This fusion is better than mac & cheese

The artistic morsels at Gayle fuse exotic tastes with a playful sense of humor. Throughout the experience, chef Daniel Stern takes great pains to make the meal memorable.

Tucked away just off of South Street, Gayle offers quality homemade cuisine that will stir the Oliver Twist question within: "Please miss, may I have some more?"

After arriving at the restaurant my guest and I were shown to one of the two window tables. Fresh-baked rolls and a generous pat of homemade herb-and-garlic butter were provided. The bread is excellent and is some of the best we have ever tasted.

After a glance at the menu I was already smiling and wondering what tastes lay beyond the teasing titles. My guest and I started with winter wings and the #11.

Once the winter wings ($11) arrived I was puzzled on how to eat them. Their creamy chestnut flavor called to me but I was hesitant to use hands. The waitress assuaged my fears, saying everyone uses their hands.

The frogs' legs appetizer ($15) was the favorite dish of both my guest and I. The blended tastes play between the lightly textured frog legs and the beet and nut salad and caused the frog legs to hop right into our mouths.

For our main courses we ordered black bass, quince & romaine ($24) and pork cheek & lentils ($30).

Among the prominent mouth candy on the black bass plate was a marshmallow made from romaine. Sharp, it mixed well with the creamy applesauce and flavorful bass. On the pork plate there was an excellent mustard-and-horseradish souffle to garnish the white pork and soft dark cheek meat.

The bass was excellent and went very well with the suggested fruity wine. However, the pork cheeks were incredibly salty. Talking with the couple at the next table, we disovered that their chicken plate was also too salty.

To end the evening we enjoyed several desserts. Each dish was served with a coordinating sorbet. Stern's names and presentations once again showed his creativity. Breakfast, a dish where two halves of white-chocolate French toast lie abreast one other with a slice of white chocolate ice cream in the center. The endive parfait was a pyramid of Belgian ice cream crowned with cocoa toast - one of the chef's inventions. The ice cream sandwich was a pair of deep-fried chips holding a half-scoop of praline ice cream. Yet, if you crave a more normal dessert, walnut apple pie fits the bill.

Whether you pursue the novel and exciting or variations on old favorites, Stern has found a way to prepare and present that food that will bring a smile to your lips.

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