But assuming you’re there for dinner, you’ll have to stick to a specific regimen to be impressed: cocktails, cooked apps and dessert. Order a shellfish “tower” and you might wonder what justifies the hefty price when equally fresh shucked oysters and chilled shrimp can be had at Shaw’s and the like for less dough. Chef Siegel-Gardner gets to show more creativity with raw starters (pictured), but unfortunately only a couple nail “delicious.” Sliced tuna’s sesame-soy vinaigrette and toasted pine nuts make for a flavorful winner, but goat’s-milk butter coagulates on chilled Wagyu tartare for an unsettling texture. Tiny, crispy tortilla shells are filled with raw halibut that could use more lime and are served, inexplicably, atop dehydrated corn. Actually, the best starters don’t have a thing to do with seafood: Ricotta-stuffed ravioli are delicate pillows perfectly paired with corn consommé, and delicious pork belly is slathered with bracingly acidic but balanced grain-mustard glaze, topped with a poached duck egg and plated with earthy braised greens. In their wake, entrées of seared trout, lamb chop and whole branzino are fairly forgettable, aside from the stinging $60 tag for the whole fish (granted, it’s more than enough for two, but I’d rather pay twenty bucks less for a smaller fish or at least get some sides for that price).

The dark horse of the meal breaks out in the final stretch. Local pastry chef Toni Roberts (formerly of Custom House) modernizes comfort classics with a clear vision and seasonal flavors. Blueberry-buttermilk ice cream is a natural pair with cornmeal pound cake and cashew brittle, while vellum-thin cinnamon toast sandwiches subtle cinnamon semifreddo set off by fresh peaches on the side. Creations from the “candy bar” can be ordered by the piece, and each—from chocolate-encased marshmallows to rhubarb jellies to salted fudge brownies—are memorably delicious. In fact, risking hometown bias, hiring Roberts might just be Samuelsson’s biggest contribution to C-House.