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Longtime admirers of chef Bradley Ogden, his highly regarded Bay Area restaurants (Lark Creek, One Market), and his numerous cookbooks, have been anticipating the opening of his San Diego restaurant, Arterra. The wait is over.

The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the newly opened Del Mar Marriott Hotel in Carmel Valley. One would scarcely expect that such an artful and elegant restaurant would reside in the belly of a building of such prosaic architecture, particularly in the rather vanilla neighborhood of Carmel Valley.

The pleasing, well-planned interior design of Arterra — the name means art of the earth — resonates with restrained whimsy. The use of rich, dark woods and deeply upholstered fabrics gives the room a clubby feel, and well-placed Italian glass light fixtures, mosaic tile and art pieces serve as nice accents.

Once seated in a comfy, over-sized booth, we were offered cocktails and served a variety of quality bread and savory muffins, along with a ramekin of cold unsalted butter.

Forsaking the hard stuff, we perused the well-conceived wine list. Given Arterra’s emphasis on “farm-fresh American fare,” it makes perfect sense that the list is limited to domestic wines.

The list features several high-quality Chardonnays, many priced less than one would anticipate given the usual restaurant markup. It also includes many highly sought-after Pinots, like the 1996 Williams Selyem-Allen Vineyard. Wine enthusiasts will be thrilled for a chance to drink the 1987 Pahlmeyer Caldwell Vineyard Cabernet (although it is a bit pricey at $180).

While Arterra is Ogden’s baby, he spends most of his time in the Bay Area; the show here really belongs to the chef de cuisine, Carl Schroeder, who brilliantly executes Ogden’s style of bright, bold American fare. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Schroeder previously served as sous-chef at Ogden’s Lark Creek Inn and, just prior to joining Arterra, executive sous- chef at Bertrand at Mr. A’s.

Since the menu changes often as ingredients come into and go out of season and, because Schroeder likes to be creative with the setups on continuing items, don’t expect the menu offerings to be exactly alike from one visit to the next — enjoy the chef’s whim.

The starter list offers a nice variety of small dishes and salads. The “Little Skookum Oysters on the Half Shell” ($20/dozen), “Prime New York Steak Carpaccio” ($9.75) and “Blue Cheese Souffle” ($8.75) are all great choices. I always order foie gras when I find it on a menu and, as usual, I was not disappointed. It was heavenly. The “Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras” ($13.75) is a silky 2-ounce seared hunk served over toasted housemade brioche and a slice of caramelized organic pineapple. The acidity and tartness of the fruit, although slightly sweet, is a wonderful platform for the melt-in-your-mouth duck liver.

“The Dungeness Crab Cake” ($10.75) is made from 3 ounces of crab, bound with just enough sautéed leeks, onions and mayonnaise. It is formed into a puck-sized cake, dredged in panko and quickly deep fried to a crispy finish, then perched on a layer of citrus-marinated shaved fennel over a bed of diced fresh avocado and finished with a tiny dollop of chili-lime remoulade.

If you love a good, strong, creamy “Caesar Salad” ($7.50), have one at Arterra. It’s made from Ogden’s tried and true recipe and is served with housemade croutons and a generous sprinkling of Reggiano.

Even though the menu offers only a half-dozen or so entrée choices, the menu is so well constructed and offers such a variety of flavors, I had difficulty choosing just one on each of my visits.

One visit, I was seduced by the “Sautéed Wild Striped Bass” ($24.50). A 6- to 7-ounce portion is pan roasted over good high heat and served on a basil-Yukon gold purée. It is accompanied by a medley of spring vegetables from Chino Farms and topped with a Picholine, caper and artichoke “relish.”

On another visit, I succumbed to the “Grilled Angus Filet Mignon” ($28), a perfectly cooked, thickly sliced, 8-ounce filet, built over a braised Yukon gold potato (known as a pomme fondant in France), and topped with sweet fried onion rings and Maytag blue cheese. As with all of the dishes I sampled at Arterra, the presentation hit the mark perfectly.

Shroeder and company also offer a short list of housemade desserts that are well worth saving room for.

In her book, “The Art of Eating,” M.K.F. Fisher writes: “Almost all people are born unconscious of the nuances of flavour. Many die so.”

The flavors at Arterra are so richly nuanced; they will no doubt prove to be an artful lure to even the most refined of palates.

— Terryl Gavre