Heart Warming Regional Fare

PARIS - When I moved to Paris 20 years ago, southwestern French was all the rage. You could hardly eat out three nights in a row without facing cassoulet or confit de canard on at least two of those outings. Over the years, Provencal and Mediterranean cuisine took over, leaving all that duck, goose and foie gras in the dust.

Helene Darroze, last seen at her restaurant in Villeneuve-de-Marsan in the Landes in southwestern France, is about to change all that. In her elegant new quarters in the heart of the Left Bank, she is wooing us with a modern, updated version of those regional classics. Like most fine female cooks, she offers more than just a sheer technical rendering of ingredients. She has a point of view, her food has depth, a definite warmth.

Two recent visits to her restaurant - still under construction yet open nonetheless since Oct. 15 - proved that she has talent and, hopefully, staying power in this fickle dining world. I can't say I would have chosen the decor - a lot of heavy reds and purples - but I agree with her choice of china, the quirky white intentionally misshapen cups and plates from Tse & Tse Associees - actually two Parisian designers, Catherine Levy and Sigolene Prebois, who have taken the city by storm with their modern designs.

Darroze, 32, has transported many of the dishes that won her a single Michelin star in the now defunct restaurant in Villeneuve-de-Marsan, including farm-raised pork prepared in three different ways and numerous foie gras preparations. Probably the most delicious dish on the menu is her heart-warming l'escaoutoun landaise, a polenta-like creation prepared with the local corn meal, laced with rich portions of Basque sheep's milk cheese, layered with both sauteed cepe and finely sliced raw cepes, all enriched with an extraordinary reduced chicken stock. I could easily sample this every night of the week, accompanied by one of her wine cellar's well-chosen and well-priced treasures, such as Alain Brumont's powerful Madiran Domaine de Bouscasse. The 1995 is priced at 150 francs. Equally delicious was one evening's appetizer, a creamy flan of foie gras topped with freshly grilled cepes.

A first-course cold white bean soup - prepared with haricots mais from the Bearn - had great depth of flavor. It was teamed up with crushed brandade and the just slightly spicy Basque red peppers, pimientos del piquillo. tasting the foie gras The results of a sampling of duck and goose foie gras - presented so one can compare the two - leaned heavily toward the duck version, much better seasoned and smoother in texture.

With the foie gras, the sommelier wisely suggested Claude Loustalot's Jurancon Sec, Domaine de Bru Bache, Cuvee des Casterrasses, the 1997 well-priced at 145 francs. Darroze continues to woo with a lovely farm-fresh roasted chicken with cepes stuffed beneath the skin, as well as a fine portion of roasted Pauillac lamb, served with its array of organ meats, including brains, sweetbreads and liver.

The pork comes in three services and includes an extraordinary layered portion of blood pudding, chestnuts and apples; a calf's foot stuffed with black truffles, and crusty grilled spare ribs seasoned with the incomparable, just ever so spicy Basque pepper, piment d'Espelette. - IWAS less excited about the desserts: Why use Granny Smith apples this time of year, when the reine de reinettes and boskoop have so much more character? Also, despite the fact that the Paris markets are full of beautiful purple figs from the famed Sollies, I find them just too bland and past their prime. Service, to date, has been exceptional, although on both visits the restaurant was sparsely populated.

Come November, Darroze will offer a main floor table d'hote - dinner served at a stated hour and at a fixed price - offering, you guessed it, cassoulet and confit. Restaurant

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Helene Darroze
4 rue d'Assas
Paris 75006
Tel: 01-42-22-00-11
Fax:01-47-22-25-40
Closed Saturday lunch and all day Sunday.
Open noon-2:30 P.M. and 7:30 P.M.-10:30 P.M. Lunch menu 240 francs, dinner menu 580 francs. A la carte about 350 francs. Credit cards: Visa, American Express.

Languedoc's Full Flavors

SAINT-GUIRAUD, France - When traveling, few events are more exciting or rewarding than the discovery of a restaurant that seems to fit one's ideal: crisply beautiful and carefully thought-out surroundings, a calm, gentle welcome, a menu full of one's favorite seasonal fare, from artichokes to asparagus, those Lilliputian Mediterranean clams known as tellines and newly pressed olive oil from the meaty green verdale olive of the Languedoc.

Add to this a wine list that gathers up the greats of France's up-and-coming wine region, the Languedoc-Roussillon, and you have a thoroughly charming place well worth the detour.

But the best part of all is the attentive pair that showers all their love on their little Le Mimosa, Bridget and David Pugh. The couple - he is English and she comes from New Zealand - has been perfecting their little jewel since 1985, when she traded her dance shoes from the Norwegian National Ballet for cook's clogs and he swapped his violin for a corkscrew.

Le Mimosa is an ocher-stone, restored medieval home lovingly decorated with local antiques and selections from the couple's art collection. All is set at the top of a village surrounded by spectacular views and well-tended vines, and it is here that the Pughs offer a solid, simple, full-flavored menu.

On a visit on May, I loved the well-ordered starter of puff pastry topped with fresh green asparagus, warm, tender goat cheese and the freshest of tiny tomatoes, warmed just to a melt and drizzled with olive oil. Like Bridget herself, the dish is graceful and soft-spoken, seemingly fragile yet loaded with power. She is sure of herself, and your palate will verify that. She urges, coaxes ingredients to give of themselves, until they speak clearly and distinctly of their own intensity.

artful blends I felt the same way about her brilliant combination of artichokes, grilled almonds and zest of lemon confit, all marinated in a fragrant, thyme-scented honey. Her food is ingredient-driven, and I'd feel safe with her behind the wheel any day.

Other regular specials might include tangles of spaghetti laced with tellines; a meaty saddle of rabbit stuffed with pistachios and sage; or a farm-raised lamb from the Herault roasted with farigoule, or wild thyme, and the precious, delicate fleur de sel from the Camargue.

When it comes to wine, David will give you an equally authoritative lead. Among my favorites in his cellar are Domaine Tempier's renowned rosé from Bandol; any of the ripe and densely flavored creations from Domaine d'Aupilhac; and the well-structured reds and floral whites from Gilbert Alquier et Fils, in Faugeres. Most wines are well priced, generally 120 to 180 francs (about $20 to $30), and there is a worthy and welcoming selection available by the glass.

In 1996 the Pughs opened an equally charming hotel, Ostalaria Cardabela, in the picture postcard village of Saint-Saturnin-de-Lucian, just a few minutes' drive from the restaurant.

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Le Mimosa

34725 Saint-Guiraud
(7.5 kilometers north of Clermont l'Herault, about 50 kilometers north of Montpellier)
Tel: 04-67-96-67-96
Fax: 04-67-96-61-15

Closed November through February, and Sunday evening (except July and August) and Monday. Credit card: Visa. Menus at 190 and 290 francs, with optional wine-pairing selection for 145 francs. A la carte, 350 to 450 francs.

Hotel Ostalaria Cardabela

10 Place de la Fontaine
Saint-Saturnin-deLucian
(10 kilometers north of Clermont l'Herault)
Tel: 04-67-88-62-62
Fax: 04-67-88-62-82

Silken Blend of Summer Flavors

NEW YORK - Two years after his splash opening in the glitzy Trump Hotel at the edge of Central Park, Jean Georges Vongerichten has shown the town he has the stuff. On a recent visit on a soggy, humid, stormy, heavy evening in Manhattan, his food was able to lift spirits and lighten bodies with an ethereal, magical touch.

