Despite its many charms, the Rustic Café in East Lyme is a bit too far for us to make regular visits from our comfortable New London HQ.

Recently, though, while avoiding a clotted I-95, my wife Eileen and I meandered on Boston Post Road between Old Lyme and East Lyme — and spotted the Rustic Café, which we hadn’t visited since prior to COVID.

It seemed a fine time to renew our acquaintance.

The Café, very much a regular’s joint, was in its original form a tiny, standalone building with knotty pine walls, a few tables and a bar, and décor that includes an ages-old and presumably not-ready-for-stage acoustic guitar positioned upright underneath a portrait of a friendly looking dog from days of yore.

The main bar is still the same, but some years back, the Rustics added a fire pit to one side of the building, and that in turn has evolved into a large, covered patio/dining room that most resembles a peaked greenhouse. The “walls” are clear panes of sorts — so is the angled ceiling. There are plenty of spacious tables and potted greenery — and through THAT is now where you find the fire pit. Oh, and there’s a small, transitory lounge connecting the bar with the “greenhouse” with comfy seating and a preponderance of fake tropical birds.

The menu, too, has expanded. For one thing, the Rustic has always served a fine burger. Now, the menu boasts 40 of them. As in, four-times-ten! They’re each half-pounders of certified Black Angus stock, and range in price from $10 (just beef) to $20 for “The Kitchen Sink.” The latter boasts a grocery store’s worth of ingredients — no plumbing items — and the whole range of possibilities is creatively curated, though often in ways that might seem off-putting at first. For example:

Chocolate & Gorgonzola or Caramel & Gorgonzola ($12.50 each). Peanut Butter and (Raspberry) Jelly ($12). The New England Breakfast burger (with bacon, egg and maple syrup, $13.50).

Weird but … intriguing. We pondered possibilities while Eileen sipped on a Bloody Mary ($11). Our bartender/waiter, whose mellowly hip vibe included carrying on conversations with regulars and newcomers alike across the small space, warned that the cocktail was spicy. She appreciated the head’s up, but, ah, we’re from Texas — a place where there are damned few things left to be proud of aside from our abilities to consume extraordinarily spicy food and drink.

This was indeed a fine Bloody, anchored in Tito’s vodka, a fiery, richly tomatoe-y mix, and clustered with the requisite pickle, green olive and lime and lemon slices. We also munched on a “spicy” fried pickles appetizer ($8). They were clearly crafted on-site, with thin, almost tempura-like batter that adhered to the dill spears. They were nicely spiced but served very hot, temperature-wise. Good stuff, but we could have used some silverware and plates to help negotiate the snacking process. Likewise, my Diet Coke was flat.

What to eat?

Burger time! Eileen selected the Buffalo Burger (using a black bean patty, $12.75), which was festooned with gorgonzola, hot sauce and lettuce on a toasted kaiser roll. The patty appeared to be premade, but it was tasty, and the tang of the cheese and that tart sauce worked enjoyably.

Swayed by the mellow confidence of our server — a man who, moments before, pointing to a house sound system that was issuing Peter Frampton’s iconic 16-minute version of “Do You Feel Like We Do” from the “Comes Alive” album, told a guy seated at the bar, “This was playing the first time I tripped on mushrooms” – I didn’t hesitate when he recommended the Peanut Butter & Bacon Burger ($13). I’m pretty sure I was on mushrooms when I saw Frampton open for Johnny Winter on my birthday in 1975 (a year and a half before “Comes Alive” was released, but, yes, Pete was already rocking the extended, talkbox version of “Do You Feel.”)

My burger came cooked medium as ordered, with a crisscross of crisp bacon overflowing from under the bun. The peanut butter was indeed an identifiable and not unpleasant element, but it seemed to work better with the bacon than the ground beef. I DID enjoy the experience, but next time I might experiment with Caramel & Gorgonzola — and, sadly, it’s long past the time when any hallucinogenics will be brought into play.

To-go or not to-go?

On another day, again traveling home from the other side of the Connecticut River, we decided to phone in a pickup order from the Rustic. After all, their menu also includes other varieties of sandwiches, some fried and baked seafood options, a few entrée options and Summer Specials.

I will say the Rustic isn’t really set up for takeout — at least in our brief experience. There’s no online ordering system, and a call-in means you’re at the mercy of a bartender that might be really busy with in-house customers — which is fair enough.

In any event, E and I each decided to explore the Summer Specials. She tried the Teriyaki Stir Fry ($14), which is advertised as “white rice surrounded by teriyaki sautéed broccoli, cremini mushrooms, red onion, cubanelle peppers, garlic and the protein of the moment, topped with black and white sesame seeds and sliced scallions.” Being a vegetarian, she asked for no protein.

When we got home and ate, she pronounced the rice as having a proper chew and the sauce delightfully sweet AND sour. The sesame seeds were an inspired addition. Unfortunately, the broccoli and scallions were missing. Yes, we should have checked in the parking lot before leaving. As it was, the dish seemed incomplete and more an appetizer than an entrée.

I went with the Lobster Mac & Cheese ($28) and was rewarded with a very tasty and bountiful concoction. The lobster claw meat was sweet and fresh, the pasta was spot on, and the cheese sauce was properly sharp without overpowering the lobster. There were leaves of spinach and halves of cherry tomatoes also in the mix, but neither had much of an impact. I would have been perfectly happy without them but was not particularly bothered by their presence, either.

The Rustic Café does most things very well — and, in particular, the overall vibe that keeps the regulars coming back and, at the same time, making first-timers or occasional guests feel welcome, is special.

The Rustic Cafe

516 Boston Post Road, East Lyme

therusticcafe.com, (860) 691-0477

Cuisine: Finely crafted tavern food with an inventive array of burgers

Atmosphere: Small, comfortable regulars’ bar with distinctive decor, a fine (and covered) outdoor patio, and an encouraging vibe for first time visitors

Service: Casual and familial; the set-up is more suited to dine-in than takeout

Prices: Very reasonable for large portions

Credit cards: Yes

Reservations: N/A