For years, they spent their free time in Moab, doing what the other city refugees do: climbing, biking and playing in the Colorado River. Back home, Karl worked as a chef at a ski resort and Michelle ran the lodge's bar and catering operations. They had plenty of time to indulge their other seasonal passion: skiing.

But Moab has a way of getting under your skin: the endless sky, searing wind, soaring red rocks and flowing water are beautiful but cruel, perfect for testing the body's physical and mental limits. The Kelleys finally made the move.

At about the same time, as luck or fate would have it, Moab's premier restaurant, the Center Cafe, was moving into new digs and leaving its old space vacant. What else could the Kelleys do but move in and open their own place, which they call the Desert Bistro.

As far as restaurants go, Moab is pretty crowded for a town its size because of the seasonal tourist influx. Most are moderately priced, family-style places with familiar foods.

The Desert Bistro aims to rise above the pack, with food that is more adventurous, with prices to match. Chef Kelley, who learned his craft by working rather than schooling, offers continental cuisine with Southwestern seasonings: rack of lamb with cilantro glaze, chicken coated with a corn tortilla crust, salmon cured with tequila and bread made with pinon nuts. His ambition is laudable because most of his food succeeds, although at times his aim seems a bit off. For example, a bread dipping sauce made of canola oil, pumpkin seed oil and fresh lavender was an unholy mix of flavors that didn't complement the subtle taste of Kelley's homemade bread.

Service at Desert Bistro is a cut above the standard of a rural town, although with its limited staff, meals can take a while. But with its large street-side window, white tablecloths, fresh flowers and original artwork, the Desert Bistro is a pleasant place to relax and enjoy a glass of wine.

The a la carte menu is well rounded: fish, pasta, chicken, pork, beef, lamb and elk all make an appearance, supplemented by daily specials. Four or five appetizers, several salads and half a dozen homemade desserts add up to a substantial output for a kitchen this size.

Kelley uses restraint in his seasoning, preferring to let the natural flavor of the food do the work. He doesn't like to add salt, something diners will deduce on their own when tasting his homemade corn bread, a yeasted loaf that is light and moist with a subtle corn flavor. A salad of butter leaf lettuce has a light citrus dressing but gets most of its flavor from jicama, tangerine and avocado ($6).

Cheeses are one of Kelley's most potent flavorings. He uses goat cheese as a stuffing for the corn tortilla-crusted chicken breast ($18), which gives it a wonderful tangy flavor and works well with its black bean salsa garnish. The meat itself was dry, a casualty either of the prep method or too many pans going on the stove at once. It came with cous cous gently flavored with jalapeno and a mix of fresh vegetables that were unadorned and crisp tender.

Cheese plays a supporting role with beef tenderloin, and almost steals the show. The steak, cooked perfectly to order, comes with a "crust" of Gorgonzola in the form of a cheese patty perched atop the meat ($24). This potent, salty cheese is a natural mate for meat (it tastes just as good, or maybe even better, with the rack of lamb) although the fat grams in this entree are no doubt astounding. The steak comes with vegetables, plus expertly done garlic mashed potatoes.

The lamb is good, too, even without the Gorgonzola cheese crust, because it has its own apple-cilantro glaze ($25). But the side dish of grilled marinated red potatoes had a distinctly burnt flavor, as if they had been a little too close to the fire.

Daily specials are indeed special, judging by a recent offering of sea bass dressed with a tomato butter sauce that just had to be licked from the bowl; it was that good. Fresh fish in the desert of Southeastern Utah doesn't come cheap: this modestly size dish was $25, a pretty price considering it was just fish, plus a few spears of asparagus.

A couple menu items sounded better on paper than in their execution. Homemade avocado ravioli stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese ($20) came with a white wine sauce that wasn't on the stove long enough for the alcohol to cook off. Pasta doused with wine is bracing, to say the least. And the black bean cake appetizer was dry, despite its roasted corn salsa ($6). It needed the help of cream sauce, maybe flavored with cilantro, avocado or jalapeno.

Desert Bistro desserts are technically strong, if not quite as innovative as the rest of the menu. A custard, subtly flavored with orange, melted in the mouth and the carrot cake was stout enough to stand in for breakfast the next day.

The Desert Bistro will up Moab's dining bar a notch or two, and since the Kelleys like to climb, we expect the bar will only get higher.

Other Good Eats in Moab

The Center Cafe remains Moab's best gourmet restaurant and now has a setting to match its wonderful food -- dishes like lamb loin with roasted garlic flan and crab cakes with tomato coulis and citrus creme fraiche. The cafe's new home is stucco and stone, with a beautifully landscaped courtyard and dramatic exterior lighting. Its recent experiment with a lunch menu didn't work out, but the cafe is open for European-style breakfasts of coffee, bagels, pastries and poached eggs. A new market offers ready-made foods for takeout. The new address is 60 N. 100 West, (435) 259-4295.

Here's another good find, especially for hearty breakfasts: EklectiCafe, a funky little place with delicious baked goods, egg dishes, wonderful oven-roasted potatoes and healthy salads and sandwiches, best enjoyed at one of the rustic tables on the porch. The owner prefers to use organic ingredients and fresh seasonal produce. Find it on the north side of town along Moab's main drag, 352 N. Main St.