When I think of some New York chefs, such as Daniel Bouloud, I think of stainless steel and sturdiness, toughness, tightly wound discipline. With Vongerichten I think silk and linen, summer breeze. As one of the forerunners of fusion cuisine - a merging of Asian and Western flavors - he does it as only a modern Frenchman can: with a gentle hand and not with a message that hits you over the head.

This time I dined in the Jean Georges café, Nougatine, adjacent to the elegant, modern high-class dining room. Here, one orders from the main dining room's menu, and the summer offerings are peppered with light, warm-weather flavors and such favorite ingredients as green asparagus and morels, summer Provençal truffles, peeketoe crab, black sea bass and Maine char.

But perhaps my favorite dish of the tasting menu was a brilliant ''marjolaine'' of foie gras and almonds, a takeoff of the chocolate dessert classic, in which smooth, silken foie gras is layered with sweet, crisp layers of almond cookies, flanked by a trio of crunchy fresh white almonds right off the trees of California. A side consommé of gelatinous chicken broth flavored with the famed sweet vin de paille from the Jura served as a fine, juxtaposing, tonic. Paired with a sweet white Bonnezeaux from the Loire Valley the dish serves as a lovely, modern, welcoming palate-opener that remains faithful to French tradition but steps forward just enough to let us know we are nearing the 21st century.

The crayfish salad on a bed of mixed baby greens (tender, flavorful and not tinged with that ''just out of the plastic bag'' flavor) was seasoned with a very Asian and refreshing anise and sesame vinaigrette.

Good fresh black sea bass, sweet and white and gently flaked, is another Vongerichten signature dish, here thickly coated with a crust of hazelnuts, almonds, coriander, sesame seeds and black pepper and set on a bed of baby summer vegetables, including four varieties of tomatoes. A haunting touch of sherry vinegar whisked into a mushroom and tomato broth tied the entire dish together, providing an essential structure.

His tender, pinkish veal chop was laced with sage and bathed in Madeira-spiked pan juices, punctuated with a glazed, welcoming compote of sweet and sour kumquats. The recommended 1983 Chianti Classico Riserva from the vineyards of Monsato was a fine pairing.

Desserts here are presented as jewels, in white square and round plates, making diners feel regal indeed. I adore the idea of a cherry variation - with clafoutis, sorbet, tartare and an updated version of cherries jubilee - but on this visit the delicate, elusive essence of cherries was, alas, uncaptured. But the pastry chef's poached peach with a champagne sabayon did the trick, capturing the sweet, fresh flavor of a whole peach bathed in a lily-white sabayon that gently robed the fruit, offering a sweet-tart counterplay on the tongue. With a soothing cup of lemon verbena tea as a finish, we went out into the stormy night with a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.

While I staunchly believe that one should reserve everywhere, you can usually walk in unannounced and find a table most weekdays at Nougatine.

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Nougatine, café of restaurant Jean Georges

Trump International Hotel
1 Central Park West
New York.
Tel: (212) 299-3900
Fax: (212) 299-3914

Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with average prices, respectively, $15, $35 and $55, including service but not wine.

A Creative Chef, Pure and Simple

PARIS - Christian Le Squer was born in a coastal village in Brittany in 1962, and first set foot in Paris at the age of 20, when he came to cook in a popular Right Bank restaurant. Since then, the 36-year-old has passed through such august kitchens as Lucas-Carton and Taillevent, and two years ago won two Michelin stars while at the helm of the Grand Hotel Inter-Continental's Restaurant Opera. Early this year, he took over the reins of Ledoyen, one of those Champs-Elysees palaces that seem to bend in the wind: in and chic one moment, out and forgotten the next.

Ledoyen is on the upward curve (retaining its two Michelin stars this year, despite a change of chefs) and Le Squer might be considered among the ''typical'' up-and-coming Parisian chefs of the decade. His message is clear: The ingredient is king; food should be creative and surprising but easy to understand. - Living Day by Day Unlike most chefs of the previous generation - the Robuchons and Savoys, the Rostangs and the Dutourniers - he does not own his own restaurant.

Like some of the best of his peers - Frederic Anton at Le Pre Catelan, Philippe Braun at Laurent, Alain Soliveres at Les Elysees du Vernet - he sees it as an advantage. Le Squer's employer is none other than Vivendi (the French conglomerate with such properties as the Michelin three-star Alain Ducasse and the two-star L'Astor) and, as he says, ''We are not going to work in the same place from the age of 40 until retirement.

We live day by day.'' His take on grand modern French cuisine is that it's too evolved, needs too many people to do it right, and demands too much labor. (With 42 in the kitchen, doing 450 covers a day, he knows what he is talking about.) He also bemoans the fact that the generation just after him no longer tolerates restaurants' punishing hours.

Rare is the day off and, when it comes, it's spent catching up on the week's lost sleep. So his modern message is to keep it pure and keep it simple. A recent lunch in this butter-yellow mansion on the edge of the Champs-Elysees proved that his mind moves in the direction we want to go today: Gigantic and yet flavorful Provencal green asparagus was paired with huge fresh morels, a marriage of the woods and the garden, grass green and monk's robe brown, bathed in an acidulated sauce.

His take on the meaty, manly veal knuckle, a long-braised jarret de veau, also had a welcome modern translation, for the avalanche of vegetables that accompanied the meat as a garnish - of fresh fava beans, asparagus, Swiss chard and tomatoes - seemed more like the main dish than the meat. His signature dish - a tangle of giant langoustines from Brittany, two of them simply seasoned with a blend of coriander, fennel and star anise and pan-fried in olive oil, and another pair rolled in an herb-filled kadaif (the fine Greek pasta that looks like shredded wheat) and seared crisp - comes on like a fresh Atlantic breeze.

Desserts here are a delight, including paper-thin wafers filled with lemon cream and served with lemon ice cream, as well as some of the most delicious babas in town.

You have not heard the last of Le Squer. Look for more to come from this flower-filled Right Bank palace.

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Ledoyen

Carre des Champs Elysees
1 Avenue Dutuit
Paris 75008

Tel: 01-53-05-10-01.
Fax: 01-47-42-55-01.
Closed Saturday, Sunday, and August. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. Menus at 320 (lunch only) and 620 francs. A la carte, 800 to 1,000 francs, not including wine.

A Taste of Provence From a Rising Star

Maturity and confidence are great traits to witness anytime, anywhere. Even better when you happen to be on the receiving end, and the talented person happens to be a chef. Flora Mikula - certainly one of the rising stars of modern French cuisine -shines with clear brilliance, with a newly decorated Left Bank restaurant and more verve and stamina than ever.

Unquestionably, she is among the most talented female chefs in Paris, and in all of France. When Mikula speaks, her broad, expressive face lights up like an unfurling flower, and you can see, feel, taste that energy and enthusiasm with every dish, every bite of her authentic, Provencal-inspired cuisine.

Wisely, she has invested time in kitchens in her native Provence, in London and New York before making her way into the kitchen of Alain Passard's Arpege. On her own for the past three years, she is now showing at Les Olivades that she, too, has what it takes.

Right now, everything from meaty clams to her signature confit of quail,
to sweet farm-raised pork to original pots de creme grace her original, tantalizing menu. If you haven't already tried Mikula's caille confite, plump quail simmered to moist tenderness in bath of extra-virgin olive oil (rather than the traditional goose or duck fat of France's southwest), by all means go for it.

On a recent night, she paired the quail with tiny cubes of green apples
for a hint of acid, a showering of freshly toasted pine nuts for crunch and an almost smoky essence, all accented by an ever so faint touch of black truffle oil.

