The new restaurant in town, The Rail House (replacing Casa Amore), opened at 65 1st Street. This restaurant serves Italian cuisine, as well as an American fare including fish and chips, hamburgers and fries.

The moment I stepped in the door, I was greeted by the smell of fried calamari and affable staffers who have a real appreciation for their job. I found this an auspicious start to the experience at The Rail House.

The menu offers a large variety of dishes, all of which are reasonably priced. The room is a tasteful play on the name of the eatery, with railroad signs and pictures of trains.

I was blown away by the speed of the kitchen, with a wait of less than 20 minutes for the five members of my family. The presentation was outstanding. The even better news is the food tasted just as good as it looked.

My dish, called “The Sea,” had a creamy, buttery sauce that paired perfectly with the tender scallions; the slippery, but tasty, calamari; the flavorful grilled shrimp; the succulent mussels, and the delectable spaghetti. With all of these components, it was a dish I won’t soon forget.

The one thing I didn’t quite like was the disturbing news being shown on the TV by the bar. My experience was interrupted by my finding out about a girl falling from her apartment when my eyes flicked to the television. Luckily, they changed the channel after a while.

This delicious dinner was topped off with a homerun desert called “The Chocolate Temptation,” which was rich, creamy, and, of course, chocolatey. I certainly had the temptation to eat more.

As we left, there were people waiting by the door to bid us good night, and it certainly was a good night. This is a restaurant that I would go to again.