For an evening in Old Europe, there is no better choice in Vero than the Melody Inn, a restaurant that has been serving old-fashioned Swiss cuisine to Floridians for almost a quarter-century.

Since relocating here from Coral Gables just over four years ago, the Melody Inn has won a loyal following among beachside residents for its excellent preparation of classic French Swiss dishes.

On two recent visits, we found the restaurant – located off the quaint Seminole Courtyard – at the top of its game.

On the first visit, for appetizers I tried the smoked Maine salmon ($10.75) served very simply surrounded by cream cheese, capers and onions on a bed of romaine lettuce. My husband had the Escargots Bourguignonne ($8.75), snails flambéed with Cognac and baked in herb-wine butter.

The Melody Inn’s escargots are a classic rendition of this dish – unlike some of the modern variations we have encountered recently -- served out of the shell in the classic snail plate, tender and nicely seasoned with garlic. The salmon appetizer was extremely tasty and very attractively presented.

For main courses, I had the veal filet medallion with morels ($30.75), veal pan sautéed in butter topped with morel mushrooms flambéed with Cognac in a Champagne Sauce, and my husband had the Swiss veal Zurich,”Zuri Gschnazlets” ($25.75), finely sliced veal in a white wine, cream and mushroom sauce.

Both preparations were wonderful. For those preferring a very rich sauce, the veal filet medallion with morels is your choice, while the sauce accompanying the Swiss veal Zurich is lighter but still extremely tasty.

On a second visit, my husband had the morel mushroom “fine” champagne appetizer ($11.75), which consists of a sauce very similar to that on the entrée I had enjoyed on our previous visit. For morel lovers, I think the entrée is a better bet. I started on this occasion with the Melody salad medley ($7.75), a nice mix of leafy greens and tangy beets .

For entrees, this time I had the roast lamb loin filet “Provencal” ($26.75), a beautiful lamb filet served in a crust of herbed crumbs, mustard and savory sauce. The perfectly cooked lamb was very tender and succulent, melting in your mouth.

My husband had the Holstein Schnitzel ($26.75), a lightly breaded veal cutlet pan fried in butter. This differs from a Wienerschnitzel only in that it is topped with a fried egg, anchovies and capers. The schnitzel was perfection.

On this occasion, a companion had the beef tenderloin stroganoff ($22.75), tender strips of beef pan seared with onions and peppers and served in a sour cream and demi glace. This rendition was enjoyed by our companion, but the peppers gave it a somewhat different taste than a classic stroganoff.

All entrees come with a choice of vegetables. These include rosti potatos, spatzli, red cabbage, and excellent cold beets prepared in a vinaigrette.

For dessert, we sampled the Melody Inn’s version of key lime pie (excellent) and a deep-dish apple dessert served a la mode (very tasty). We accompanied the dessert with excellent espressos.

The dessert menu also offers a variety of enticing chocolate confections. If you manage to resist these, you still will get your chocolate fix, as the Melody Inn bestows truffles on the ladies to ease their departure.

Alas, because the weather has been so warm the past month, we have not had an opportunity this year to sample one of our long-time favorites, the Swiss cheese fondue, which is available only on Wednesdays and Thursdays at $23.75 per person and requires a two-person minimum.

But we did take advantage of another Melody Inn special that lets you sample some of the pricier bottles on its wine list for half-price. This special offer is customarily only available on Tuesdays during the winter months and on Tuesdays and Fridays during the summer. But as of mid-January, the Friday half-price policy was still in effect. If this is important to you, you may want to inquire when making your reservation.

Overall, we find the Melody Inn continues to be an excellent dining choice, with top-drawer service led by veteran waiter Urs, who hailed from Zurich and accompanied owners Hans & Margaret Burri when they moved their restaurant north from Coral Gables.

I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com .

The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.

Hours: Dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 5 pm to 9 pm

Adult Beverages: Beer and wine bar 

Address: 1309 19 th Place, Vero Beach

Phone: 770-2071

Review first published: January 15, 2009