It would be nearly impossible to improve upon her almond-infused amandes gratinees, meaty clams (known as almonds of the sea) dotted with finely ground almonds and grilled to a warm tenderness. A hint of fresh coriander expanded the impact of the shellfish-almond duo, while a mix of mushrooms, onions and spinach (a modern approach to a la grecque) softened the flavors and added a garden-fresh edge.

Spare-rib lovers should adore her approach to an American favorite, with her travers de cochon fermier roti au miel et aux epices, unfatty ribs so meaty, chewy and tender, bathed in a sweet glistening sauce of honey and spices, so shiny you want to don ice skates and go for a spin.

Horn of plenty Desserts are full of hope and promise, with an original
and welcome corne d'abondance, a horn-of-plenty pastry cone filled strawberries and rhubarb and teamed up with a fine cinnamon ice cream.

Equally delicious was the pots de creme duo, one with a bright, licorice-rich anise flavor and the other infused with the flavors of rosemary and thyme. Fresh-from-the-oven madeleines and Bordeaux-inspired vanilla muffins, or canneles, won hearts and warmed spirits.

Other specialties to look forward to here include goat's cheese from
Mikula's native Nimes - picodon - aged in olive oil and perfumed with wild herbs; tender roasted baby lamb; breast of guinea hen with olives and polenta, and a well-priced regional wine list.

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Les Olivades,
41 Avenue de Segur,
Paris 7
Telephone 01-47-83-70-09, fax: 01-42-73-04-75.
Credit cards: American Express, Mastercard, Visa. Closed Saturday lunch, all day Sunday, Monday lunch and two weeks in August. Menus at 179 and 250 francs ($30 and $38); a la carte, 250 francs; lunch menu at 130 francs.

Back to Basics: The Paris Bistro

PARIS - Paris is full of those funky old bistros, with weird names like Le Buisson Ardent (the Burning Bush) and the sort of decor your great-grandmother might have created - wagon-wheel chandeliers, dusty murals of unexplained bucolic scenes and walls that are repainted every decade or so in classic eggshell tones.

One by one, these old spots - many of which lost their appeal as well as their clientele years ago - are being renewed in spirit but not in decor.

And I am all for that. One of the more successful is Le Buisson Ardent, one of a series of 1940s neighborhood bistros along what was then the wholesale wine market and is today the horror of modern architecture, the Jussieu university.

New owners - the Duclos brothers, Francois in the dining room and Philippe at the stove - have breathed new life into the Left Bank spot, which has managed to retain a village-like charm, with high ceilings, square-tiled floors and classic Thonet chairs.

With a line-up of dishes that are modern and creative, a bargain 90-franc ($15) menu at lunch and a 160-franc menu at lunch or dinner, they are sure to win.

Starters include warm goat cheese and ham wrapped in pastry, all set on a bed of julienned vegetables, followed by such classics as onglet de veau, deliciously chewy veal flank
steak, served with a sadly undercooked potato cake wrapped in bacon, and an excellent version of braised souris d'agneau, that meaty muscle attached to the tip of the bone of the leg of lamb.

Other tempting creations include roast chicken with buttery lentils; crab ravioli floating in a lemongrass broth, and roast suckling pig with seared foie gras. The wine list could use
some attention (our Beaujolais Moulin a Vent was drinkable, but no more), and the chef gets a bravo for attempting homemade bread, but it's anemic and needs great help.

It's the sort of place you would probably not wander into on your own, one of those nondescript cafes on a quiet side street. But take another look and you'll see that Le Mauzac is bursting at the seams with a faithful clientele that will follow the owners, Christine and Jean-Michel Delhoume, anywhere.

They once ran Les Pipos wine bar nearby. In one corner, a fat golden mongrel snoozes on the floor. In another, a hat rack tumbles over, burdened with the weight of winter. Men sit alone with their ballons de rouge and a platter of sausages, while a child sits at the bar doing his homework.

It's a pure 5th arrondissement neighborhood scene, and everyone who's here knows exactly what they want that day. Most don't even bother with a menu, since they came for the fat and juicy onglet de boeuf, beef flank steak, teamed up with you-can't-stop-eating-them frites, or the Friday specials of sauteed crevettes and a mound of deep-fried salt cod.

Another good bet might be the first-course platter of museau de porc, headcheese, sliced paper thin and topped with marinated onions and a puckery vinaigrette. On my last visit, I adored the filet mignon de porc, excellent pork tenderloin bathed in a creamy mustard sauce. The wine list is ever-changing, so it is best to check out the list at the bar before you settle down. Some good bets include Rhone
offerings from Corrine Couturier at Rabasse-Charavin, or Marcel Richaud in Cairanne. In good weather, the terrace is a fine place for lunch, along the tree-lined Rue de l'Abbe de
l'Epee.

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Le Buisson Ardent, 25 Rue Jussieu, Paris 5; tel: 01-43-54-93-02; fax: 01-46-33-34-77. Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday, the month of August and one week at Christmas. Credit cards: Visa, American Express. 90-franc lunch menu, 160-franc dinner menu. A la carte, 220 to 230
francs, including service and wine. -

Le Mauzac, 7 Rue de l'Abbe de l'Epee, Paris 5; tel: 01-46-33-75-22. Closed Saturday for dinner, Sunday and three weeks in August. Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club. A la carte, 150 to 180 francs, including service but not wine.

A Disappointing Search for the Perfect Fish

PARIS - Say ''fish restaurant'' and I'll be the first to get in line at the door.

So the second my calendar was clear, I reserved a table at the city's newest restaurant devoted to the fruits of the sea,
Aristippe.

Nestled not far from the Palais Royal, this 40-seat restaurant is an all-white affair, greeting you with a welcoming entry that reminds you of a clean, white front porch in the country.

Unfortunately, the second I stepped inside I was hit not by a fresh sea breeze but a stale, stagnant, fishy odor. And the evening pretty much went downhill from there.

Gilles Le Galles, last seen cooking at La Barriere de Clichy just outside Paris, has received a warm and positive response from the French press, an enthusiasm I simply cannot share.

Service at Aristippe - named for the Greek philosopher Aristippus, who maintained that people should devote their lives to the pursuit of pleasure - was slow as slow can be. Waiters seemed to have no training (except in how to ignore diners), and the food was universally boring, uninventive, stuck in the mud.

The most disappointing dish of the evening was named for one of France's greatest and most inventive fish chefs, Gilbert Le Coze, who died in 1994. With his sister, Maguy, he lit up the Paris food world in the 1980s at the popular fish restaurant Le Bernardin, which set new standards for freshness and simplicity.

Le Galles's version of Le Coze's langoustines roties was dull and faded, a meager serving of langoustines seared in their shells and bathed in a ho-hum sauce. (I dearly wanted to march into the kitchen and say to the chef: ''I knew Gilbert Le Coze. And you are no Gilbert Le Coze.'')

Equally drab was the main-course blanquette de lotte, not much more than a dreary portion of monkfish in a creamed sauce, topped with a slice of grilled bacon and a mound of
basmati rice. Likewise, the turbot (nicely paired with salsify, a most under-utilized winter vegetable) could have been any white fish, it was so lacking in personality.

If I had made the dull tarte fine aux pommes - thin apple tart - I would have thrown it in the garbage and gone back to the pastry board. The pastry had all the flavor of a piece of cardboard and the fruit lacked that delicious winter acidity that France's best apples supply.

The only redeeming quality came from Domaine Mardon's flinty white Quincy - a Sauvignon blanc with a smoky, spicy nose - well priced here at 95 francs (about $16) a bottle -

This is not a good moment for fish. Sushi lovers will not be happy after a trip to the new and trendy Lo Sushi, one of the chic and modern restaurants in the neighborhood of the
Champs-Elysees.

