SOUTH COLTON — Just outside this small hamlet in southern St. Lawrence County is a huge 10-foot-tall boulder known as Sunday Rock.

It is now a historic roadside marker that, according to local folklore, once marked an imaginary line between civilization and wilderness. South of the rock, in the olden days, there were no laws, and all the woods was a playground for hunters and a workplace for loggers. Life went on from day to day with no change. Sunday just became another day in the foothills of the Adirondacks. Thus, the big rock became known as Sunday Rock.

Today, South Colton is much more civilized. There's a U.S. Post Office, Boyce's General Store and a shop selling crafts made by Adirondack artisans.

And there's a new restaurant and bar called South Of The Rock Inn. While it's no longer an inn, per se, it has the flavor of the olden days, with a barroom at one end of the building and a dining room at the other.

Locals will remember it as Smiley's, Green's and, most recently, the Finish Line.

Returning to their roots are young owners Nikki Petrosillo and Shaun Clary, natives of the north country who have garnered restaurant experience in big cities like Boston and Houston.

Their ace-in-the-hole is their executive chef, Ray Petrosillo, Nikki's dad. Many area residents experienced his cooking over the years at restaurants like Uncle Max's, The Shoreline and Pancho and Lefty's. His tried-and-true recipes grace the pages of the South Of The Rock menu.

We started in the barroom. Some neat vintage local photos line the walls. The bartendress wasn't sure what sparkling water was or if a lime was the right decoration for a Tanqueray and tonic, but that was excusable — they had been open barely a week when we stopped by.

The beer selection was good, and a bottle of Tecate from Mexico was a real find.

Wines by the glass came from small screw-top bottles. Standard bottles of wine offered a nicer, reasonably priced selection.

The bar had a good feel to it. And the menu had something for everyone, from the bar patron looking for inexpensive, casual fare like a basic or upscale burger, chicken wings or a baked Italian favorite like lasagna, manicotti or cannelloni, or a diner seeking a more formal sit-down dinner.

In the dining room, the old-time ambiance continued. A beautiful natural ash wood floor stood out against a dark red wall. Scratchy-sounding country music on the sound system could have been an attraction or detraction, depending on who was listening.

The room was a little cold, but it was also very cold outside, not a typical mid-November night by recent-year standards.

It took some time to paw through the eight-page menu, uniquely presented in report binders reminiscent of our high school days. Our friendly and personable novice server kept asking for our order, as though we had to be somewhere in an hour.

This was her first waitressing job and she'd only been at it a little over a week, so she didn't really have the rhythm thing down. She did have a good knowledge of the menu and preparation of the dishes.

But you can't argue with enthusiasm, and she certainly had a lot of that.

She brought us a basket of bread and fresh olive oil accompanied by a small dish of roasted garlic cloves, olive tapenade, crushed red pepper and grated cheese.

For starters, there was shrimp cocktail, deep-fried ravioli and fried calamari. We decided on something more adventurous — Chef Ray's pico de gallo ($3.50), a Mexican relish of chopped tomatoes, onions and jalapeno peppers served with warm tortilla chips.

The relish was definitely oniony and jalapeno-y hot; the chips were not really warm.

And knowing Ray's prowess for Mexican cuisine, we fashioned our own appetizer for four by ordering a chicken burrito enchilada style ($10.95) from the entrée portion of the menu.

Excellent! Tasty dark meat was encased in a soft flour tortilla, covered in Ray's own red chile enchilada sauce, topped with melted cheese and sided with whole pinto beans (not that refried bean mush) and perfectly cooked rice.

Soup of the night ($2.50) (they're not open for lunch, just dinner) was corn chowder, creamy and tasty with bacon, corn and potatoes, but not quite warm enough. A quick trip back to the kitchen and the problem was rectified.

We wanted to try greens and beans — Italian greens and cannelloni beans in a savory broth — but they were out. Instead, we ordered a crock of French onion soup ($4.95), pretty standard fare with a noticeably salty beef stock.

Entrees are served with family-style salad. Someone likened it to Olive Garden, although I've never been to one. Our server described it as greens with "salt, olive oil and red wine vinegar."

We thought the "salt" thing was a mistake, but sure enough, the nice Romaine greens were overly salty — to the point where we questioned it, only to be told that the salt was attributed to the shaved blue cheese we ordered.

Whatever the reason, it was too salty for us to eat.

Delmonico steak is available two ways: with sautéed mushrooms or "black and blue," lightly pounded with crushed peppercorns and topped with a blue cheese sauce.

We chose the latter ($18.95), a nice hunk of meat nicely grilled and perfectly sauced. A side of spaghetti with an overly garlicky tomato sauce was a bit of a letdown.

An interesting item on the menu, although we didn't get to try it, is "Endless bowl of Sunday gravy," all-you-can-eat spaghetti topped with homemade tomato sauce, served with sausage or meatballs for $10.95.

French cut pork chop ($12.95, also available with two chops for $18.95), was delicious — a good half-pound bone-in portion, tender and moist. The recipient was quite discriminating since he raises his own pigs.

Seafood choices take a back seat to meat entrées, with a relatively limited selection of seared scallops, fried or broiled haddock, and "South Colton salmon of the week." Neat idea.

We went with the salmon ($13.95). The week we were there, the fish was glazed with soy and maple syrup — nice flavor combination and presentation. The accompanying unadulterated broccoli was nicely steamed.

Chicken roulade was not available, so we got chicken Marsala ($12.95) instead, fork-tender pieces of chicken in a sweet Marsala wine sauce, topped with tasty cooked-down mushrooms.

Desserts are imported — imported from Colton, about five miles away — made by baking experts Kristen Vaccaro and Laura Whalen.

Here's another example of "it doesn't pay to make them yourself." These ladies produce unquestionably superior desserts, all fresh and delicate, not heavy. A pumpkin pie with perfect spices. A moist and tasty carrot cake. A light-colored and light-tasting four-layer chocolate cake with lovely icing.

Dinner for four cost $101 before tip, beer and wine.

Nikki knows restaurant hospitality, and it shows. She cruised the dining room all night long, keeping a watchful eye over the staff and the customers. We were one of the last tables in the room, but she didn't hesitate to brew a fresh pot of coffee for us.

Chef Ray's years of experience qualify him to properly execute an ambitious menu that includes predictable and recognizable all-American fare, but also Mexican favorites like enchiladas, fajitas and tacos alongside his homemade Italian specialties.

When we visited, the restaurant had been open just days. The owners are to be commended for producing a smooth-running operation in such a short period of time. Any minor flaws that we experienced will surely be corrected in the coming weeks.

You can contact Walter E. Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.

South Of The Rock Inn

3927 State Highway 56

South Colton, N.Y.

261-4999

A new restaurant in an old inn, serving steaks, chicken, seafood was well as Mexican favorites and Italian specialties. Full bar with beer, wine and liquor.

HOURS: 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

2 to 8 p.m. Sunday

Closed Monday

OUR FAVORITES: Homemade soup of the night, French-cut pork chops, chicken burrito enchilada style, Kristen and Laura's fantastic desserts

If beer's your thing, you might want to try a Tecate, imported from Mexico

RATING: 3 and one-half forks