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• Bar Louie

This is Carrot cake at Bar Louie. (Perry Reichanadter for The Star)

This is Jambalaya at Bar Louie in Clay Terrace, 14299 Clay Terrace BLVD in Carmel. (Perry Reichanadter for The Star)

Late this summer, the split-personality menu of Red Star Tavern was replaced by the no-nonsense bar-food aesthetic of its sister restaurant, Bar Louie. The latter took root in Chicago as a neighborhood pub, and despite the chain-slick interiors of its now numerous restaurants, purports to maintain that friendly neighborhood vibe. My cynicism about that claim was conquered by an unusually warm service staff.

The Food

The appetizer menu at Bar Louie holds enough choices to constitute a full restaurant menu. We mulled over Philly steak sliders and soft pretzels before settling on crisp, tartly hot Buffalo calamari ($8.99) and fried zucchini ($6.99). The zucchini, cut into long spears and tempura-battered, made an impressive showing, delivered standing on end in a paper cone and looking much like a crown.

A Caesar salad ($6.99) wore a heavy coat of sweet dressing. Its best feature was that our server, knowing my guest and I were splitting the salad, had it plated in halves without our asking.

Smoky jambalaya ($13.99) was rife with Andouille sausage, chicken and shrimp. A roasted jalapeno tops the colorful rice dish. My blackened fish po' boy ($9.99) showed up without seasoning and without the fixin's described on the menu. Our server straightened out the mishap promptly and sent out a manager who apologized and knocked the cost of the sandwich off our bill.

The second time around, the fish was lightly seasoned and served on a fluffy roll with chipotle mayo and olive relish.

Four tiers of dense carrot cake ($7.99) were held together with cream-cheese frosting Grandma couldn't beat and topped with crushed walnuts.

The Service

In a world where service regularly disappoints and restaurant owners argue with me about uncooked pancake batter instead of dropping 50 cents to griddle a replacement, Bar Louie is fresh, cool air.

Our server was chatty and helpful throughout and did more than right by us when my sandwich showed up wrong. Assuming the standard holds, the service at Bar Louie is a reason to set it at the top of the tavern stack.

The Atmosphere

Seat yourself at a table or in one of the arched booths in the mostly beige contemporary dining room. Giant drum lights hang from the ceiling; throwback and current pop music hangs lightly in the air like a backdrop.

The Price

$72 for two, including tax and tip. It's not exactly inexpensive, nor is it the most creative grub, but each dish was well-prepared and abundantly portioned. A pair of diners could eat on the cheap by splitting the big plates.

Next Time

Tuesday is burger night, and full-size Black Angus burgers are just a buck after 5 p.m. I'm in for that. Otherwise, I'll go for the fish tacos with chipotle mayo and mango salsa, a memorable holdover from Red Star's menu.

By Traci Cumbay / Star correspondent