Oh how I wish it were better, for the lively, beautiful spot - designed by Andree Putman with its conveyor belt of sushi at the bar, multimedia screens clicking away, pastel-colored saucers to denote the price of each dish, and cheery waitresses - could be just what the doctor ordered. Alas, the sashimi was bland, while the rounds of rice-filled
sushi just made it to the edible mark.

Best bets here were anything filled with a touch of rich mayonnaise or sweet, ripe avocado. The cold sake was insipid. But the spot is so popular that the doorman (who, I'm sorry, more resembles a bouncer) turns hordes away. For this, you have to reserve days in advance?

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Aristippe, 8 Rue
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Paris 1;
tel: 01-42-60-08-80; fax: 01-42-60-11-13. Credit cards: Visa, Amex. Closed
Saturday lunch, Sunday and two weeks in August. 170-franc lunch menu;
220-franc tasting menu. A la
carte, 175 to 245 francs, including service but not wine. Lo

Sushi, 8 Rue
de Berri, Paris 8; tel: 01 45-62-01-00; fax: 01-45-62-01-10. Credit cards:
Visa, Amex, Mastercard. 15 to 40
francs a plate. About 150 to 250 francs a person, including beverages.

A Warm Paris Bistro Offers Soothing Fare

PARIS - Lovers of those old-fashioned Parisian family bistros should rush right over to Chez Catherine, a most classic 1930s bistro, where the welcome is warm, the food is satisfying and the wine list is sure to cheer on the grayest of Parisian days.

The chef is Catherine Guerraz, a tidy young woman raised in a restaurant family in France's southwest. Along with her gentle, outgoing husband, Frederic, she runs a fine traditional restaurant, with a colorful copper bar and walls filled with Art Deco mirrors, colorful patchwork tile floors and bric-a-brac.

On my most recent visit, I feasted on what is one of the city's best and freshest versions of sole meuniere, a giant whole sole dusted with flour and browned in sweet butter. Priced at 125 francs, this is a bargain worth the detour on its own.

But don't stop there: Try the steaming platter of warming pasta, tiny ravioles bathed in cream, tossed with mushrooms and a touch of crisp bacon.

Equally excellent is her cassoulet, here prepared with soothing white beans, chunks of sausage and earthy portions of duck confit.

Lovers of the tiny fish known as eperlans, or smelt, will happily devour the gargantuan platter of deep-fried fish that arrives hot from the kitchen, needing no more than a sprinkling of fine sea salt and a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice. I loved, as well, the soothing rabbit terrine, or compote de lapin, compact, full-flavored and fresh.

Situated on a drab little street lost behind the Galeries Lafayette department store, Chez Catherine caters to a well-heeled and cheery French clientele. They happily chat across tables, advising newcomers on what's best on the compact menu.

The wine list is brief, with some reds and whites worth discovering: Try the 1996 Cotes du Rhone Chateau d'Hugues, a ruby-red blend that's well priced at 145 francs a bottle.

We did not order the double-thick pan-fried steak served with its mind-boggling mountain of fries, but it is on my list for the next dinner at Chez Catherine, which will be very soon.

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Chez Catherine, 65 rue de Provence, Paris 9; tel: 01-45-26-72-88. Credit card: Visa, MasterCard. Closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday evening. A la carte, 200 to 250 francs (about $33 to $42)

In the Garden of the Senses - Twin Chefs in Montpellier Blend the Modern and Traditional

MONTPELLIER, France - They are known as les Freres Pourcel, twin brothers who shook the French food world just a year ago as they captured the coveted third Michelin star for their modern, personalized restaurant on the outskirts of this southern city.

Along with their partner-maitre d'hotel-sommelier, Olivier Chateau, theylike to joke that they now have a star for each one of them.

The Pourcel story is a familiar French one. The twins Jacques and Laurent, sons of a local winemaker, grew up with a passion for the food that marries with the rich and heady local wines. As a double tour de force, they spread their wings around the country, Laurent apprenticing to such top French chefs as Michel Bras and Alain Chapel, and Jacques working under the tutelage of Michel Trama, Marc Meneau and Pierre Gagnaire. They opened their own restaurant, Le Jardin des Sens, in Montpellier in 1988 and seem never to have looked back.

Their restaurant-hotel matches their cuisine, with a look distinctly contemporary (the architect, Bruno Borrione, is known for his work at New York's Paramount and Royalton hotels) and a cuisine that intelligently blends tradition with modernity.

Be warned: The place is very hard to find, even for one with a good sense of direction and all the Michelin literature. (Internet users may visit the restaurant Web site - www.relaischateaux.fr - and print out a map.) - Vast, Tiered Dining Room Once you find it, you will enter into a garden of the senses: The vast

tiered dining room overlooks a garden in progress, with a 400-year-old olive tree, fruit trees and vines. Everywhere, from the Porthault linens to the Bernardaud china, you see that they have determined to do it right. My only complaints: prefer a more classic look and find the huge room more of a theater set than a dining room.

I also missed a female presence, one that inevitably lightens and softens what can sometimes be a sobering and off-putting grand three-star experience. The food is a model of modernity, although it is clear that the Pourcels are not about to abandon the great French traditions. Working with the regional larder of Provence and the Languedoc, they have at their disposal fresh oysters, extraordinary sea bass (loup de mer), plump farm pigeons and tender veal.

Their food is complex in ingredients, rich in flavor, but simple to understand: Who could not adore a warming first course of fresh wild cepe mushrooms paired with thin slices of country ham, a tender confit of shallots and garlic, leaves of baby spinach, all bathed in a sauce blending rich meat juices and fragrant walnut oil? Sometimes the combinations are daring, as in bonbons of crusty, deep-fried foie gras served with a sweet-and-sour salad of pears in vanilla and teamed with a salad featuring grilled-rapeseed oil.

Simpler, and so welcoming, is their salad of ''all the season's vegetables, served raw and served cooked'' tossed with a bouquet of herbs in a vinaigrette of olive oil and lemon. The drama continues, with rich filets of young pigeon served atop a sort of Moroccan pastry-wrapped pastilla filled with giblets and seasoned with a touch of curry, all served with pan-seared pears and pigeon juice with a touch of cocoa. And I defy anyone to find fault with the flawless roasted veal chop, simply deglazed with a touch of young garlic, and served with a tiny salad and stuffed Provencal vegetables.

Their food is audacious and architectural, like many of the world's chefs who are filled with that youthful exuberance. But the difference between the Pourcel brothers and those chefs in Sydney or New York is that the twins have training and tradition, a foundation that so many other young chefs lack. Add to this Chateau's extraordinary knowledge of the great wines of the Languedoc, and a good time is assured. - For longtime fans of Pile ou Face in Paris, it was a sad day indeed when they sold the thriving Michelin-starred restaurant three years ago.

Lucky for us, the three restaurateurs - Claude Udron, Alain Dumergue and Philippe Marquet - resurfaced in July on the Mediterranean coast, in Marseillan, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Montpellier. In this quiet seaside village, they opened the charming Chez Philippe, a casual and perfectly appointed bistro with a argain 100-franc ($18) menu.

Since opening day, the ''complet'' sign has been out for lunch and dinner, and reservations a week in advance are not out of order. With chef Sebastien Demeulle at the stove, Chez Philippe offers a choice menu of five starters, five main courses and five desserts, all with an accent on the anguedoc.

