Visitors from around the world dine in Carmel's commercial district for two reasons. First, to see for themselves why we have an outstanding reputation for Mediterranean cuisine and, second, to bask in the historic ambiance of the town's cultural past.

Porta Bella, meaning "Beautiful Door," offers the best of "La Cuisine du Soleil" and a peek into our bohemian past when local authors and painters rubbed elbows with such stars as Clark Gable. A couple of years ago, I published a lengthy history of this picturesque location, originally Sades, so I won't repeat what was supposed to have transpired on their flagstone floor.

Instead, I'll focus on the fact that today it is a gathering place for our most illustrious residents and our most fascinating visitors, all of them warmly greeted by owner Csaba Ajan. For a quarter century, Ajan has learned every detail of our hospitality industry, and has decided to serve as a role model in defining hospitality.

Each owner of a top Carmel restaurant has a unique hospitality style that sets the pace for the entire staff. Ajan, with his old-world charm, his Budapest accent, and his demand for only the freshest ingredients, personally checks on the food and service at each table. We sat together and reviewed the diverse luncheon menu.

On my last visit to Harry's Bar in Venice, also noted for the artists and writers that reveled there long ago, I was charged $100 for what Ajan charges a tiny fraction. Visiting the five-star restaurants of Venice, I found the service less personable and the portions less memorable than at Porta Bella. As for the quality, Ajan gave full credit to executive chef Suzanna Ferry, chef de Cuisine Peter Codes, and chef de cafe Joseph Pinto. Ajan was as proud of having put this team together as if he had been manager of the Three Tenors World Tour.

My meal began with an Organic Argula Salad, filled with the best leaves from the best plants and flavored with basalmic vinaigrette. After that I had Tartina alla Porta Bella whose key ingredient was a portobello mushroom that seemed picked that morning and complimented by juxtaposing it with five delicious elements, each a contrasting color. Visitors at the next table were enjoying Dugeneness crab bisque soup, the duck and feta raviolis (with sun dried tomatoes, sage, and Romano cheese). At an outdoor table, I spotted a capreccio brille that was so elegant it could have been from an Old Master still life.

Some customers had a hard time making up their mind among the many offerings, and some recalled what the dinner menu offered recently. Although there are too many delicacies to list here, you can see their menu near their door across from the historic Pine Inn.

The portions were such that I didn't feel I had room left for desert, but I was brought their signature offering, "Floating Island," that melted so deliciously in my mouth that it seems my cheeks absorbed the sweetness without having to swallow the caramel and creme anglaise. Ajan's old friend Ivan Tamas shared our table, pouring out samples to neighboring tables of the seven varieties of his popular wines (carried by Ritz- Carlton hotels worldwide). A fellow Hungarian, Tamas, had fled during the 1956 anti -communist rebellion, and today is a worldwide marketing consultant whose olfactory talents for smelling the bouquets of bottle wines have made him a partner with wine superstar Steve Mirassou.

Instead of overwhelming me with data on his successful wine labels (with his Pinot Grigo from Monterey County vineyards), Tamas seemed sincerely curious about my adventures. Ajan also took a lively interest in the accomplishments and opinions of his many visitors, his old-world manners inspiring him to inquire more about his guests' feelings and needs than talking about himself.

It was obvious that his teenage daughter Carla Magdalena had inherited the family talent for hospitality as she and other family members sometimes work as hostesses. The business had a compulsive eye for detail and quality, and that's what my friends who eat here say is their most memorable observation.