Table 45's blend of global styles is just what the doctors ordered By Debbi Snook Plain Dealer Reporter

Let's not be foolish enough to think the medical staff at the Cleveland Clinic had anything to do with the recent transformation of its closest and fanciest restaurant, Table 45.

No, we won't suggest that a team of anesthesiologists were consulted on how certain forms of minimalist backlighting, platinum-blond wood floors and frosted glass panels could put customers in a sudden, ethereal state.

Or that a steady neurosurgeon might have artfully angled dishware, precision-cut spring rolls and created ornate, multi-faceted desserts.

Or that a medical ethics crew mentored the serving staff on the effectiveness of quiet, joyful tableside manners. Yet the most recent transformation of the fine dining space at the Intercontinental Hotel on the Clinic campus is showing highly polished skills with a casual manner.

It's a true pleasure.

Anybody still hoping for the formal old Classics restaurant at the Clinic better let down their blue hair and loosen their Brooks Brothers belt. This incarnation is stepping - shall we say sashaying? - onto a new global dance floor.

I can't help but think that chef Zack Bruell considered the Clinic's international customer reach when he confidently set out a menu that touched on flavors from Vietnam, India, the Middle East and many other points. None are imported as clunky copies of tradition, but as smart meals that speak more than one language fluently.

My tandoori chicken ($22) was hardly spiced like the one from India, but there were whispers of the cuisine's aroma, a crispy skin and silky meat inside. It was a dish of gentle flavors and fabulous textures.

It was that way across the menu. Every fish and meat we had offered consistent tenderness and succulence, from the Alaskan cod ($25) on a tagine of slow-cooked vegetables to the seared duck breast ($22) with a warmly spice-infused sable-brown Vadouvan sauce.

The only exception to great textures was a kobe beef special ($42) which wasn't as creamy-grained as I had hoped. Still, the flavors of the meat were well-pronounced. Another fish, a halibut with smoked paprika oil ($25), was a slightly overcooked but the seasonings still hypnotized.

Our meals started with artfulness, too. The Saigon crab and avocado wrap ($10) came with pastel seasonings but a small bounty of crab chunks slipped out if you didn't hold it right. Not complaining.

Zack's warm mushroom salad ($10) is a showstopper, a dish that can only work with divinely fresh ingredients. They're all there. The selection of tandoori-baked naan wedges ($6.50) with sauces offered well-balanced dips in fresh combinations. And while the Bangkok style Caesar salad ($7) was hardly Caesarish, it had a dainty herbiness and whisper of fermented fish sauce that made it mouth-watering. At lunch it comes with meat and fish add-ons.

Lunch also comes with a great burger ($12) accompanied by Bruell's signature, not-to-be-missed haystack fries. Much of the dinner menu is also here, at lower prices.

Dessert is never one thing at Table 45. Chef Eugenia Jimenez Constantin[boc: cq: ] has come into her own with this collection. These are not single items, but themed galleries of flavor and texture. Instead of just accessorizing single items, she dresses her sweets in ensembles. Take the Amaretto cheesecake ($9), a creamy bonbon paired with an Amaretto cookie crust, caramel tuille with orange sauce, diced mangoes and Amaretto ice cream. All are distinctly, knowingly flavored and harmonious.

Portions are not large on this menu, but they are sensible. A Clinic nutritionist might even approve. In the one occasion we took a bit home, our server handed us what she called "a tasty morsel for another day.'' We'll be back for more of that.

For more information go to : http://blog.cleveland.com/lifestyles/2007/08