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It's been several years since I visited Smith Mountain Lake, and during this past trip, I was astonished at the amount and quality of new construction. Shopping centers, houses and condos occupy what were once large tracts of farmland. Restaurants and shopping abound.

On this visit to the lake, I went to Jonathan's Restaurant at Lake Watch Plantation on U.S. 122 in Moneta. I had heard some good buzz about this place from a couple who read my restaurant reviews. They e-mailed me about how much they enjoyed going to Jonathan's for dinner a couple of times a week.

THE VIBE

Opened in April, Jonathan's occupies the prominent corner location of a new shopping center, which is set back off the highway on a paved road bordering a field at Lake Watch Plantation. Large and beautifully decorated in mahogany wood tones, the restaurant provides four separate dining spaces: a front room, the bar area, the outdoor patio with umbrella-shaded tables, and a side dining room where there are both tables and booths.

The restaurant seats about 160.

MEET THE CHEF

Chef Chris Mushall graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, S.C., where he received his degree in culinary arts. He furthered his professional resume at the Palace Hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland, then went on to the prominent Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Arizona. At Jonathan's, he prepares all meals from scratch using fresh ingredients.

MEET THE OWNERS

Sabrina and Tom Gulick are the owners of Jonathan's, and they've been in the restaurant business for most of their adult lives. According to director of operations Jim Cavanaugh, the Gulicks have wanted to establish a restaurant at Smith Mountain Lake for a long time, and with Jonathan's, they've created a distinctive place providing first-class food in a stunning and friendly environment.

THE MENU

Along with Cavanaugh, Chef Mushall has designed a menu that brings together an array of flavors and cuisines, as well as some dishes that show off the chef's creativity.

Consider appetizers with an Oriental touch: Cheng's Chop-Chop Spring rolls ($5.89) and Bada-Bing shrimp with Dragon sauce ($8.79) are house specialties. For those inclined toward an Italian-style main course, an open-faced vegetable ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese, mushrooms, red peppers, spinach and artichoke hearts comes with a fresh basil marinara sauce ($12.29). Southern comfort foods include Stonewall's Shepherd's Pie ($10.79), homemade chicken fried steak ($12.29), and SML Macaroni and Cheese, an inventive combination of cavatappi (short pasta spirals), tomatoes, green onions, bacon and aged white cheddar cheese sauce topped with herbed bread crumbs ($9.89). This last dish can be upgraded to a main course by adding grilled or blackened chicken, shrimp, or salmon for an extra $4.29.

The five burgers come on soft bakery buns and range from the good ole boy beef burger with pickles and sides of lettuce, tomato and onion ($7.89) to the hamburger club, a beef patty topped with a fried egg, melted American cheese and sweet pickle relish ($8.79).

Seven sandwiches range from hand-pulled pork barbecue layered on a bakery roll with homemade bleu cheese slaw ($8.89) to an unusual roasted pimiento cheese spread on 8-grain bread ($6.89). There's also a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with bacon, honey mustard, sliced tomato and onion on a roll ($8.79).

Bountiful portions of food, whether appetizers or main courses, entice and satisfy, besides having an interesting and attractive presentation. My husband, Jim, and I went for late lunch one afternoon and discovered the same menu is served for dinner.

WINES

The wine selections include 13 varieties by the glass ($5) and innumerable choices available by the bottle only; these have a price span of $15-$30. The wines come from all over the world and represent Argentina, Australia, Chile, Italy and the United States.

WHAT WE ATE

Jim began his meal with a bowl of wild mushroom soup ($4.49), one of the lunch specials, which he described as "terrific." He relished this fortifying soup, made with red rice, quinoa (a high protein Andean grain), chopped and whole crimini and shiitake mushrooms, seasoned with garlic and shallots and enriched with a little cream. I selected the seafood steamer ($9.49), a something wonderful dish with clams, mussels and shrimp cooked in a flavor-packed Italian herb and white wine butter sauce with crusty bread for dipping. I didn't want to enjoy dipping the bread in the sauce, but I confess I couldn't help myself.

My entree, the shrimp and grits ($13.89), presented an extraordinarily edible picture. A pile of sauteed shrimp with andouille sausage, thinly sliced red peppers, onions and tomatoes crowned creamy grits. A pleasantly piquant green Tabasco butter sauce seasoned this mixture to perfection and was a real hit with me. Jim's pepper steak with jasmine rice ($13.49) was a miss with its too thick, tough meat strips and not fragrant rice.

Desserts arranged in a handsome bakery case are the first items you see upon entering, and the images leave a lasting impression. Jim knew even before lunch that he wanted the mixed fruit tart ($4.89), tender pastry enrobing a riot of lightly sweetened berries. I couldn't pass up New York-style cheesecake ($6.79), but I should have drawn the line at one measuring more than three inches in height. This lofty cheesecake tasted floury and dry.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Even those serious about dining will find Jonathan's an enjoyable restaurant experience. It's nice knowing there is well-prepared, generously portioned food available on the stretch of road between Moneta and Smith Mountain Lake.

Jonathan's is a real find.