ARLINGTON – This small bistro filled early the Saturday night I visited so I joined another customer who was also dining alone. Although we started as strangers, we soon discovered that we have much in common.

My dining companion, new to the area, was unfamiliar with the history of Bistro San Martin, which was operated for many years by the Love Israel family before it was sold in early 2003 to Chef Michel Fredj. He sold it to current owners Steve Van Matre, a former software engineer who now serves as dining room manager, and Chef Martin Estrada-Perez. Estrada-Perez and Fredj worked together in Bellevue restaurants before moving to Snohomish County. Van Matre and Estrada-Perez opened Bistro San Martin about four months ago. Their menu is similar to the one customers enjoyed under Fredj’s ownership.

Appetizers ($6.50 to $8) include a mushroom puff pastry stuffed with shiitake and hedgehog mushrooms sauteed with garlic and herbs in a brandy cream sauce. There are four salads ($5 to $7.50). Grilled pork chops, tiger prawn linguini, roasted duck and New York steak ($12.50 to $23.50) are some of the main dish selections. For vegetarians, the kitchen will create an entree on request.

The nightly specials included pan-seared halibut with a puree of asparagus and coconut milk curry ($21), carrot-ginger soup topped with roasted shallots and escargot ($9.50). I selected another special – lamb shank ($19) and started with an order of grilled asparagus topped with Danish-style feta cheese. My new friend ordered the New York steak ($23.50). Our main dishes came with a serving of garlic-laced mashed potatoes and roasted seasonal vegetables.

My friend said her steak was “perfect,” rare and tender. My lamb shank, served with rich brown gravy, was also a taste of perfection. Yet, for me, the vegetables were more spectacular than the lamb. The asparagus was expertly grilled and topped with just the right amount of feta cheese and olive oil. It was crisp yet tender and very fresh. Our other vegetables included slices of parsnips, beets, carrots and yams plus broccoli flowerets, and they were just as fresh and well prepared as the asparagus.

To accompany my dinner, I chose a glass of house syrah and my dining companion selected a glass of house merlot ($5 each). The syrah was an acceptable wine but my friend found her merlot too rough. Bistro San Martin has an excellent wine list of about 50 wines from Washington, Oregon, California, Italy, France, Spain and Australia. Bottles cost between $18 and $56 with most falling in the $25 to $35 range. The restaurant also serves cocktails ($6 to $7.50).

For dessert, we decided on the flan Breton with a rum sauce ($6.50) and the lemon creme brulee ($5.50). To celebrate our new-found friendship and love of good food, we added a glass of Australian tawny port ($7 each). The flan is made with flour, unlike the creme brulee, and we found it stiff and heavy, although the prune filling was delicious. We voted the creme brulee to be excellent and our favorite from the seven-dish dessert menu.

If you didn’t visit this restaurant under previous owners, put it on your list. It’s an intimate place that features personal service, a European air and excellent food.

Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.

Anna Poole: features@heraldnet.com.