The General Stanton Inn is nothing if not historic, with one section dating from 1667. It’s also a sprawling warren of dining areas, including the spacious 1920 Room, the long, narrow George Washington Cabinet Room, the Williamsburg Room and the open-beamed Indian Room. It was the latter to which our hostess led us, as if to our own private spot, in the oldest part of the inn.

The General Stanton is also multi-functional, offering lodging, seating enough for banquets (200), a large two-room tavern with live music on the weekends, and five dining rooms, from intimate (three have fireplaces) to gregarious. It also hosts the largest flea market in South County in its backyard, right on Route 1, each Saturday and Sunday, from April through October. New owners C.J. and Linda Evron, from Los Angeles, discovered the inn while visiting family in Rhode Island, and when they bought it in the spring, they brought along their award-winning executive chef, Jean-Claude Bourlier, who’d been with them at Le Dome, a French restaurant frequented by the celebrity crowd.

As you might expect, the menu has a nouvelle and Continental air, with country-style paté and endive salad among the starters, osso bucco, and chicken St. Jean in the entrée section and apple tarte tatin heading up the desserts. Nonetheless, we were drawn to two dishes that had an Asian flavor. Bill chose lettuce wraps with a pork and shrimp mixture as an appetizer ($6.95), and I decided on the macadamia nut-encrusted halibut with Thai peanut sauce ($19.95) for my entrée.

Our waiter, Stephen, was very friendly and helpful, though his tall frame barely fit between the beams in this low-ceilinged space, in which punched-tin cones hung as lamps. The barn board paneling was lightened a bit by old prints of Native Americans, including some now classic images, such as the nighttime scene of a man on horseback on a snowy hill, looking down into the lights of a village. An old wooden rocker stood in a corner near the fireplace in this room, which had once been a one-room schoolhouse.

Moving beyond the history that surrounded us, we turned to our dinner, and Bill was amazed to find his lettuce wraps were a do-it-yourself endeavor. A half head of iceberg, lightly steamed, was served on a plate with a generous portion of pork and shrimp filling, plus a mix of cilantro and mint, and what was called " Eurasian dipping sauce. " Bill declared the wraps tasty but messy, and he would have preferred them already packaged.

I had a similar issue with my Belgian endive and watercress salad ($6.95). The portion was quite generous, dressed with a nice house-made Roquefort dressing, and it was wonderful that the endive was chopped, but curious that the watercress wasn’t. Or at least many pieces weren’t, and they came across as long and tricky to handle.

My halibut, however, was perfectly cooked, with just the right crustiness on top and mellow, melt-in-your-mouth flakiness underneath. The Thai peanut sauce was too subtle for me to factor in as a taste complement, but I enjoyed the roasted potato, the pureed potato mound, the pureed carrot mound, and the zucchini and tomato combo alongside my fish.

Bill, meanwhile was oohing and aahing about his shrimp St. Tropez ($19.95) over linguini. He couldn’t pick up the Pernod that had attracted him to this dish, but the garlic cream sauce, along with the six jumbo shrimp, made him very happy. He saved most of his entrée for a future lunch and declared that he was having his own dessert (we usually share). I guess it was the description of the St. Honoré ($6.50), with its pastry crust filled with custard and topped with caramelized cream puffs and chocolate sauce that grabbed him. With all of Bill’s cravings for turtle-type desserts (with caramel and chocolate), plus the custard element of his favorite Boston cream pie, there was no stopping him. I got maybe one bite.

I chose the lemon meringue pie (also $6.50), since Stephen said that the chef put his own special touch on it. It was an individual tart, with a very thick crust, which to me overwhelmed the delicate lemon filling and meringue. It could not compare to my grandmother’s version, with bursts of sharp lemon and flaky pastry on your tongue. The next time, I’ll get my own St. Honoré.

Or go back for breakfast, when several items beckoned. There are thin Swedish pancakes; crepes with sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms, and a Bechamel sauce; " souffle omelettes " ; and " Uncle John’s buttermilk pancakes, " made from scratch and a recipe that spawned a West Coast-based chain of pancake houses. Combining breakfast and a leisurely stroll through the flea market would make a great South County excursion.

As does a dinner trip. Take time to read the history of the colonial Stantons who gave the inn their name, and make your choice between light meals in the tavern or full dinners in the inn. Just don’t miss that St. Honoré.