From time to time, in the ‘Whatever happened to’ category, we hear someone mention the Quilted Giraffe, which had its fans when it was located in Vero Beach’s old downtown across from Pocahontas Park.

A half dozen years ago, the Quilted Giraffe relocated to south U.S. 1 just north of Oslo Road, where the Victorian restaurant occupies a far less claustrophobic space in front of a large, attractive banquet room that hosts a variety of functions which probably play a big role in keeping this business going.

On our first visit in some years to this restaurant, on a quite busy Saturday night, we had only been seated briefly and were still remarking on the attractiveness of the dining room, with its faux foliage and eclectic artwork, when the waiter began lamenting the absence of barrier island guests, blaming the longish drive from the 17 th street causeway.

Maybe yes, maybe no. On that initial evening, my husband and I found a lot to like – both in the food and the service. But on a midweek visit a couple of weeks later, with four guests, we felt the mannequin at the door named Claudia was the warmest, most attentive member of the Quilted Giraffe team.

That was unfortunate, because the service on our second visit was, to put it charitably, slow. Very slow. A third try in early June found service considerably improved – provided you could get in. As we were enjoying our entrees, a couple came to the door (a few minutes after the owner’s departure) and was told that unless they had reservations, the restaurant was closed – at 8:25 on a Friday evening!

While erratic service makes a visit to the Quilted Giraffe something of a hit-or-miss affair, the food on the whole is quite good. The Grilled Shrimp, Southwest Cilantro Style ($8), was the best of the appetizers –succulent, spicy shrimp as nice as you would wish.

The pan-seared scallops in a pesto sauce ($8) were less than great scallops topped by a reduction of cream and basil. While the sauce was tasty, we always view it as unfortunate when the sauce is better than the dish it accompanies. The pan-seared crab cake, with a fresh herb remoulade ($6), was better.

Dinners at the Quilted Giraffe include a choice of Caesar salad, spring mix with vinaigrette or the soup of the day. While the chicken soup, the offering on two of our visits, was nothing to write home about, the French onion soup was light and quite tasty.

On all three visits, the special fish of the evening was a fillet of grouper ($17), baked in a cracker-crumb breading and served with a lemon butter sauce. A better seafood choice was the filet of sole sautéed muniere ($16) with capers and hearts of artichokes, which was prepared perfectly.

Another excellent offering was the roasted Long Island duck ($22), served with a triple sec and tropical fruit glaze. Also recommended is the veal scallopini ($18), tender cutlets topped with prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, shiitake mushrooms and a marsala wine sauce. While this dish was just a bit salty, it was very tasty.

All entrees are accompanied by potatoes and a nice medley of flash-fried julienned vegetables.

The entrees are fairly priced, and a party of two can have a good meal and a nice bottle of wine for well under $100, before tip.

But every time we have been on the verge of becoming enthusiastic about the Quilted Giraffe, there has been something to pull us back. On the most recent visit, I inquired about the origins of the sole, which I really enjoyed. We were told it was farm raised a couple miles down the road at Harbor Branch. A bit skeptical, I asked a second time, and was somewhat impatiently assured Harbor Branch was its origin.

A call to Harbor Branch a couple of days later was all that was needed to confirm that the aquaculture program there is not raising sole for sale to restaurants.

In this era of globalism, a reasonable question about where your dinner has come from deserves an honest answer.

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: Tuesday through Sunday from 5 pm

Bar: Beer and wine

Address: 500 South US 1

Telephone: 772-978-4242

Review first published: June 18, 2009