Wooden planks found on Craigslist run diagonally beneath the feet of Adam Gazzola and Nick Dowling, who is using a power drill to piece together a bar top behind the papered-over storefront at 454 High St. in West Medford Square.

Within a few weeks, Gazzola and Dowling will open Snappy Patty�s, a restaurant/bar that Dowling says will dish "upscale, contemporary American food."

"I hate to use the word �fine dining� because it falls on deaf ears," Dowling says.

Don�t think fancy � "simple, good food," Dowling adds � but do prepare to hear all there is to know about your dish.

Like the wood planks they turned into Snappy Patty�s floor, Gazzola and Dowling will know the origin of every ingredient served.

"We want to draw people in with a fun, inviting atmosphere, but at the same time have them walking out the door with the knowledge of what is sustainable and good for you," says Dowling, formerly chef de cuisine at Boston�s Franklin Cafe. "Our entrees are going to be a little on the healthier side � we�re not going to have cream sauces and stuff like that."

Seafood from Red�s Best, a seafood dealer on Boston�s Fish Pier, will headline a four or five-item entr�e menu Dowling plans to rotate based on season and availability of ingredients. Entr�es will average about $20.

Those with smaller appetites won�t have to forfeit quality � Dowling and Gazzola, a seasoned Boston restaurateur, are crafting a creative list of appetizers that will include a hit from Dowling�s previous gig (and the restaurant�s namesake): the snappy patty.

"The patty melt sliders, I had them on the Franklin menu as kind of a fun appetizer � that�s where that came from," Dowling says of the restaurant�s name. "They�re little loaves of bread�"

Gazzola interjects: "People love them."

"�they sold like crazy," Dowling continues. "They were such a hit, I knew I had to do something with them."

Like the rest of the menu, the patties will be made from scratch and sourced locally, free of hormones and antibiotics. Dowling even makes the bread for the patties � "a mix between brioche and challah," he says � which will cost about $6 for three and come in varieties, including horseradish bacon and jalapeno.

The item is a carryover, but its name is new, born while doodling for the restaurant�s logo.

"He drew the picture on the sign and I said, �That�s pretty snappy � that�s a snappy patty!�" Gazzola says. "It just fell out."

Dowling, originally from Dorchester, and Gazzola met about four years ago while working at a restaurant in Boston. While each was growing increasingly frustrated about having to explain how to cook certain dishes to mostly apathetic co-workers, they turned more and more to each other.

"As time went on, he and I got this relationship where he could talk food and he wouldn�t have to spend 15 minutes on the cooking process," Gazzola says.

The duo has spent almost two years preparing to open Snappy Patty�s, and their fingerprints are all over the space, including the few dozen seats they refurbished from utility grade materials. Gazzola and Dowling also had the ceiling raised from 8 to 17 feet and mounted a narrow counter on the restaurant�s left wall, where guests can stand for a snack and drink, such as a craft beer, wine or liqueur.

"It�s a neighborhood eatery," Gazzola says. "This is going to be the place where, if you lived around the corner, you would stop in this place at least every two days."

Gazzola adds Snappy Patty�s will offer weekend brunch and he�s also looking to bring in performers to play guitar or other types of music.

Headlining at Snappy Patty�s, though, will be the food and the service, which Gazzola took seriously at previous waiting jobs.

"I would have people who I might have not seen in a month, and they can walk in and I know right away, �You�re an ice tea, double lemon, raw sugar and your husband is a Sam Adams,�" Gazzola says. "And he does two pints. And after your ice tea, you move to chardonnay after your salad is done.� And you don�t even have to tell me � it�s just coming."

Adds Dowling: "It�s educating your servers and having an educated wait staff that is into it too. If you�re not passionate about food, you�re not going to serve people food here."

Dowling and Gazzola aren�t expecting their guests to know as much about food as they do. But they are counting on curious customers, a group they say is growing.

"That�s riding the trend right now," Dowling says. "People want to know more about their food. And people care more now more than ever about where they�re food is coming from, and that�s great."

Dowling and Gazzola hope to open Snappy Patty�s by the end of the month, once city inspections are complete.