veal a l'Erin was comprised of two standard medallions sitting in an uninspired brown sauce dotted with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.

The snails arrived in a lush sauce dotted with mushrooms, alongside a puff pastry vol-au-vent.

Angel-hair in a creamy sauce dotted with lobster and watercress is a better choice.

A spunky brown sauce dotted with pearl onions and poached garlic cloves completed the dish.

A thick ham steak is embellished with a gelatinous citric sauce dotted with raisins and cloves.

The venison, which looked like rare lamb chops, arrived in a brown sauce dotted with cubes of Gorgonzola cheese.

Yet, striped bass in a similar sauce dotted with clams and scallops was overcooked.