<p>The Living Room Wine Cafe offers 13 bruschetta choices, and the Mouth tried eight of them. The bruschetta boards offer a little something for everyone, and you can sample many different flavors.</p>

Former New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl, when visiting restaurants to review, would famously don elaborate disguises to make sure she was never recognized and therefore not getting preferential treatment. I have a really strong belief that I am there to be your eyes and ears when youre at the restaurant, she once said. Im supposed to tell you whats going to happen to you, not what happens to the restaurant critic of The New York Times.

Let me first quell potential snarkiness: I am certainly not comparing myself to a culinary giant like Ruth Reichl. But I do agree with her notion of the role of a restaurant critic: It is my goal to be your eyes and ears, and I have been doing it long enough now in our relatively small area that I sometimes wonder if anyone has figured out who I am.

I considered this during a recent trip to the new Living Room Wine Café in Seaside, where my friends and I were treated with such tremendous and exceptional care, both by our server and by the owner himself, that it briefly crossed my mind that maybe they knew who I was. Id like to assume instead that everyone who visits is treated with such warmth, because it made for a truly exceptional dining experience, one that makes a person feel well, special.

The Living Room Wine Café inhabits the space once occupied by the Taste of Tuscany; I never had the opportunity to review the Tuscany Café, although I did dine there once several years ago. Theres no purpose in my offering commentary about Taste of Tuscany now, but I will say that I found the cuisine inferior to the charming, inviting atmosphere, so I am delighted that a restaurant with inspired creations and exceptional flavors has found its home there.

The most popular items on the menu at the Living Room are the bruschetta boards, served tapas style and designed to be shared with the table over a glass of wine. The Living Room has a decidedly Italian feel, and many of the choices for the bruschetta boards (13 in total) reflect this: seasoned, roasted red peppers with goat cheese and arugula, for example, and roasted melon with mascarpone and prosciutto. We sampled eight of the 13 choices, including the two I just mentioned. My personal favorite was mushroom love, a combination of cremini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter, followed closely by Genoa salami, Kalamata olives, basil, and fresh mozzarella. The bruschetta boards are a perfect choice for a wine bar; there is a little something for everyone, and you can sample many different flavors.

A panini was also delicious with a classic flavor combination of sweet, salty prosciutto, triple cream brie, Granny Smith apples, and fig preserves. Sadly, I had to share the dish with my entire table, but I could certainly have polished it off myself. The sandwich was served with kettle-style potato chips, which I thought an odd accompaniment; with a menu so geared toward flavor and freshness, perhaps fresh fruit or a bistro-style green salad would better suit.

The table unanimously enjoyed a flatbread pizza with garlic butter, crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, parmesan, and pepper jack cheese. I have written before about pizza toppings that have become increasingly divergent from tradition (Im sorry, but I dont think pineapple and marina sauce belong in the same sentence, let alone on top of pizza) and bacon on top of pizza is about as far beyond the boundary as Im willing to step. There are a few other pizza choices on the menu that also sounded quite delectable, including a sausage, pepperoni and ricotta version.

We were in the mood for dessert, and I respected our servers candidness as he explained that the restaurant, still in its infancy, had not yet designed any desserts he deemed worthy, but a pear brandy that he recommended as a dessert substitute was divine. I appreciated his honesty, and I appreciate that a restaurant would rather offer limited dessert selections instead of serving up mediocre selections, until its on its feet.

After our meal, the owner himself greeted us and spoke excitedly about the new restaurant and his vision for a sophisticated, relaxing space and for fresh, exciting cuisine. He also gave us a tour of the restaurant, and a space that will soon be opened as a tasting room, complete with a handsome wooden wine safe that covers an entire wall.

All in all, we had an exceptional experience at the Living Room, and we left feeling valued and singularly cared for. I highly recommend paying the place a visit no disguise necessary.