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ASHEBORO — Chef-proprietor Timothy Barbrey, a Randleman native, graduated from the culinary program at GTCC 16 years ago and then worked with Steve Schneider, his mentor, at Marisol in Greensboro. French techniques with American ingredients — from North Carolina when practical — characterize his style.

After several years occupying a small space in a strip mall, Chef Barbrey has moved Timothy's Fine Dining to a reconstructed old mill adjacent to the Farmer’s Market. The interior is framed in the original brick walls, an old wood ceiling overhead. A sofa bar flanks the entryway.

The menu combines a couple of casual items with more serious fine-dining selections.

My party began one evening with Toasted Flatbread ($7), spinach pesto and tomato basil mozzarella topped with Parmesan cheese on a thin crust that generates quality flavor of its own.

A Kobe Beef Burger ($10) exhibits deep flavor from exceptional beef, extended with caramelized onion, cheddar cheese and Dijon mustard on a toasted Kaiser roll. Spring mix lettuces and a ripe tomato slice lend superior flavor. Crisp shoestring fries taste fresh-cut, generating real potato flavor. This is one of our area’s best burgers.

If you are sensitive to salt, as I am, I would suggest ordering entrees without any, then adding some (if you wish) at the table. Absent salt, two dishes earn praise. Grilled chicken, tender shrimp, prosciutto, plus a little spinach join Penne Pasta ($21) in Parmesan cream broth. Roasted Halibut ($22) bears a basil pesto crust, which blends well with the natural fresh flavor of the fish. Tender sauteed rock shrimp and garlic butter white wine broth complement the natural fish flavor well. Replacements, sans salt, were easily acquired.

Half Duck ($22), soft and tender, is especially flavorful — slow-roasted in an Asian treatment, glazed with orange and ginger.

Grouper ($21) bears a crusty exterior from pan-searing. It is finished in the oven, yielding a tender, moist interior. Sauteed rock shrimp complete the presentation, all resting in a white wine and garlic butter broth. Grilled Salmon ($21) produces mild flavor, but the exterior is perfectly seared, creating excellent texture on first bite, treated with a sweetish barbecue glaze, a pickled cucumber-basil relish alongside.

Entree price includes green vegetables — haricot vert or grilled asparagus — plus potatoes au gratin, establishing a well-rounded conception.

Desserts, all prepared in house, cost $6. Chocolate Souffle is concocted without flour, producing a rich, creamy, decadent result. Dried Cherry and Butterscotch Pecan Pie is sweet and syrupy, under a crisp pecan crust — a great rendition.

Personnel who handled our table did not seem to have experience with wine service, but orders were accurately filled, deliveries well paced.

The pleasant drive to Asheboro makes Timothy’s a solid recommendation for Greensboro, as well as southern Piedmont readers.

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 25 years. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420, or send e-mail to john.e.batchelor@gmail.com. To find his recent columns, visit GoTriad.com.