It was late on a perfect summer afternoon.
Coventry Forge Inn wasn't due to open its doors for another half hour but, in an effort to second-guess rush-hour traffic, I had managed to be unfashionably early for a 5:30 reservation made in a dinner partner's name.
The Inn's front door was locked. I heard the swish, swish of a broom and walked around back to where a woman was energetically dispatching a few blades of newly clipped grass from the paving.
The woman was patronne June Callahan and I managed, quite easily, to convince her that I was harmless and might be permitted to dawdle at the Inn's tiny bar.
In a nearby dining room, a vacuum cleaner was buzzing away.
``That's Wally,'' the woman said, and seconds later the buzzing stopped and Wallis Callahan, June's husband and the Inn's patron, walked by.
Hours later, on the long drive home, I found myself thinking that such personal and constant attention on the part of owners is how a restaurant stays wonderful for 43 years.
But it takes more than a vacuum cleaner and a broom to maintain a reputation for more than four decades.
They know that at Coventry Forge.
That's why, at a recent review meal, we found that the classic French cuisine originally served here had been integrated with lighter dishes and touches and that the Inn's highly regarded wine list now included a selection of decent wines by the glass for those who acknowledge that drinking and driving don't mix.
Another attractive option for worried wine lovers, added in recent years, is the guesthouse within easy walking distance of the Inn.
Our review meal was enjoyed in the long, multi-windowed room that overlooks the Inn's garden. Other settings here include the cozy bar and two small, fireplace-focused rooms in the building's interior.
My classic mushroom consomme was brilliantly clear in color and flavor. A partner's ravioli loftily titled ``aux remplissages varies'' brought gossamer packets of goat cheese-filled pasta swathed in a sumptuous sauce that blended creamy crab, brie and spinach flavors.
Our salads included the freshest of greens glossed with a vinaigrette peppered with small, flavorful nuggets of excellent roquefort.
