The stone and pink stucco building with white and green trim is surrounded by greenery and an abundance of flowers, including several hanging baskets on the full-width porch in the warmer weather. A stone staircase opens onto the porch; there is also a ground level entry on the side.

The elegant dining room with crisp white linens, fine china, and fresh flowers on every table seats about 60. The restaurant is open for dinner Monday, 5:30 to 8:30 pm; Wednesday through Saturday, 5:30 to 9:30; and a Sunday afternoon dinner is served from noon to 7 pm. The restaurant is closed on Tuesday.

The menu, which changes seasonally, is available à la carte or as a five-course menu of traditional French cuisine at $59.

About half the entrees diners choose are seafood based, but Mr Thiel notes he serves a lot of venison in the summer, and some diners come in for the veal tenderloin or sweetbreads.

In general, the menu features a choice of at least ten appetizers, three soups, about a dozen entrees, and up to ten desserts. Appetizers currently range from escargots or salade composée — pear poached with honey and saffron, Stilton, Bibb lettuce and young greens, Belgian endives, coconut vinaigrette and toasted hazelnuts — $9, to American sturgeon caviar with garnish and blinis, $36. Other offerings included mussels prepared four ways, Scandinavian-style cured salmon, and roast quail stuffed with wild rice and prosciutto, each $13. The soups are cream of white asparagus with crisp capers, consommé of wild mushrooms, and cream of mussels with saffron, $7–$9.

Among the entrees ($25–$36) are Monkfish sauté with tarragon topped with sturgeon caviar, salsify, and hen of the woods, $28; rack of lamb in herb crust, $29; ebony roasted duckling with peaches and Szechuan peppercorns, $30; and veal tenderloin medallions with crabmeat, asparagus and cream, $29.

The dessert selection features assorted cheeses, lemon tart, and chocolate tort with cherries and marzipan, as well as three soufflés ($7.50–$11). There is an additional $4 charge for the soufflés with the prix fixe dinner.

The special Sunday and Monday evening meals consist of a choice of escargots in mushroom ragout, fresh asparagus in roasted shallot vinaigrette, mesclun salad, smoked salmon, or mussels in cream soup with saffron for the appetizers. The nine entrees include poached eggs on crab cake, petite filet mignon, lamb chops, and sweetbreads, and the desserts include chocolate marquis, poached pear, and croissant bread pudding.

Ondine has a fine wine selection of some 250 labels, predominately French and Californian and 15 of which are available by the glass, to complement its food. The full menu and wine list can be viewed at Ondine’s website, www.OndineRestaurant.com.

Ondine, 69 Pembroke Road (Route 37) in Danbury; 203-746-4900; Zagat rated. Open Monday, 5:30 to 8:30 pm; Wednesday through Saturday, from 5:30 to 9:30; and Sunday family dinner, noon to 7 pm. Closed Tuesday. All major credit cards accepted.