What a wonderful lunch!

Mom took me out for a belated birthday lunch at 40 Sardines. I've been wanting to go there for a while now, and it definitely lived up to my expectation!
We both started with a salad of baby spinach, grilled asparagus and artichoke hearts, and goat cheese.
Mom had bay scallops over sauteed asparagus, with a tarragon butter cream sauce, topped with micro greens:

She tried to order a bowl of seafood chowder as well, but the waiter suggested that a rich dish like that, combined with the creamy sauce on the scallops, would be too heavy since she had to go back to work afterwards. He did bring us a little taste of the chowder though, and it was spectacular. I think a nap would have been necessary after eating a whole bowl of it, so his suggestion was spot on.
I had lamb chops, breaded with ground mustard seed and bread crumbs, with eggplant ratatouille, fresh fennel relish, and a pan reduction sauce:
All in all, I enjoyed this restaurant very much. Mom said it was kind of haute cuisine, but agreed with me that there was nothing pretentious about it. The classical pairing of flavors in both of our dishes was perfect - I especially loved the crispy crusted lamb / soft eggplant / bright fennel combination. I will definitely be going back for lunch as regularly as my budget permits.