I may be going out on a limb here, and I’m sure I’ll be corrected if I’m wrong, but I believe Noah’s now must be the longest running restaurant show in Stonington Borough.

This is no small achievement, really, although fires and foreclousers have had their share of responsibility in the untimely demise of some worthy competitors.It’s a town where people eat out reagularly and expect alot.

Surely Noah’s has been delivering a consistent and reliable mix of breakfeast, lunch and dinner for so many years that most of the local regulars, weekenders and itinerant tourists and boaters, have long since taken the place for granted.

But even in a town where change is made reluctantly and slowly, sometimes lighting strikes. And in the small world of Stonington eateries, that’s sort of what’s happened at 113 Water St.

Noah’s has joined-some might say, finally-the bar food bandwagon. Sandwiches, lighter entrees, a relaxed atmosphere and lower prices are now a new part of the mix here.

And although they are certainly not the first to come up with this formula, they may be fortunate enough to benefit from the experience of the many who have gone before. Like cars and emerging movie stars, newer is often better.

Most important, this was not something taken lightly-a few new things on the menu. It has been a transformation that included a remake of a barely used waiting area/lounge into a beautiful new space that has as its centerpiece a masterfully built, polished wood horseshoe-shaped bar.

The food, too, is no afterthoght. The new bar menu is interesting, eclectic and enticing. And to make the point that the managers are taking this endeavor seriously, the menu includes a fresh and changing cover letter to report on the progress of the restaurant’s newest project.

“What did we learn from this fourth week? Still…Lots!” they explained on the recent night we visited, a busyand lively Friday in the candle-lit, red walled bar dining room.

For the tradition-minded and less adventurous, the new menu includes some simple sandwich fare, like sliced chicken breast, $5.95, a Reuben, $6.35, bacon, lettuce and tomato, $4.35, grilled cheese,$2.95, and hamburgers, from $3.25 to $6.50, depending on the size.

Also available is a pan fried flounder sandwich, $6.95, Welsh rarbit,$4.95, a bean veggie burger, $4.75, or croque monsieur. Most of the sandwichs also come in half portions.

We were drawn to the more interesting appetizers and entrees, starting off the visit with an oder of steamers, $8.95. There was a heaping bowl of plump littlenecks, nicely and lightly dressed with shredded carrots and scallions. They were served with broth and drawn butter on the side.

There are a couple of soups on the appetizer menu,including clam chowder and Portuguese soup, that come cups, bowls or large bowls. Also not out of the ordinary are clams casino, $8.95, and jumbo shrimp cocktail.

Other sundry choices include mixed olives, $1, a basket of house bread, $1.35, or grilled spiced jumbo shrimp on baby greens, $1.75 each.

We tried the Korean pancakes, $4.50, a very interesting grilled garlic and bean concoction, served with a tart dipping sauce. An order of hashed browns,$3.50, seemed like an odd choice for a starter but was very good, with generous portions of blue cheese and chedder mixed in with the shredded potato. These might have been perfect had they been a little crisper.

The specialties section of the menu includes some of the most interesting opportunities, including grilled scallops with orange ginger soy sauce on a be dof baby greens, $7.95, Chinese noodles with jumbo shrimp or chicken breast, knockwurst with sauerkraut, London broil over house bread with a mushroom sauce, $8.95, or crab and back bean cake,$4.95.

We sampled the barbecued meatloaf, $6.95, which was delightful, juicy and flavorful. Oddly, it was presented in a big pocket of tin foil which we would have preferred to see left in the kitchen.

A highlight of the dinner was an order of extra rare salmon, $7.95, served with a small watercress salad. Lightly grilled, it was a generous sized portion and, as advertised, just lightly grilled, crisp outside and very rare. It was served with a small, maybe a bit too small, dollop of wasabi on the side.

Even on the light, bar-sized portions, we were pretty full at the end of the evening but still made room for an order of bread pudding, selected from a long list of daily, homemade dessert specials. This was an enormous serving of moist and creamy cake topped with a light raspberry sauce and whipped cream. The coffee was also fresh and delicious.

The bar lounge is relatively small, and I suspect the few tables and barstools will fill up quickly on weekends and busy summer nights. But on the night we visted, the dining room seemed as busy as ever, and it looks like Noah’s will have trouble filling and feeding both sides of the growing ark.