I dined at a James Beard-nominated restaurant for the first time. Here are 10 things that surprised me.

When we were shown to our table, I was impressed by the overall atmosphere and surprised by how buzzy, yet relaxing, it was.

Despite every table being filled, the noise level never prevented us from hearing one another over the table. The tables were spaced out well, which gave the illusion of privacy even in a jam-packed restaurant.

While we perused the menu, we were pleasantly surprised by the prices of each item. While they were certainly not cheap, they were all on par with what we’d expect to pay at most nice restaurants in New York City, where I live.

The appetizers ranged from $16 to $28 for a foie gras dish, which we thought were reasonable prices to expect to pay.

The most expensive entrée on the menu was the halibut fillet with white sweet potato, oyster mushrooms, and smoked scallop butter sauce, which cost $44. However, most of the entrées on the menu were around $32.

The total cost for our meal, which included two alcoholic drinks, an appetizer, two entrées, and a dessert, was $115, excluding a tip.

While I expected the menu to be filled with out-of-the-box, creative offerings, I was surprised I was most drawn to one of the simplest things on the menu.

For my main course, I ordered the bourbon-brined half chicken with duck fat potato confit, braised collard greens, and chicken jus for $32. Despite being more elevated than some other roast chicken dishes I’ve had in the past, I was pleasantly surprised by just how simple — and delicious — this dish was.

The true star of the plate was the perfectly roasted and moist chicken. The roasted potatoes allowed the chicken to shine, and the chicken broth added even more flavor and moisture. This was comfort food at its finest.

Two of the desserts we were most eager to try, the wild blueberry pie and the blackberry buckle almond-brown butter cake, were sold out by the time we were ready to order.

Given our late reservation, I probably should have anticipated this, but it was still a bit of a letdown. In the future, I’d do everything I can to score an earlier reservation so I won’t miss out.

However, despite that slight disappointment, we were able to order the pecan butterscotch cream pie for dessert. The caramel-drizzled cream pie was decadent without being too sweet, and the crunch from the pecans added a tasty textural element.

Between the atmosphere, the affordability, and the quality of the food, Fore Street was definitely worth the trip from New York City.

The thing that surprised me the most was that I was perfectly at ease the entire time I was there, from grabbing a drink at the bar to enjoying our dessert. This can best be chalked up to the incredible service we received and the talent of the chefs.

With every delicious dish that we tasted, we knew the next one would probably be just as good or even better.

Overall, Fore Street exceeded all of my expectations.