With its 25-year history in Augusta, Calvert's on Highland Avenue has a reputation for fine cuisine that is as well-established as Masters Week blooms.

So to inform you that Calvert's has great food is a little like tipping you off that you can expect a hot and humid summer. Uh, duh...

We can rave about its unerring consistency, its attentive service, its panache with sauces and seasonings and its incredible desserts, but perhaps the overriding message to those who haven't found out for themselves is that Calvert's offers one of Augusta's most soothing, relaxing dining experiences.

Calvert's, in Surrey Center, features soft lighting, curvy, overstuffed booths, handsomely framed mirrors and twinkling white lights on ficus plants. The ambiance is elegant but not stuffy, classy yet friendly. Servers circulate in crisp white shirts and black trousers. First class all the way.

The menu attests to the creativity and culinary expertise of owner/chef Craig Calvert, who has launched the careers of several other Augusta restaurateurs. Entree selections include beef, seafood, duck and chicken. A nice bar complements the dining experience, with wine suggestions noted on the menu. Meals are preceded by toast points served with a delectable cheese spread.

The restaurant offers an unbeatable sunset special of salad, dessert and choice of entrees for two for $28.95, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. daily. Single diners can order the special for $14.50.

During our visit, one of us opted for the special, and the other ordered from the regular menu. We started by sampling both of the soups, French onion and seafood bisque ($4.95 each). The ample portions were served piping hot and, as with all Calvert's dishes, impeccably presented. The bisque included shrimp, clams and spinach with a touch of Pernod, an anise-flavored liquor. The flavor was incredibly rich and memorable.

Calvert's offers a very nice tossed salad (spinach greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, sun-dried cranberries and portabello mushrooms) with entrees. Our server also was happy to accommodate a request for a Caesar salad, which isn't on the menu. We would have preferred a stronger anchovy flavor, but we appreciated the flexibility.

For the sunset special, we chose seafood crepe, served with slender green beans and a vegetable terrine. The same vegetables also were served with our menu selection, Tournedos Mary ($19.95 for a small order). The seafood in the crepe was abundant and succulent. The Tournedos Mary was a perfectly cooked beef filet topped with lobster, shrimp, scallops and crabmeat.

The entree also included a twice-baked potato. A basket of rolls and croissants rounded out the meal. Each bite was better than the one before.

Calvert's desserts are amazing. A chocolate chip bread pudding was included in the sunset special, and we splurged on a slice of Irish Cream Cheesecake, one of the best cheesecakes we've ever tasted.

Service was a bit slow, but attentive (Calvert's nailed an A on clutter-clearing), and we were so relaxed that we were in no hurry. Calvert's reputation is unquestionably well-deserved.

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ON THE TOWN

What: Calvert's, 475 Highland Ave. in Surrey Center (map)

Hours: 5 p.m. until, Monday-Saturday

Phone: 738-4514

The Verdict: One of the most esteemed fine-dining restaurants in Augusta, with good reason. 5 out of 5 stars.

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Mary Deriso is the retired general manager of the Pinnacle Club, a private dining club in Augusta. Christine Hurley Deriso is a writer whose children's book, Dreams to Grow On, is available in local bookstores and on Amazon.com.