Let's discuss the bread at Millstone first, because it alone would be worth the visit. On the starters menu, the warm yeast rolls arrive in a cast iron skillet, gleaming and sprinkled with coarse salt, a generous portion of housemade smoked maple butter on the side.

We paired them with bacon jam deviled eggs with the perfect amount of fresh dill to counter their decadent richness. Or, rather, to enhance it.

Dining at Millstone is to experience rich, rounded flavors. These are the kind of bites and dishes that elicit noises, "Oh, wows," and head nods.

Chef Tyler Murray is frequently spotted around the dining room. The menu he's developed mixes locally-sourced ingredients and those regional flavors with updated touches like sweet potato ribbons used as a finishing garnish. Rather than a million options, these well-developed components recur and recombine across the menu. The cocktail and wine menus are equally well-curated — including the mocktail options.

For the main course, I ordered the braised short rib, which came with the roasted shallot mashed potatoes and honey brussel sprouts, all of it swimming in the braising jus. I figured I'd make the sacrifice of a heavier meal so I could sample two of the available sides (I'm dedicated to you, dear readers). This proved one of the best dishes I've had in a minute, and a welcome to fall. The meat was tender and the combined flavors both heartily comforting and finely calibrated.

Braised short rib — I'm still thinking about this meal and this braised short rib. | LEXtoday

For all the refinement, there's nothing snobby about the place.

It's beautiful, of course, designed by master restaurant decorator Cara Drion with several defined areas that include the large main room, a seasonal patio, a library, and a bar. Like all Drion-designed spots (3Ten, Corto Lima, The V at the Vine + ItalX, to name a few), the details come together to make walking inside the experience of entering a world of its own. She creates spaces that make dining a retreat, an escape, a treat.

Even on a Tuesday evening, the dining room is full. You will need reservations.

In fact, I made reservations for my next meal there before we left — Millstone is the kind of place that becomes an immediate favorite.