The night we had dinner at the School Street Bistro in downtown Westfield was the first time I have ever heard my boyfriend, Rob, say that he really, really liked a meal. Especially after paying $26 for it.

Rob’s the type of person who is usually happy with a meal if it’s plentiful, reasonably tasty and cheap. But on this night, we had gone to a not-so-cheap place at my request because I have wanted to write about the School Street Bistro for a while.

(www.schoolstreetbistro.com, 23 School St., Westfield, 413-562-8700)

It’s not the kind of place you are just going to drive by one day and decide to eat there. It’s buried in downtown Westfield and it’s not even on the main drag which is practically a ghost town. It’s on a side street in an old factory building.

Even the entrance on the rear of the building is inauspicious. The awning is covered with damp lichen. But once you are inside the building’s history as a factory is clear. There are high ceilings, exposed pipes and refinished factory floors. (And, there is plenty of parking nearby.)

We got there at 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday and it seemed like we were lucky to get a seat although the space was still pretty empty. There is an extensive menu and one part I like is called “Simply Yours” in which you pick your protein product (like shrimp, tuna, pork, Black Angus rib eye, chicken breast, etc.) and then add the sauce of your choice (gorgonzola, demiglace, roasted garlic, teriyaki and others.)

Add to that your pick of side dishes such as twice-baked sweet potatoes, grilled asparagus or wild mushrooms and caramelized mushrooms and you have your meal ranging from $19 to $24 depending on what you pick. You must pay an extra $2 for a side salad.

We didn’t go that route. I picked something unusual for me, something off the specials menu. It was veal short ribs (I almost never touch veal) roasted in a Pumpkin beer sauce with root vegetables. It was the root vegetables that got me. It’s fall and we should be eating root vegetables. The veal came served with a big fresh sprig of rosemary on top and it was amazing, not only that night but the next two days afterward.

The sauce was the key. Someone must have had a pot of stock boiling on the back of the stove for hours or days to get this flavorful and sweet sauce that the veal and veggies were soaking in. The veal was tender but still falling off the bone. The sauce was infused with the rosemary and there was just a hint of pumpkin in the background. I ate half and brought home half.

The huge hit of the night was the applewood-smoked, bacon-wrapped around a filet mignon ($26) that my usually stoic (about food) that my boyfriend ordered. He couldn’t stop raving about it. The meat was tender (not sure he cut it with a fork like my mom once told me you should be able to), but the flavor mixed with the saltiness of the bacon was perfect ( I was allowed to sample it).

The filet, which was in a wild mushroom, gorgonzola demiglace, came with a huge heaping pile of mashed potatoes that went well with my doggie bag food the next day too. And, it came with carrots in a creamy dill sauce.

There were some nice extra touches. Several of the meals were served with a magenta orchid on the plate. The bread was warm and crusty and we asked for extra. It was great for sopping up the sauce with my meal.

The penne Bolognese ($16) my boyfriend’s father ordered was a hit too. The penne was covered with a hearty meat sauce with garlic and fresh herbs. There was a glop of green basil pesto on top. The portion was huge and he took home half as well. My boyfriend’s mother got the chicken Francaise ($18), lemon-marinated chicken sautéed and served in a sauce of lemon, fresh tomato, capers and sweet butter.

We asked about desserts and were brought a tray with assorted desserts, but we were stuffed and it was hard to appreciate the display because it looked rather stale. Although we don’t want to judge a dessert by its tray appearance, I’m afraid it was unavoidable in this case.
It’s worth a drive to Westfield to check out the School Street Bistro.