Appetizers, $6-$10; entrees, $16.50-$39.50 (chateaubriand or sirloin for two, $65)

Not wheelchair accessible. Smoking permitted at the bar and café. Reservations suggested. All major credit cards.

From somewhere the lines of a song come to me: “Make me a child again, just for tonight.” That’s what I hear whenever I walk into the Blue Bell Inn.

I am 9 years old, with the pseudo-self-possession of an only child. We sit in the Porch Room, which may at one time have been a porch, but is simply a rectangular room with large colonial prints on the walls. I am told that the inn dates back to 1743, and a blue bell was hung on the building, so that people who did not know how to read could know the name of the inn, and I am suitably impressed. We eat shrimp cocktail with Lamaze sauce that I like very much, a salad with a hint of chives in the dressing which I find most agreeable, my first filet mignon (unlike the blackened pieces of protein that my grandmother turns out at home). It is rare and juicy, and they have a wonderful sauce called “béarnaise” to go with it. There are also potatoes that are crisp on the outside and soft within and creamed spinach, which is not a kid thing but I like anyway. It is the best meal I have ever eaten, and I dream about the blue willow patterned china and the whole experience, waiting impatiently for our next visit there.

All these years later, I am still impatient for my next visit, for though much about Blue Bell remains blissfully the same, much has changed. I still like to eat in the Porch Room, although there are a number of other rooms to choose from -- even an attractive outdoor patio that is a favorite for casual dining in this rapidly growing community. Where it was once absolutely mandatory for a man to wear a jacket, now there are men in shirtsleeves. What used to be a country inn is now just a centrally located dining spot for the homes and businesses in the area. The bar room is always busy too, and no one minds a wait for a table in this atmosphere.

The shrimp cocktail Lamaze is still on the menu, served on the same blue and white china. After all, this sauce was created by John Lamprecht’s father, who was once the garde manger at the Warwick Hotel, where it was equally famous. John Lamprecht is the owner and executive chef, and his son, John III, has also worked in the kitchen and manages the front. Besides the shrimp cocktail, they feature excellent crab cakes and fried oysters that are shamefully good, but my favorite are the frog’s legs (which are also available as an entree). Who would even dare to compare this succulent white meat with a marine whisper to chicken? They are sautéed in the classic style with garlic butter.

But glance at the seasonal specials: cold poached mussels, mahogany clams with verjus, soft shell crabs tempura, and lobster tempura with a dipping sauce and Asian slaw. This is not typical steak house fare, for John is always experimenting and trying new combinations. “I wanted to serve the lobster tempura with an orange-ginger sauce, but Dad said to keep it authentic,” says John Jr. as we dip morsels of lobster into the soy mixture. The batter is so light that it is almost not even there, and the lobster is so sweet that the slaw gives the dish a jolt of salt and spice.

With this, the perfect companion wine is a Keller Chardonnay from Sonoma with tones of butterscotch and oak. The wine list at Blue Bell is heavily American and well-priced, with lots of California wines that are hard to find. John Jr. and his wife are constantly on the lookout for new exciting wines, though the French side of the list is a little costlier. With the American wines you can stay in the $30 range, but the high-end Bordeaux go up to about $200.

We try a superb summer salad -- perfect tomatoes, mozzarella and basil chopped together and glossed with but a bit of olive oil and vinegar. It is one of the glories of this dying season.

Entrees here still include the house salad, a vegetable, the Blue Bell potatoes that are sliced and sautéed so they form a delectable crust with a soft interior, batter-dipped fried onion rings that are the lightest I have ever eaten, and that lovely béarnaise sauce of distant memory. I simply can’t resist the filet, although the sirloin would do as well. The meat is buttery and runs with juices that mingle with the potatoes. A companion insists on the calf’s liver, a dish that doesn’t appear on too many menus these days but has been featured here forever. It is, of course, perfect -- pink and smooth with the contrast of crisp bacon and some sautéed onions. A Pessagno Pinot Noir from Monterey is an able companion for the meat, and even goes well with another companion’s tuna. One of the many fish and seafood items on the menu, the tuna is done exactly right, rare as a steak, with heat and texture from a wasabi cream sauce that coats it casually.

Desserts seem an afterthought here, where everything but the dinner rolls approaches perfection. We have some chocolate mousse cake that seems great to us, but John Jr. says that his Dad is still working on it. The profiteroles need no work -- they are crispy, with soft mousse centers, hot chocolate sauce and a suffusion of berries. John Sr. often travels to the top restaurants in New York (Jean Georges is a favorite) and elsewhere to pick up inspirations and ideas. He even attends classes at cooking schools when he can, to hone his skills. That’s why Blue Bell Inn is, after all these wonderful years, still a work in progress.