Upstairs, you can find 406-thread-count linens in the guest rooms of this Eastern Shore destination. Downstairs awaits another luxury: contemporary Australian cooking, translated here as fresh ingredients with nods to the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. Like many talented chefs, Andrew Evans changes his menu frequently, so there's no way of predicting what might be offered at any time, but his is a personal style of cooking that rarely misses. The four-course dinner always begins with a savory snack from the kitchen--maybe crab bisque topped off with mushroom foam--before moving on to trembling vegetable souffles, enticing fish preparations, sometimes even kangaroo filet. There is warm bread, a refreshing salad to bridge first course and entree, charming service, and sweet reminders that Evans actually spent considerable time cooking down under (don't miss the scrumptious sticky fig and ginger pudding). The light-filled dining room of this 200-year-old property is at once spare and rich, a mere 35 seats surrounded by paintings that would look at home in a fine gallery. And a top-notch wine list showcases superb Australian labels at prices that encourage exploration.

28 South Harrison St. (near Dover Road), Easton, Md. 410-822-4910. Open: for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday. AE, MC, V. Entree prices: $22 to $30.