The dish: Enso

Looking for a new spot for a special night out? Enso's your place

Often I get requests from local readers as well as people coming to the Lansing area from out of town, asking for a suggestion for "a really nice restaurant." Happily, I now have a new place to add to that list: Enso.

The menu

Enso's lunch, dinner and lounge menus offer an appealing range of dishes (in an equally appealing range of prices) with a decidedly upscale-Midwestern bent.

At your table, you'll be served Enso's version of bread and butter: crunchy flatbread triangles paired with roasted red pepper hummus and guacamole. Don't let that dissuade you from ordering an appetizer, though. One of Enso's specialities is an American take on the sushi roll. We tried the House Smoked Pulled Pork Roll ($8), featuring pulled pork, sticky rice, thai chili mayo and tapioca rice paper. The six bites offer a unique start to your meal and won't fill you up.

My companion ordered the 10-ounce Charlie Trotter Filet ($23), served with a Maker's Mark Bourbon Glaze and paired with Parmesan Dauphine potatoes and sauteed seasonal vegetables. The meat was very tender and juicy, and the potatoes had a great Parmesan flavor without being loaded down with cheese.

I ordered the Sweet and Spicy Eggplant Pasta ($14), featuring Japanese eggplant, wok stir-fried in a thai chili soy glaze and tossed with Asian egg noodles. As vegetarian dishes go, this one has a lot of heft, and the eggplant absorbs all of the perfectly sweet-and-spicy flavor of the sauce.

If you've been watching "Top Chef: Las Vegas" on Bravo and have a yearning for a beautifully plated dessert, save room at Enso. We shared the just-enough trio of Chocolate Chip Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches ($7), lined up on a plate drizzled with hot fudge. A great end to a great meal.

The atmosphere

Drop me inside Enso blindfolded and I'd be hard-pressed to tell you I was standing in what formerly was a chicken-wing sports bar. High ceilings, dark, earth-tone walls, bold lighting fixtures and fire and water features inside and out give Enso an upscale yet cozy, comfortable feel.

And that upscale-yet-comfortable atmosphere extends to the patrons as well: You're just as likely to see a quartet of women dressed to the nines for a girls' night out as you are to see men in T-shirts and jeans bellied up to the bar.

The service during our visit was outstanding with one notable exception: The bar, tended by two employees, seemed to operate in a much slower, less-impressive gear than the rest of the establishment. Hostesses, servers and even an owner were visible, helpful and very welcoming throughout the evening. Our server was sharp and attentive, and really seemed to know not just the menu, but food in general, quite well.

It even seemed appropriate for the Food Network and HGTV to be the channels of choice at the bar and in the waiting area.

Outside, despite the chill in the night air, it was nice to see patrons gathered around the fire bowls on the patio. I'm betting that's going to be a tough place to find a seat in the warmer months.

I'd recommend a reservation here - even at 7 p.m. on a recent Tuesday night, there was a half-hour wait for a table. That's a great sign, though. Enso certainly feels like the place to be.