With such specialties as the layered vegetable omelette crespeou; eggplant with delicate goat cheese; poached oysters from the Bassin de Thau, and a gratin of mussels cooked in the local Noilly Dry, we have a veritable regional festival. – THE restaurateurs are always searching, for a new local wine, a new local cheese monger, a new local vegetable grower, a new local designer to embellish their already well-tended prize. Go with an eye toward pleasure, and hope that their exuberance, attention to detail and passion for food rubs off.

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– Le Jardin des Sens, 11 Avenue Saint-Lazare, 34000 Montpellier. Tel: 04-67-79-63-38; fax: 04-67-72-13-05. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. Closed Sunday,

Monday lunch and two weeks in January. Menus from 230 to 590 francs (about

$40 to $100). A la carte, 190 to 480, including service but not wine. Chez Philippe, 20 rue de Suffren, 34340 Marseillan. Tel: 04-67-01-70-62. Credit card: Visa. Closed Sunday dinner, Monday and Tuesday. Open for dinner only every night in July and August. Closed in January. 100-franc menu. A la carte, 150 to 170 francs, including wine and service

Winter Fare From 2 Paris Chefs Northern Dishes; A Vegetarian Menu

PARIS - I have followed the career of David Van Laer since the 1980s, when he first surfaced as an eager and impressive young chef at Jean-Pierre Vigato's La Manufacture just outside of Paris.

Three years ago he went off on his own to open Le Bamboche, a pint-sized restaurant that instantly took off, as diners applauded his combination of modern and classical French fare in a cozy Left Bank setting right behind the Bon Marche department store.

A few weeks ago he moved to larger quarters on the Boulevard du Montparnasse, and if a single meal is any sign, Van Laer should continue along his successful path. Considering the time and energy constraints of getting Le axence opened, the new menu differs little from Le Bamboche.

Throughout his career, Van Laer has kept true to his own tastes and origins, all the while weaving into the menu dishes from his native northern France. So chez Van Laer you find updated versions of such classics as the traditional presskoph head cheese (here laced with lobster rather than pork) and waterzooi, a sort of chicken pot-au-feu (here prepared with scallops, or coquilles Saint-Jacques).

Best dishes at a recent dinner included a rustic gratin dish with a rich parmentier de queue de boeuf, or mashed potatoes layered with bits of slowly cooked oxtail that had been shredded, all served with a gentle truffle puree.

He has a fine way with pigeon, and samples of two versions - one on the a la carte menu was served in a pastry-cased tourte and another on the bargain 190-franc menu was simply roasted - prove that this little bird deserves greater exposure. Both preparations showed up the bird's earthy richness and wintry appeal. The tourte was the sort of dish you expect to find on a fine bourgeois table, not a sunny yellow restaurant on Boulevard du Montparnasse: The pigeon has that properly livery, gamy flavor, enhanced by a sauce becasse and a few sips of J.L. Colombo's racy 1997 Syrah La Serine Pointue, a bargain at 150 francs.

Another good bet was the first course platter of ravioles (tiny raviolis) stuffed with shellfish and a fragrant truffle cream, and the lobster presskoph, a humorous and delicious headcheese bathed in an herb-rich vinaigrette. I was less enthused about the frogs' legs fricassee unsuccessfully paired with lentils, garlic cream and snails; and the remoulade of langoustines, which I would not have ordered had I known that the langoustines were raw. (It's a sacrilege to serve them raw, for it is in gentle cooking that the langoustines are allowed to bring out their iodine-rich flavor and soft mellow texture.) As ever, Van Laer's cellar offers some bargains and discoveries, including A. Ostertag's spicy GewŸrztraminer (the 1996 Vignoble d'Epfig at 180 francs), the Perrin brothers' astonishing white Coudelet de Beaucastel (the 1996 at 200 francs); J.L. Colombo's viognier-florah white Rhone Les Figuieres (the 1997 at 170 francs), and Michel Richaud's ripe Cotes du Rhone Cairanne (the 1997 at 120 francs).

The new decor is full of lots of bright sunny golds and terra-cotta, just a hint of the Mediterranean. Go see for yourself. With a bargain 190-franc menu at lunch and dinner, and valet parking to boot, how can you miss? - VEGETARIANS have never been treated very well in this city. Oh, sure, chefs will prepare vegetable-based dishes if you ask, but most of us really don't want to be a bother or stand out from the crowd. Leave it to Mark Williamson to find a way: Each day at his continually evolving restaurant, Maceo, Williamson offers a full-fledged vegetarian menu, with a selection of four first and main course vegetarian dishes. Each dish revolves around what's in the market and in season, so right now the menu is peppered with chestnuts and fennel, beets and dried peas, onions and apples. The newly refurbished main dining room at Maceo has been open since

September, with sparkling wooden floors, gorgeous stained wood panels in rich oak framing the restaurant's original beveled glass mirrors, and clever, modern lighting.

Gone are the old banquettes, dreary and heavy draperies and oppressive, outdated lighting that once were part of the old Le Mercure Galant. Best dishes sampled at a recent lunch include Williamson's fines lamelles de chevre croustillantes aux dattes et noix: a soul-warming phyllo-encased tourte filled with leeks, goat cheese, dates and pine nuts, served with a refreshing little salad of julienned carrots and celery root. Equally appealing was the cannelloni croustillant sur caviar d'aubergines, with phyllo canneloni wrapped around a delicious mushroom stuffing, served with a too-salty eggplant caviar and a topknot of salad. The risotto - a wildly inventive dish that included a parsley puree, mushrooms, snow peas, fava beans and another signature topknot salad - was less convincing. There was plenty of it, but the dish lacked focus, salt and that essential creamy richness of an authentic risotto. Wines, of course, are the main reason to come here. Two wonders include a fresh and refreshing Swiss white, Alain Neyroud's pinot blanc (the 1996 is priced at 240 francs) and a racy young Coteaux du Languedoc from Domaine d'Aupilhac (the 1996 is priced at 130 francs.)

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Le Maxence, 9 bis Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris 6; tel: 01-45-67-24-88; fax 01-45-67-10-22. Closed Saturday lunch and all day Sunday. Credit cards: American Express, Visa. Menus at 190 and 320 francs. A la carte, 325 to 375 francs, including service but not wine. Maceo, 15, rue des Petits-Champs, Paris 1: tel: 01-42-97-53-85; fax: 01-47-03-36-93. Closed Sunday. Credit cards: American Express, Diners, Visa. Vegetarian lunch menu at 180 francs, 220 francs at dinner. Traditional menu 195 francs at lunch, 220 francs at dinner. Prices include service but not wine.

Ducasse IV: A Mixed Bag Questioning the Classics

PARIS - Alain Ducasse, with a total of six Michelin stars to his name, cannot afford to lose. With the recent unveiling of Spoon Food & Wine - his fourth restaurant in France - it is clear that he is on a roll. The man who has attempted to redefine how a grand French chef behaves (he defies the old rule that a chef's place is behind the stove) and to prove how long his arms can stretch (regular flights between his three-star restaurants in Monaco and Paris, with weekend appearances in his retreat at Moustiers, in Provence) is now redefining the modern concept of world food.

When would one ever pronounce in the same breath the words ''luxurious, refined and audacious'' with ''iceberg lettuce, BLT and pastrami on rye''? But they all apply to his newest effort, a small and smart spot right off the increasingly upmarket Champs-Elysées.

Spoon is perhaps France's first truly international restaurant, dipping into French, British, American, Italian, Chinese and Indian cuisine, with a décor that turns heads and, again, attempts to question classic traditions.

