Elizabeth Keyser photo

A tomato tart

L'Escale
500 Steamboat Rd., Greenwich, (203) 661-4600, www.lescalerestaurant.com

This is the life. A shaded harborside terrace, breezes blowing off the water, boats moored along the quay, red Parisian park chairs, warm light reflecting from pale yellow walls. Am I in Provence? A glance at the casually chic crowd, emanating that all-is-right-with-my-world vibe, reminds me I'm in Greenwich.

During lunch at L'Escale, all is right with my world too. The subdued elegance of the dining room, with its white-washed walls, many candles and funky wire and crystal chandeliers, reminds me that, though the food is French, co-owner Rick Wahlstedt hails from Sweden.

We are well cared for by the staff, who bring us some of the most carefully prepared food we've had in a long time. Executive chef Francois Kwaku-Dongo spent 18 years working for Wolfgang Puck. And the desserts created by pastry chef Wendy Laurent are sublime.

A starter of zucchini blossom beignets are rushed from the frier to our table, crisp, warm and delicate, with hollow centers. We dip them in smooth, barely-smoked tomato sauce. The sauce is warm, an extra touch that makes dining at L'Escale such a pleasure. Seeing how much we enjoy the sauce, our waiter asks if he should leave it on the table. Yes!

Tomato tart — thinly sliced tomato on a round of puff pastry — is served with baby arugula salad, Parmesan shaved on top, and a dollop of smoked tomato sauce is brushed on the plate.

The cool tomato-eggplant soup is refined, slightly peppery and drizzled with olive oil. The creamy leek and potato soup is served warm. The mellow leek contrasts with the bite of fresh minced chives. The soups ($11) are served in generous white tureens. I savor each spoonful of the tomato-eggplant soup, but my dining companion stops halfway through the leek and potato soup, having hit her limit of cream.

The fish of the day ($24) today is halibut. Each bite is a joy. Seasoned with salt, pepper, lemon zest, and seared just long enough to keep the flesh moist and firm. The fish rests on a bed of fluffy herb-flecked couscous, surrounded with tomato coulis. This summery dish stays in my mind for weeks, the thought of it bringing back the blissful feeling of sitting on that terrace, eating good food and sipping a cool, crisp Grüner Veltliner ($9).

Lobster salad ($24) is delicate and delicious. Half a shell of sweet, rich lobster meat — tail, knuckle, claw — is laid beside colorful rows of mango, acidic and sweet minced tomato, fresh green beans and peppery arugula — all napped in lemon vinaigrette.

The steak sandwich ($15) is loaded with thick, overlapping slices of pink and tender steak on a toasted baguette with melted Gruyere cheese. Crisp house-made potato chips are tossed with arugula, a potato salad like no other. A salt shaker and little pepper grinder on the white-paper topped table allow us to season it to our liking. And we still have the wonderful smoked tomato sauce. Ketchup? No thanks.

L'Escale also offers a "Recession Buster" lunch. For $20.09, you get a starter, entrée and tea or coffee. The starters — tart, soups — were great. We loved the idea of the duck confit sandwich. The first time we tried it, the duck was moist and rich. The hand-cut frites were so crisp they seemed twice-fried. But on another occasion, a very busy Friday, the duck confit was dry and stringy. Barbecue sauce on the brioche bun was a bad idea, overwhelming the duck. The frites were soggy. On our third visit, the duck confit sandwich was not on the menu, and that was good. We ordered a side of frites, and for the second time, found them limp. Skip the "Recession Buster" lunch and its uninspired tuna salad and chicken salad sandwiches. Order from the regular lunch menu. You'll spend at least $10 more, but you'll be happy you did.

At L'Escale, dessert is de rigueur. Pastry Chef Wendy Laurent's creations are exquisite. Our waitress recommended the special strawberry rhubarb tart. "It's excellent," she said. "I know because I tried it." Ah, well-informed staff who have tasted the dishes.

Fresh slices of strawberry were arranged like flower petals on top of rhubarb baked in buttery pastry crust. A scoop of the house-made strawberry sorbet was cooling and intense.

Peach tart — thin slices of peach baked on a whisper of crème anglaise atop light layers of puff pastry, caramelized on the bottom — thrilled. A scoop of L'Escale's vanilla ice cream wept in the heat of the afternoon, becoming sauce before our eyes.

Peach melba is served in big wine glass. There's a lot going on here, all good: Gently poached peaches with hints of clove and cinnamon. A scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with raspberry sauce. Chunks of Financier, a soft, moist almond cake. Slivered toasted and candied almonds. Ethereal whipped cream.

Coffee is fresh brewed and has a depth of flavor. It's served hot, accompanied by a pitcher of heated frothed milk. It's these touches that make dining here so pleasurable. Iced tea, for instance, comes with a little pitcher of simple syrup to sweeten it. The baguettes are crisp and chewy. Round pats of butter are sprinkled with sea salt.

Of all the restaurants I've been to in the last year, no place consistently brings everything together — atmosphere, service, food — like L'Escale. You just feel good being there.

A delicious meal lifts the spirits. A meal at L'Escale brings a feeling of bliss for days to come.