If the thought of a “Coach Grill” in the suburbs brings to mind a carving station with a side of cow under infrared lamps, blood dripping from a huge slab of roast prime as you carry your plate to your table, it’s time to rethink the equation. The Back Bay Restaurant Group has resurrected the concept of the original Red Coach Grill (circa 1935) at its original site in Wayland, bringing well-thought-out versions of basic American fare to your table with polished service and accomplished style.

I have had several brunches and dinners at the Coach Grill, and all have been consistently good. On a recent Saturday evening four of us from Harvard went to the restaurant after taking in a matinée in Cambridge. I had chosen the Coach Grill because it was on the way home, and it’s an easy ride from Wayland to Harvard. This is important if you have an aversion to a high-stress drive on the MassPike or Interstate 495 on a Saturday night after a relaxing dinner with wine.

We arrived around 6 p.m. and were seated promptly in a nicely appointed dining room with lots of warm wood accents, a large stone fireplace with a real wood fire, linen tablecloths, comfy seats, and lighting that hit the right balance for reading the menu without being garish. There was plenty of room between tables, adding to a sense of intimacy. The waitress delivered a loaf of warm bread, introduced herself, and went through the specials in great detail.

We ordered cocktails and a fried calamari appetizer to start things off. Drinks came martini-style, tall and cold, with half kept in flutes inserted into ice caddies so we could take our time and keep them cold. The default at the Coach Grill is “no vermouth unless you ask,” which eliminates the need to explain you want your spirits “straight up cold in a martini glass, no vermouth please!” The calamari was a hit, done just to a turn in a delicate batter with olive oil, garlic, Parmesan, a little bit of heat from red peppers, and a light basil aioli dipping sauce. This dish is also available grilled. I cautioned my friends that dinner portions were ample, so we ordered just the one appetizer for the four of us; we were not sorry.

I started my meal with a half portion of classic Caesar salad. All salads on the menu are available in half sizes; full salads can be split for two people. Dina tasted the salad to judge the authenticity of the dressing, and pronounced it freshly made. Her husband Chuck had the lobster bisque, which was on special. He said it was creamy, with a subtle taste of sherry. There were plenty of little chunks of lobster, but it was a little bland, he said—it should have had some zip to it.

For my dinner I ordered the boneless prime rib finished on a wood grill. (It is also available pan-blackened.) This was my first time ordering this 14-ounce monster, which also comes in a bone-in double cut. I knew it would be more than I could eat, but it is, after all, one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, so for the sake of this review I felt I was obliged to indulge. It came with a whipped horseradish sauce on the side, and at my request they also brought the portobello demi-glace, which I found to be a much better pairing. The meat was tender and flavorful. (All of the meats served at the Coach Grill are aged a minimum of five weeks; there’s no way to produce this flavor at home.) Everything on the menu is served à la carte. For my side dish I ordered sautéed fresh spinach with garlic and olive oil. The portion was enough to share with everyone at the table.

My partner ordered a Saturday special, “Abe’s famous crispy pork.” You have to really like pork to get into this dish. In fact, you have to not mind wrestling with it a bit to get at the meat. The waitress made a point of this when describing it, but the delivery was still a bit of a shock. The pork shank was huge, with a very thick and fatty layer of skin that had to be totally cut away. (What is the point of creating a “crispy skin” if it is not something you would eat?) The meat inside was moist and succulent, with a great texture but rather bland flavor. It was a huge amount of pork nevertheless, half of which ended up in a stir-fry a couple of days later. It was not crispy pork, but pork with a crispy skin that no one would eat. I recommend avoiding this dish.

Chuck and Dina ordered a “for-two” special, a 20-ounce prime Delmonico rib-eye. Finished on a wood grill, it arrived cooked to perfection. However, since it was getting busy, another waitperson brought the steak, cut in half, on one platter that was placed in front of Chuck. An empty platter and some “au jus” were placed in front of Dina, who was sitting diagonally across the table. Of course this required some awkward plate-passing across the table to transfer a hefty chunk of meat to another plate and pass it back, on a table that was now quite full with plates and glasses. Nonetheless, they enjoyed this dish—no leftovers, no complaints. Their side dish, which we all shared, was a delightfully fluffy corn pudding—a unique, soufflé-like creation.

By the time we were eating our meal the cozy dining room experience had morphed into a loud bistro. With two large parties by our side, we resorted to yelling at each other to be heard. At this point the service did suffer a bit. Following our meal, I ordered a sorbet dish (to share) with a dessert wine; it came without the wine, which was delivered later. Dina’s espresso was served in a regular coffee cup, looking rather forlorn in a little circle at the bottom of the cup—much like serving a glass of wine in a beer mug.

The food at the Coach Grill is straightforward American, prepared just the way you want it. I have had several seafood dishes in the past that were done to perfection, in particular the sesame-encrusted tuna steak, by default served quite rare, but at my request done medium rare (warm and red just in the middle). They hit it right every time, and I can’t even do that at home.

The Coach Grill is a good bet for quality and value. However, if you don’t like the “bistro effect,” go early (5:30 p.m.) on the weekend for dinner, or try the Sunday brunch, which is served until 3 p.m.—you won’t need dinner. The noise level will be hush-hush and the service will be truly five-star.