Rather than with tablecloths, tables are dressed with cloths that slip into slots, like elegant table runners. Some 70 magazines from around the world are there for guests to read, and notepads and pencils are set at each table to jot down one's thoughts. Along with knives, forks and of course spoons, each diner receives an elegant pair of Christofle bamboo chopsticks, which I never saw anyone use. Although the restaurant advertises a ''free'' second cup of coffee and warm steamed towels at the end of each meal, we were offered neither.

The menu is not organized in a normal first course, main course, cheese and dessert progression. Each section is divided into three columns, allowing diners to mix and match according to the main dish, the sauce, and rice or vegetable accompaniment. And in this era of something for everyone, the menu is bilingual French-English, with Asian and vegetarian dishes, and everything from pastrami sandwiches to South American cebiche to Chinese steamed ravioli.

Half the wines on the list come from America, with a fine showing from Australia and New Zealand, a true ''happening'' in France. And the cheese course (rather than the classic Brie, Camembert and Roquefort) consists of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Cheddar and Stilton.

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and on that front Ducasse has a way to go. Some of it is not his fault. Truth be told, the public is not all that ready for such a reshuffling of the status quo. On a recent evening the well-heeled international crowd appeared downright confused as to how to order and how to eat. After studying the menu, the youthful Spanish couple at my left asked the waiter to order for them. They then asked that their white wine be put into ''a real ice bucket'' instead of the plastic ice-cube-less version. The iceberg lettuce served to them in a tall, elegant glass bowl was instantly transferred to a common plate for more practical eating.

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Up-to-Date Methods

Ducasse and his chefs use every method of cooking available - grills to roasts, rotisserie to woks, cooking over a hot stone, modern induction and even vacuum-packing - but the results at the moment are less than brilliant.

On our recent visit, everything that came from the kitchen looked and tasted very dry, and was by and large lukewarm. Even the wok-seared vegetables had that soggy, stewed airline quality about them. And though I am all for choosing what I eat and when, we are not always the best judge of what garnish goes well with each dish. The best finds on that visit included a full-flavored youm koumg soup, full of spice and laced with squid and shellfish, as well as designer macaroni gratin, rich and plump, with plenty of veal cooking juice to pour over it.

Less successful were the very dry, tasteless grilled squid served with a perky sauce of crushed preserved lemon, and a dry roasted veal steak cooked on the rotisserie.

With seating for no more than 70 and tabs that inch toward 500 francs (about $90) with a decent bottle of wine, this is not the sort of cuisine that is going to keep Ducasse at the top. The concept reminds me of a model for a worldwide chain. But I am sure Ducasse has already thought of that.

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Spoon Food & Wine, 14 Rue de Marignan, Paris 8. Tel: 01-40-76-34-44; fax: 01-40-76-34-37. Closed Saturday and Sunday. All major credit cards. A la carte, 200 to 300 francs.

From Paella to Purely Paris

International Herald Tribune

PARIS - The welcome is warm, the rice delicious, the Spanish fare a great change of pace. For the last year, the owners Pierre Ruffin and Alberto Herraiz have offered Parisians a totally authentic Spanish experience, complete with giant platters of varied paella, a medley of excellent tapas - tiny plates of starters - good desserts and excellent wines. All this comes at a very decent price, with warm and friendly service and a pleasant setting across from the charming park of Saint Julien le Pauvre Church on Paris's Left Bank.

This pocket-size restaurant is bathed in warm shades of ocher, and for the good tapas starters, the menu may include the famed Spanish pata negra ham; filling red peppers stuffed with shredded bull's tail (poivrons farcis à la queue de toro); delicious, spinach-rich tortillas, and tender baby squid bathed in their ink (chipirons à l'encre). There are some six different versions of paella, all of which bear no resemblance to the watered-down versions we are most familiar with today. The rice - all Spanish rice from the Ebro delta, where the grains are larger and more strongly flavored - is the main element in all the paella dishes, with flavorings that vary from a jet-black version made with squid ink to a Valencia version seasoned with chicken, rabbit, vegetables and snails.

The paella is served in the pan in which it is cooked, and diners eat right out of the pan, which is perched on a stand at the table.

Desserts vary from a soothing sheep's milk yogurt to irresistible hot melted chocolate in a beautiful white bowl, served with state-of-the-art churros, a kind of fritter. The wine list offers some true discoveries and bargains, including the Gran Corona Torres from the Penedes area of Catalonia, a mix of cabernet and the aromatic tempranillo grape.

On two recent visits the restaurant was embarrassingly empty, and the background music varies from cheery marching tunes to abrasive Spanish sounds.

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Old-Fashioned Bistro

French critics like to call Au Moulin a Vent-Chez Henri the L'Ami Louis of the Left Bank. Although there is no succulent roasted lamb or chicken to compare with what one finds at L'Ami Louis, Chez Henri does the job when you are looking for a busy, old-fashioned, purely Parisian bistro. This is the place to go with a crowd when you're in the mood for red meat and Beaujolais.

With a barely legible menu in purple ink, a jovial patron and sausages hanging from the ceiling, this is one rare spot to find authentic boeuf a la ficelle, top-quality fillet of beef that is tied with a string, then cooked quickly in boiling water. The boiling technique seals the outside of the meat, making for a beef that's perfectly rare and without a trace of fat. (Don't be turned off by the unappetizing gray appearance of the meat - the inside will be gloriously red and appetizing.) Another star is the entrecôte, the rib eye, with shallots, earthy pan-seared beef that is literally pasted with finely minced shallots so they cook to a fragrant, golden crispness. Almost everything here comes with cubes of sautéed potatoes, perhaps the best version of that bistro classic I have ever tasted.

Other dishes worth trying - if they're on the menu that day - include a refreshing salad of mushrooms and green beans, another of perfectly cooked, thinly sliced artichoke bottoms and a classic sole meuniere. The magret de canard, fatted duck breast, can be dry and tough. The Beaujolais Fleurie goes down very easily, and the bread is dry and dreadful.

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Fogon Saint-Julien, 10 Rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, Paris 5; tel: 01-43-54-31-33. Closed Sunday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Credit card: Visa. 120-franc ($21.50) lunch menu (including wine and coffee), 160-franc menu. A la carte, 200 francs, including service and wine.

Au Moulin a Vent-Chez Henri, 20 Rue des Fosses Saint-Bernard, Paris 5; tel: 01-43-54-99-37. Closed Sunday, Monday, holidays and August. Credit card: Visa, MasterCard. A la carte, 280 to 320 francs ($50 to $57).

Around the Tables of Australia

The following is a list of the best restaurants visited during a monthlong tour, with notes on some favorite dishes.

PERTH

The Loose Box Restaurant, 6825 Great Eastern Highway, Mundaring. Tel: (61-8) 9295-1787.

If Michelin gave stars in Australia, Alain Fabregues's The Loose Box would have three. It is the epitome of French perfection and attention to detail. I loved the colorful goat cheese, truffle, mushroom, eggplant, tomato and capsicum terrine for its brilliant flavors and welcoming texture.

Fraser's, Fraser Avenue, King's Park, West Perth. Tel: (8) 9481-7100.

Chris Taylor of the welcoming Fraser's, in the center of a lovely park, offers honest fare. Such dishes as his char-grilled dhufish fillet with lemon, extra virgin olive oil and parsley show how the chef wisely allows perfectly chosen ingredients to speak for themselves.

