"Go to Independence? To eat? You've got to be kidding. What on earth for?"
"Be still, o round one," I tell my partner. "I've been told of a great restaurant right on the famous old square."

It's not all that far, you know, although tourists and Eastsiders seem most amenable to the jaunt.

The Ophelia sign, like its interior, is bright, funky, and definitely not old time. One would never guess that this space served its life as a hardware store, Katz Drugs until the 70's, then sat vacant until '98 when Ophelia's opened.

On this particular evening, a notably talented piano player entertains softly. Red and white carnations in their blue vases cheer up the white cloaked tables. Modern cobalt blue lamps peer down along the wood divider where lots of varied folk (but no toddlers, thank you so much), dressed in everything from shorts to silk, are diving into prettily arranged food that is very tasty

But I get ahead of myself, as did our pleasant and informative waiter. Normally one gets a drink first, then hears about the specials. Our server reversed the order, telling us the specials as soon as we sat down. We tell him we'd like to order a drink. Before we get our drinks, he comes back to get our order. But once he understands we'd like to sip a bit first, then maybe order the appetizer, then maybe the meal (My new rule is that if the appetizer is just ye-gods-awful, I won't waste any more money but instead will do a fast getaway), all was well paced.

A full bar awaited our order. There were 10 martinis, all $6, including the refreshing Chambord Ophelia with vodka, lemon, chambord, and, cointreau. The wine list was quite nice, with 12 whites, 9 by the glass and 20 reds, 10 by the glass ranging from $4 to $8.50. Of note to you oenophiles - though the reds started at $16, Ophelia's also serves Opus One at $125 a bottle.

When our waiter described our appetizers, he did two things I like a lot: he gave the prices as he went; and not only did he describe content and taste, he described "size," giving us a sense of their "shareability." The lump crab and lobster cake ($8.95) was nicely done with a mustard aioli that had a tangy in-your-throat-after-grab. The petite portobello ($6.95) was stuffed with boursin cheese and a touch of mushrooms and proscuitto ham - rich and fried crispy brown.

There was a soup special, several salads and numerous entree specials, all described well enough to make choosing difficult. They ranged from $15.95 for chicken with a tamarind mango chutney or Thai pork loin medallions with a red curry papaya ragu to $22.95 for a duo of petite filet served atop a guyere and sweet potato tart with a cognac reduction. My portly friend chose from among the specials, a wall eye pike served on saffron rice which he liked very much. I had the New Zealand lamb, marinated in garlic and lemon, resting on mashed potatoes, topped with calamata olive and caper relish. It was a sweet accompaniment to the five sliced ribs, which just melted in my mouth. One fun vegetable we both had on our plates: a three inch long spiced, white carrot, cooked still crunchy.

Five or six desserts were available, with a special of delicious bread pudding with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Papaya creme brulee sounded great, but in keeping with the fried motif, the five apple fritters and ice cream on a cinnamon dusted plate were good enough I wished I could take them (sans ice cream) for breakfast.

When we walked out, we were greeted by a bit of Americana, or at least Independencia. On the square, Mark Giffen, "Amusement Engineer," juggled fire and knives, rode his two-part unicycle, and joked with the kids on bikes and families and diners . . . sorta a scene from "The Music Man" without the music. Oh, and a buckboard carriage was giving guided tours around the square. Most charming.
Ophelia's and its locale are different enough to inspire a departure from one's usual haunts, and to journey east. Pretend to be a tourist-explore the Truman home or the historic courthouse first and turn a meal into an event. It's a short trip back.