Eating out is, in essence, a contract between restaurant and diner. When something is promised, verbally or in writing, that's what should be delivered. So, as beautiful a setting as Agora is and as friendly a staff as they have, my experience with the meal itself ran hot and cold (more about this later).

In the large rectangular dining room at Agora, plum-colored damask draperies, soft light from wall sconces, dark wood-paneled walls, and large plush chairs create an old-fashioned, Old World comfort. Overhead, a modern, but still elegant mood emerges in sections of the ceiling where there are convex cutouts lined with lighter wooden slats.

As we took in the third-floor view of the city from the floor-to-ceiling windows, we were greeted by one waiter, brought bread by another, and water by still another. Our main server was an enthusiastic and helpful waitress, who listened attentively and tried to find the answers to our questions, even if it meant an extra trip to the kitchen. Unfortunately, these answers didn't prove to be entirely correct.

For example: I asked what the "crunchy potato" was atop the native Rhode Island greens ($8), and she said they were crispy-fried strings of potato. As it turned out, what garnished the salad were long shreds of raw carrot and beet, whose texture accomplished the same thing, but still . . . a promise is a promise. Nonetheless, the salad was a generous amount, dressed just right in a balsamic vinaigrette.

The house-made bread on the table was a can't-stop-eating-it olive-sourdough, with a large pitted green or black olive in every other slice. It was served with two butters -- one herb and one maple -- both quite delicious.

So far, so good. Next came the decision for my entree: should it be the diver scallops with angel hair pasta or the potato-wrapped Chilean sea bass with red pepper sauce? A special for that evening was a pan-seared tuna steak ($29), with saffron risotto and a smoky tomato sauce, and I decided on that. When I asked the waitress about getting it cooked medium, she double-checked what I meant by asking, "Medium-rare? Medium-well-done?" I emphasized that I didn't want the tuna too rare, despite its touted "sushi quality," and she understood my preference.

However, the chef that evening didn't. Though I doubt that Agora's chef de cuisine, Daniel Rios, was actually at the stove, whoever it was turned the tuna in the pan a few times, cooked it an eighth of an inch on the outside and served the remainder not just rare but raw. Even Bill, a confirmed sushi fan, agreed that it was not the way I'd ordered the dish. Unfortunately, time constraints didn't allow me to send it back, so I just couldn't eat it. I was, however, quite sated by the risotto and the summer squash accompanying the tuna.

Bill's appetizer and entree choices were much more successful. He began with the crab cakes ($9) and was thrilled with both the presentation and the taste. The two thick cakes leaned against a mound of tangy avocado and papaya salsa, topped by a nest of grated beet strands. Dollops of sweet red pepper puree amid swirls of a lighter yellow puree around the edge of the plate were pleasing to the eye and the palate.

For his main course, Bill ordered the roasted pork tenderloin with mashed sweet potato-cranberry hash and sauteed baby summer squash ($24). The Vidalia onion-sherry glaze on the pork slices sounded more exciting than it turned out to be, but he was still quite pleased with this dish.

Other items listed as "chef's specialties" were veal osso bucco and prosciutto-wrapped shrimp. Under Agora classics were five kinds of steak, plus veal chops, lamb, lobster, salmon, and chicken.

My memory of dessert from our previous visit to Agora had me looking forward to it. Passing up the warm chocolate cake, Granny Smith apple pie, and tiramisu, we settled on the bananas Foster ($8), a long-time favorite. The portion was generous with ice cream, rum syrup, and sauteed bananas, and the combination of flavors hit the spot.

We'd chosen Agora for a specialness we remembered, but there have been two changes in the kitchen since that time. It's not that the items we chose weren't good (with the notable exception of the preparation of the tuna). It's just that, based on the menu descriptions and the prices, I expected the creative and imaginative cuisine we'd experienced before. And I didn't want last-minute changes in the contract.

Issue Date: December 6 - 12, 2002