ADELAIDE

Universal Wine Bar, 285 Rundle St., Adelaide. Tel: (8) 8232-5000; fax: (8) 8232-5757; e-mail: universal@ portal.net.au

A fine, casual wine bar for sampling the nation's best wines. Try anything the waiter suggests, or, if they are on the list that day, go for one of those big Rhone-style reds, such as the powerful RBJ Theologicum mourvedre grenache or Charles Melton's Nine Popes, starting with a lovely light Lenswood sauvignon blanc.

Charlick's Feed Store, Ebenezer Place, East End, Adelaide. Tel: (8) 8223-7566; fax: (8) 8223-7065.

This new, casual dining spot is owned by Maggie and Colin Beer, modern pioneers of the Australian food world. Try the smoked tommy ruffs (sardine-size fish) with green olive and pickled lemon dressing, and sample alongside it a glass of the refreshing white Chapel Hill McLaren Vale verdelho, made from the Portuguese verdelho grape with overtones of honeysuckle and tropical fruits.

The Grange, Hilton International, Victoria Square, Adelaide. Tel: (8) 8217-2000.

If you have time for only one meal in Australia, head for the Grange to sample Malaysian-born Chinese chef Cheong Liew's shark's-fin pouch in venison consommé, spiced with tarragon, a dish that is filled with bravery and brilliance, or his red roasted barramundi with green chilies, coriander, snow-pea shoots and calamari shavings, a dish with such genius you won't want to finish it, for all you'll have left is the memory.

Petaluma Bridgewater Mill, Mount Barker Road, Bridgewater. Tel: (8) 8339-3422.

This trendy spot just outside Adelaide is run by the Petaluma winery and showcases its wines. Try the Croser champagne, as well the fried salt-and-pepper quail with lime and ginger relish, or the roasted duck breast with bok choy, kumquats and cinnamon glaze.

SYDNEY

Cicada, 29 Challis Ave., Potts Point, Sydney. Tel: (61-2) 9358-1255.

Peter Doyle has reached the pinnacle of modern Australian cooking. His food is seamless, unconventional, balanced and sensible; I fell in love with his perfect jewel box of a package: avocado, crab, mint and coriander, a starter that was like a soothing bath for the palate.

Tetsuya's, 729 Darling St., Rozelle, Sydney. Tel: (2) 9555-1017.

Tetsuya Wakuda is a leader of Australia's fine fusion cuisine, merging the best of Japanese philosophy and classical French technique. In a most unassuming setting, plan on sampling his signature confit of ocean trout with ocean-trout roe, braised red capsicum, leeks, konbu seaweed, capers and parsley oil. Think texture, color, flavor, essence.

Bistro Moncur, the Woollahra Hotel, 116 Queen St., Woollahra, Sydney. Tel: (2) 9363-2782.

Damien Pignolet offers great Australian-style French bistro classics in an embracing, warm setting in one of Sydney's most chic neighborhoods. Try the vegetable couscous.

MG Garage. 490 Crown St., Surry Hills, New South Wales. Tel: (2) 9383-9383.

The new trendy spot, with the Greek-born chef Janni Kyritsis, is actually in an MG car showroom. Specialties include guinea fowl baked in clay with pancetta, mushrooms and barley pilaf, as well as many dishes with a fine, Middle Eastern touch.

BRISBANE

Two Small Rooms, 517 Milton Road, Toowong, Brisbane. Tel: (61-7) 3371-5251.

One of the best bets in Brisbane. This warm and charming spot run by Michael Conrad and the chef David Pugh offers lovely, simple fare. Try their outstanding mud-crab omelette with stir-fried vegetables and spicy prawn sauce.

This is one place where I was able to get a simple roasted rack of lamb without the trimmings that camouflage the delicate flavor. Their Mandalong lambs are slaughtered at 9 months: They are weaned at 3 months and fattened on grain for better texture and flavor.

E'cco, 100 Boundary St., Brisbane. Tel: (7) 3831-8344.

Philip Johnson offers no-nonsense food in a lovely setting. He uses all the clichés in the book, but his creations manage to taste original and appealing.

Try the Moreton Bay bugs, a type of shellfish, with pine nuts and aioli; roast chicken with couscous, yogurt, artichokes and asparagus, or sand crabs with chilies and lemon oil. Save room for the Venetian espresso cake with coconut ice cream and shavings of fresh coconut.

Pier Nine Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill, Eagle Street Pier, 1 Eagle St., Brisbane. Tel: (7) 3229-2194.

This is a beautiful waterside setting for great oysters and such specials as king prawns with garlic hollandaise or Victoria black-lip mussels with ginger, chili, sweet curry leaves and lime juice.

MELBOURNE

Flower Drum, 17 Market Lane, Melbourne. Tel: (61-3) 9662-3655.

For Chinese food like you have never had before, depend on the owner Gilbert Lau to wow you with such specialties as tender baby abalone the size of an oyster, bathed in vinegar, ginger and soy. The dish was a gastronomic revelation.

Richmond Hill Café & Larder, 48-50 Bridge Road, Richmond. Tel: (3) 9421-2808; fax: (3) 9421-2818.

Stephanie Alexander, one of Australia's top restaurateurs and food personalities, has opened this casual café with an exquisite cheese room, great wines and a modern menu that includes pastas, such traditional fare as boeuf à la mode and cheese plates with fruits, nuts and breads. Sunday nights are reserved for a variety of functions, such as cabaret nights and wine dinners.

Will Paris Embrace This U.K. Invasion?

PARIS - A diner at my table offered her unsolicited response to the abrasive, deafening, dinner-time noise and clatter that filled the gigantic new Left Bank brasserie, Alcazar: ''If I come back, it will be just the two of us, my husband and I. We have been married for 50 years, so if we can't talk to one another for two hours, its O.K.''

The French have been invaded by the British, and only time will tell if Parisians will embrace it. Sir Terence Conran of design fame has bravely and boldly expanded his London dining empire to Paris with his bright, airy, smart and bustling 200-seat brasserie Alcazar. All red, white, black and modern, this brilliantly designed spot is just the sort of injection Conran and others think Paris needs. (Others might argue that the restaurant is little more than a continued internationalization and dumbing down of cuisine, with a Euro-Asian-fusion menu that could be served anywhere in the world.)

But Conran is not out to lose. He has chosen Guillaume Lutard (formerly of Taillevent) to man the stoves of the glassed-in kitchen that looks out into the bright, two story glass-roofed restaurant in a courtyard off Rue Mazarine. The bread comes from the baker of the moment, Eric Kayser on Rue Monge. And Conran made sure that everyone in town knew he was coming: He papered the press with lavish and colorful advertising; invited everyone in the neighborhood to half-price preopening lunches, and held a series of high-profile ''soft opening'' events before the official start on Nov. 8. Add to that the fact that the restaurant will be open seven days a week, with a brunch on Sundays, and Alcazar is hard to miss.

While the food breaks no new ground, the menu features typical brasserie platters of fresh oysters and shellfish, as well as largely Mediterranean-inspired menu peppered with saffron, arugula, goat cheese, fennel, couscous and artichokes.

Two preopening meals proved uneven, with excellent fresh Guillardeau oysters from Brittany, a fine caramelized puff pastry tart of tomatoes and fresh goat cheese, and a welcoming main course vegetarian platter of braised seasonal vegetables. Far less successful were a misguided puff pastry tart piled high with arugula and rouget and a gigantic, dry chicken breast stuffed with a bland mixture of foie gras and artichokes. The food lacks any definite focus or personality.

The reason to go to Alcazar is that it offers a change of pace from the standard choucroute-and-beer brasserie, with a stunning and modern décor, exquisite service from a well-trained and enthusiastic staff, and a place to hang your hat almost any time of day. An upstairs piano bar offers wine by the glass and a brief menu that includes tastes of sushi, oysters, caviar, smoked salmon and foie gras.

