It’s easy to see the appeal to Red Hen in Old Saybrook. The atmosphere inside is as quaint as the leisurely stroll I took along the town’s main drag on my way in.

There’re a few tables in the outside seating area; on the inside, the bar is to the left and the dining area to the right. The walls are painted red below the chair rail and a light gray above. Miniature lights hang over each table, and each setting is placed with a tiny red plate and red-and-white napkin.

I sat at the dining room’s lone window table at the front of the restaurant, which provides a nice cool breeze in late May.

The wait staff is friendly, prompt and informed about the menu. And now that I’ve eaten there under their tutelage, so am I.

My experience has been that any restaurant that includes a “tapas” section on its menu takes starters seriously. Red Hen was no exception to this rule. If I were to go back, I might actually go the Spanish route of all appetizers.

To give you a sense of the range and type of tapas: goat cheese and spinach gratin with artichokes, shallots and crostini ($8.95), house made garlic hummus with kalamata olives and grilled pita ($7.95), pepperonata — slow braised sweet peppers, capers, garlic, onion and crostini ($8.95), and grilled rare steak with shitake mushroom, grilled potato, chimmichurri and pickled onion ($10.95).

I tried the charred eggplant dip ($6.95), Rhode Island calamari ($11.95), and crisp shrimp and scallion dumplings ($11.95).

The charred eggplant was my favorite item on the menu. It had an earthy smokiness to it and balanced texture between the olives, the dip and the crispy grilled pita it came served with. The calamari was well prepared: seasoned batter, fried hot peppers and moist — not rubbery — squid.

I was ambivalent on the shrimp and scallion dumplings; they had some flavor to them but were generally below expectation. The inside felt a bit too airy and could have used more shrimp meat. The dumpling had the consistency of a fried egg roll and the dipping sauce was Asian inspired, as are a few other menu offerings.

Red Hen is at its best when it does the Italian-Iberian-Greek-Southern European-Mediterranean thing. The venture into gingery, soy dishes are laudable for their ambition but a bit inconsistent. To be sure, this is my traditionalist side speaking, and my father, who accompanied me and also embodies everything joie de vivre, was emboldened by the adventure.

Red Hen takes a cue from its surroundings and offers an impressive array of seafood dishes for main courses. I tried the roasted Atlantic cod ($23.95), the Portuguese fisherman’s stew ($29.95), and the sautéed shrimp ($21.95). To round things out, I stepped back on land for the pappardelle bolognese ($19.95).

The Portuguese fisherman was compelling: a healthy mix of shrimp, clams, chunks of cod, mussels, potatoes and chorizo (although the Portuguese would use chouriço). It came bouillabaisse-style in a tomato saffron broth most notable for a distinctive and enhancing kick.

The roasted Atlantic cod consisted of a fresh and evenly cooked cut of cod with shitake mushrooms, crisp baby potatoes and bacon in a cream seafood broth. The cod carried the dish, but the bacon shined with a textural boost and injection of salty-savoryness; the crisp potatoes went well with a lighter cream sauce.

The sautéed shrimp and the bolognese were both well-executed versions of tried-and-true Italian dishes. The bolognese had what you would look for; it was robust and satisfying (however, some more chopped fresh seasonings could have taken it to another level). The sautéed shrimp led with its garlic, chardonnay sauce and was elevated by the arugula. All this was tied together nicely by fresh linguine and ripe tomatoes.

Red Hen shines for its efficient service and its versatility. If you’re looking for a quick and light dinner on a summer weekend, I can see anyone being satisfied by tapas and salad (FYI: arugula salad $7.95; Greek salad $9.95; and Hen salad with greens, gorgonzola, gala apples, red onion, almonds and whole mustard vinaigrette $9.95).

At the same time, if you’re on the hunt for a dining experience that’s fun and filling at the end of the day, dinner at Red Hen and a few drinks at the bar is also likely to do the trick.

296 Main St., Old Saybrook; (860) 388-8818, redhenrestaurant.com

Food type: American, Mediterranean fusion

Service: Prompt, accommodating and friendly

Price: Moderate to expensive

Hours: Dinner Tues.-Thurs., 5-9 p.m., Fri. and Sat., 5-10 p.m.; happy hour Tues.-Sat., 4:30-6 p.m.; closed Sun. and Mon.

Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard

Handicapped access: Restaurant is two steps up from sidewalk