Yes there is a new chef, and a new name over at the Bonny Doon Tasting Room. Le Cigare Volant’s the name, and Ryan Shelton—formerly of the Michelin two-star restaurant Baumé in Palo Alto—is the chef.

Our initial dinner last week gave us plenty to smile about. The food is deeply flavorful, i.e. not tricky or overwrought. The ingredients impeccable, and yes, the presentation was both attractive and uncluttered.

Here are some observations. We began with a small plate of house-cured boquerones ($5) fresh from the Monterey Bay. And they were outstanding, neither “fishy,” nor aggressively seasoned. Actually delicate. Great with glasses of Le Cigare Volant Blanc and the 2008 Nebbiolo.

Next we shared what I predict will be the destination starter at the new Le Cigare Volant—an order of the evening’s flatbread creation, topped with spinach, earthy hen of the woods mushrooms and fresh lemon basil sprigs ($14). The faux pizza was scored into square pieces, nice and distinctive, and arrived with an addictive dipping sauce of yogurt and Meyer lemon.

Our main dishes included a daring entree of braised Wildwood tofu (below), that had been marinated and braised in red wine and caramelized onion. With it came an outstanding celeriac gratin—as good as any potato gratin I’ve ever had—and a pretty little “nest” of julienned raw celeriac. It was delicious ($16), even though we found ourselves craving a bit of, well, meat. (No vegetarians we.)

Our other shared dish was a brilliant plate of mixed seafoods (top of page)—grilled spot prawns, all sweet and briny, a prawn “chorizo” that was delightful, mussels and a long succulent wedge of striped bass. With this assemblage came a pitcher of warm lobster lemongrass broth, which we poured all over the seafoods. Glorious, though not hugely proportioned, for $25.