Stepping into Christopher's reminds me of those cozy slips of restaurants in Europe carved out of seemingly created spaces. Christopher's, a narrow restaurant located on East Washington Street in Lexington, makes outstanding use of every cubic foot of space, seating 40 guests comfortably in its dining room and outdoor patio. Well-engineered acoustics allow for private conversations at individual tables, while music from the 1950s and earlier drifts through the room at just the right volume.

The restaurant is named for its cook, Christopher Noell, who is the son of Karen O'Neill, co-owner with her husband, Michael. Noell is a self-taught chef, and he does a fine job serving up well-presented, good tasting, sophisticated dishes. This is the O'Neills' first venture into the restaurant business, although Karen catered in Rhode Island for many years before moving to Lexington a few years ago.

Amiable, knowledgeable servers complement the informal hospitality, and they're quick to accommodate requests.

LUNCH

Besides daily specials, regular lunches offer a daily soup (cup, $5; bowl, $7) as well as three gorgeous entree salads: the signature grilled chicken Caesar ($10), a roast beef salad with creamy horseradish sauce ($12) and the grilled ahi tuna served with cucumber salad (price varies).

I spied a cheese quesadilla at the next table and noticed its filling of three different cheeses, molten and melting together, spiked with olives and sweet-hot South African Peppadew peppers.

The sandwiches are crab cake with the house special white barbecue sauce ($12); roast beef panini topped with cheddar cheese and horseradish sauce ($10); turkey with pepper jack cheese, banana peppers, lettuce and tomato ($8); grilled chicken topped with melted provolone and muffaletta relish ($8); and a cheese, Peppadew and prosciutto panini seasoned with Kalamata olives and rosemary ($12).

Three types of pizza priced from $7 to $8 embrace vegetables with mozzarella; pepperoni, Peppadew peppers and mozzarella; as well as a meatball, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese pie.

Desserts include lemon tarts ($5) trucked in a couple of times a week from a bakery in West Virginia. Other sweet finales available occasionally include homemade molten Java cake ($6), fruit cobblers, crumbles and pies ($4).

DINNER

Christopher's offer some of the same appetizers, salads and entrees featured at lunch but in larger portions. Some of those appetizers could be considered small dinners, such as grilled shrimp served over couscous ($10) and prosciutto-wrapped shrimp stuffed with herb cheese ($14).

In the entree department, seafood dishes include grilled shrimp seasoned with Christopher's special seasoning ($18), fish of the day (market price) and grilled shrimp with lump crabmeat served over pesto-sauced spaghetti ($19).

More highlights include a nice-sized burger smothered with sauteed onions, mushrooms, lettuce and tomato plus the requisite chips and pickle ($12), along with Mom's spicy meatloaf served with garlic mashed potatoes ($16).

A section titled "Other Stuff" lists grilled chicken breast topped with sun-dried tomato pesto and couscous ($16), a three-cheese spaghetti bake served with house salad ($14), and grilled pork tenderloin stuffed with scalloped apples, cranberries and exotic grains ($18).

THE WINES

Like its simple yet tasteful menu, the list of 30 wines encompasses the usual wine-producing areas of the world and one I wouldn't even think of -- a salmon-hued sparkling Blanc de Noirs from New Mexico (half bottle, $14). You're bound to find favorites in the selections from Oregon, California, Spain, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina, priced from $24 for a 2005 Spanish Gramona Gessami to $64 for a Francois Lumpp Premier Cru from Burgundy. Desirable red and white house wines are priced at $5 for a generous glassful.

WHAT I TRIED

Lunch with a friend introduced us to the tasty charms of Christopher's. We delighted in the roast beef salad ($12). A goodly quantity of requested medium-to-rare roast beef topped a pile of fresh greens, sliced mushrooms and grilled red onions. The tender, flavorful meat couldn't have been better, and the creamy horseradish sauce gave the salad presence. Grandma Pearl's crab cake sandwich served open-faced on a roasted cornmeal round and drizzled with white BBQ sauce ($12) was delicious.

For a dinner appetizer, I sipped on a house red from Argentina while nibbling on a selection of three cheeses (Spanish Manchego, Mahon and Irish Whiskey), presented in small mounds of shaved slices on a board, served with a small ramekin containing artichoke tapenade, dried cranberries and flatbread crackers ($12).

My entree, the pesto-sauced spaghetti topped with grilled shrimp and lump crabmeat, verified the perfect marriage of these premium ingredients.

NOT TO BE PICKY, BUT...

I would have loved the pesto-sauced spaghetti even more had there not been a pool of oil sitting at the bottom of my dish. A lemon tart's soft crust was disappointing, but its smooth, perfectly balanced sweet-and-tangy filling redeemed this cute dessert.

THE BOTTOM LINE

I've found another restaurant in my hometown where I feel comfortable bringing guests because I know the food is dependable and delicious. This place is always busy and for good reason: There's enough of a reasonably priced selection to choose from and to enjoy with the house wines, poured by the generous glassful.