By contrast to the sophisticated-but-casual atmosphere of the Summer Shack, Paragon at Foxwoods strives to be the glitzy upscale sort of place that Tony would take Carmela to on a special Sopranos’ night out.

For whatever reason — the economy or changing taste — such places seem to be having difficulty filling seats these days. On the Friday night we visited, which was the day after Valentine’s Day, the casino’s most prestigious gourmet restaurant was empty, except for us and one other couple, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. This despite the fact that reservations were strongly advised.

The ghostly quiet atmosphere permitted us to enjoy the sunset over the rolling woods of the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation all by ourselves, as well as the full attention of our servers, who were excellent. They managed not to make it obvious that ours was their only table, and gave us good suggestions as to what to order.

Unfortunately, one of the things I always notice at a restaurant is the bread. How hard is it to supply warm fresh rolls and softened butter?

In this case, we were served stale, hard, cold rolls.

We also were surprised at the limited wine list, with small representation from regions other than California, though we were happy with our choice of a B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon — for a whopping $26 a glass.

Prices are sky-high at Paragon, which is located on the 24th floor of the Grand Pequot Tower Hotel. We passed on both a Kobe beef special that topped $150 for an entrée serving and the caviar appetizers “elaborately presented” for $200 to $275.

As it was, an American Kobe rib-eye steak at $85 was tender and cooked to order, with spoonfuls of sharp mustard and caramelized onions on top but with no other accompaniment. But the Delmonico potatoes my companion ordered as a side ($10) were a disappointment, flavorless and undercooked. We each took only a bite and left the rest, a fact that our waiter didn’t comment on.

I selected an appetizer as my meal: Muscovy Duck Breast ($14). It was served on a fried potato cake with an interesting combination of apples and smoked bacon in a gastrique sauce — very good, although the duck itself was a little tough. Of the desserts, I found a chocolate lava cake ($12) and goat cheese apple tart ($12) tasty endings, the goat cheese especially an interesting and successful play between sweet and sour.

kimbrie@projo.com