Ardeo is the most attractive of them all. The appeal of Ardeo, like all of Bajaj's restaurants, lies not so much in its design as in the skill of its owner in playing host. Bajaj is a hands-on manager, making the round of each of his restaurants every night. He greets familiar faces by name, introduces himself to new ones, inquires about their food and service.
Customers love it.
It's no surprise that Ardeo has become something of a neighborhood gathering place, comfortable for both suited professionals and a jeans-clad younger crowd. Ardeo is now on its second chef since its opening, but the Modern American format of the cooking has remained the same. At its best, the Modern American style uses fresh, local ingredients in melting-pot combinations of regional American dishes and those of the immigrant groups that have revitalized our food over the last couple of decades. It's an appealing style, but it demands sensitivity and skill on the part of the chef who has to know the difference, when making unusual combinations, between the appetizing and the bizarre. Much of the menu at Ardeo works well.