Lively, upbeat music, a mouthwatering menu and smiling servers greeted me, a skeptical vegetarian, when I ambled into Sauce on the Side’s St. Louis location for dinner on a Friday night.

Not only am I vegetarian, but I am also a self-proclaimed “comfortable” eater — I consume only what my skittish tastebuds deem safe. Consequently, Sauce on the Side’s menu at first daunted me. It consists solely of salads, a multitude of dipping sauces and a variety of calzones, which I had never before encountered.

Even so, I took a leap of faith and hesitantly ordered the restaurant’s garden calzone with two dipping sauces: garlic butter and the classic marinara.

The dish did not disappoint.

Sauce on the Side’s chefs thought of everything. My food was just the right temperature for eating, obviously cooled thoughtfully. The sautéed veggies — eggplant, spinach, white onions and snow peas — melded perfectly with the flavors of whole roasted garlic cloves, garlic oil and melted ricotta and mozzarella. A squishy and delectably tangy bread encased it all.

I dipped each bite of the calzone into one of the sauces, alternating between the garlic butter and marinara. They made the already-delicious carbohydrate masterpiece even better. The garlic butter, sleek in texture and pungent in flavor, diffused deliciously into the calzone. The marinara, while slightly spicy, gave the dish a classic pizza feeling.

I washed it all down with a glass of ice-cold water that somehow magnificently excluded ice; the service at the restaurant was impeccable. My amiable waiter asked my preference on the matter of ice, and he even replied “my pleasure” as opposed to the distant “no problem” when I thanked him. Although the place was packed, it was adequately staffed and my table was never neglected, always accommodated.

Sauce on the Side’s welcoming atmosphere, exceptional service and scrumptious food made the $9.50 (plus tip) I paid for the experience well worth it. My only regret is that I was too full for dessert.