The spot, by the way, is the former Alcazar night club, which closed eight years ago. The site began its life in 1850 as a printing plant.

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Alcazar, 62 Rue Mazarine, Paris 6; tel: 01-53-10-19-99; Fax: 01-53-10-23-23. Open daily until 1 A.M. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. A la carte, 300 to 400 francs ($53 to $70)

Food for the Moment, And a Belgian Breakfast

PARIS - Sometimes it is good to be proved wrong. When Gilles Ajuelos opened La Bastide Odéon across from the Odéon Theater in 1995, I liked the bistro well enough, but wasn't sure it would have staying power. How wrong I was.

Today the bistro bustles day and night, with hordes of customers being turned away at the door. That's because Ajuelos and his staff know what we want: Food that's modern, light, of the moment and well thought out.

On my last visit I loved the bowl of tiny ravioles de Royans floating in a light broth seasoned with tomatoes, lots of parsley and Parmesan. Equally excellent was the grilled baby chicken - coquelet - served with lemon confit, fennel with saffron and a marvelous sauté of wild mushrooms.

At other times of year you will find such seasonal specialties as warm asparagus with poached egg, grilled bacon and Parmesan cookies; stuffed suckling pig with Parmesan-gratinéed polenta, or porgy in a red-wine sauce with green asparagus, baby onions and baby fava beans.

Desserts included an inventive tarte fine à la rhubarbe as well as a warm financier topped with apricots and a yogurt sorbet, and warm Valrhona chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Good wine choices here include the firm and fruity red Corbières Bastide de la Baronne, and the same wine in white.

How many ways are there to eat breakfast? Le Pain Quotidien - Daily Bread - shows you how.

This Belgian import, with its clean wooden tables, ivory bowls for coffee and chocolate, and fabulous fresh assortment of breads and rolls, offers a stunning view of the new Marché Saint Honoré, with its all-glass building reflecting the charming old structures that surround the square.

Try the substantive, wheaty baguettes à l'ancienne, great rounds of country bread, tiny rye and raisin rolls served with a huge tray filled with honeys, jams and jellies to sweeten the day.

Newspapers are there for the asking. Service is friendly if a bit distracted.

As the day wears on, the menu moves on to a selection of open-face sandwiches, such as mountain ham; beef, basil and Parmesan; country terrine; a mix of goat cheese and honey, or delicate fromage blanc, radishes and onions.

Of course Le Pain Quotidien is also a full-fledged bakery, so stop in for a loaf any time of the day.

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La Bastide Odéon, 7 Rue Corneille, Paris 6. Tel: 01 43 26 03 65. Fax: 01 44 07 28 93. Closed Sunday, Monday, the first three weeks in August and Christmas week. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. Menus at 150 and 190 francs. A la carte, 250 francs.

Le Pain Quotidien, 18 Place du Marché Saint Honore, Paris 1. Tel: 01 42 96 31 70. Open Daily, 7 A.M. to 7 P.M.

In Paris, 2 Unique Restaurants

PARIS - Ever since I first sampled Marcel Baudis's authentic, honest and full-flavored food in 1987, I knew he was a chef I would want to know for a long, long time. Starting at his handkerchief-sized dining room in the Marais and moving to the ''new world'' of Bercy in 1991, he never faltered or left us with anything but food filled with character and modern sensibility.

His road has not been easy, for the Bercy neighborhood has taken a long time to develop. But today his patience and talents at L'Oulette are being rewarded by a mostly full dining room for lunch and dinner. Baudis, a native of Montauban in the southwest, draws deeply on his culinary roots with a menu that boasts tiny calamari, generous mounds of haricots blancs frais, foie gras, goat cheese and all the wonderful, little-known wines of that region.

Go, and order his now-classic escabèche de calamars, the tiniest, tenderest squid cut into fine threads, sizzled in olive oil, deglazed with white wine, then infused with a whole pantry of spices that include anise and curry. Equally memorable is his millefeuille de sardines, a warm and welcoming layered affair made up of raw, marinated sardine filets, Moroccan brick pastry, tomatoes and Parmesan.

Main courses include a variation on a Morrocan tajine of lamb with olives and lemon confit, and a lovely aioli, with poached cod and an array of steamed vegetables ready for seasoning with a golden, garlic-rich mayonnaise.

On my last visit, I added three new wines to my love-list: a dry and refreshing vin de pays de Saint-Sardos; a floral and dry Jurançon sec Domaine Bellegarde, and a sweet Sainte-Croix du Mont Chateau du Pavillion, a neighbor of Sauternes, and bargain-priced.

Dessert lovers should not miss the chef's spicy fingers of French toast, served with a cooling cinnamon ice cream. In good weather, eat on the terrace and listen to the chimes of the Notre Dame de la Nativité de Bercy. And if you can't figure out what to order, the dining room's able director, Alain Fontaine, will steer you in the right direction.

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Those looking for a unique neighborhood restaurant should try Le Petit Plat, a small spot on the lovely, tree-lined Avenue Emile Zola. The food here is creatively composed and carefully prepared, service is casual but efficient and the wine list offers pleasant surprises.

Jean and Victor Lampreia have been here since 1994, when they moved from their tiny restaurant in the 5th arrondissement. Highlights of my last visit included a refreshing summer salad of thinly sliced artichoke hearts layered with thin green beans; perfectly cooked pigeon on a bed of couscous; a whole porgy (dorade) beautifully prepared with generous portions of fresh, sweet fava beans, and warm pound cake, or quatre-quarts, sliced and layered with fresh strawberries.

Wines to sample here include the lush red Cotes-du-Rhone Domaine Saint Claude from Vaison-la-Romaine, and the superlative Gran Corona from the Torres family in Spain. This wine from the Penedes is made of 85 percent Cabernet and 15 percent Tempranillo, a grape that adds extraordinary fragrance and depth to a wine well worth seeking out.

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L'Oulette, 15 Place Lachambeaudie, Paris 12. Tel: 01-40-02-02-12. Fax: 01-40-02-04-77. Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. Menus at 165 (not including wine) and 250 francs (including wine). A la carte, 225 to 350 francs (not including wine).

Le Petit Plat, 49 Avenue Emile Zola, Paris 15. Tel: 01-45-78-24-20. Closed Sunday and Monday. Credit card: Visa. 135-franc menu (not including wine). A la carte, 180 to 240 francs (including wine).

An Aftertaste of Summer In Two Romantic Bistros

PARIS - While the city's Indian summer lasts, take advantage of the few choice outdoor spots that add a certain air of romance and a real spirit of vacation, even if it is no more than a break from a long workday.

If like me, you are a hopeless romantic who loves those perfectly ironed, faded red-checkered tablecloths, lace curtains and sturdy oak bistro doors, and waiters who refuse to pick up a plate until you have finished every last morsel, then La Fontaine de Mars is for you.

On a sunny day I know fewer better spots in Paris for enjoying simple bistro fare, from an earthy salade quercynoise (a tossed green salad with warm sautéed duck gizzards and hearts) to a bright piperade aux oeufs pochés ( a sauté of peppers, tomatoes and onions with poached eggs) or boudin aux pommes fruits (blood sausage with apples).

On my last visit, I devoured the fresh fricassée of chicken with wild morels in cream; sautéed calf's liver in sherry vinegar sauce; great crisp sautéed cubes of potatoes, and excellent house Beaujolais à l'ancienne.

In warm weather, desserts should fit your mood, such as a delightful fresh peach soup (soupe aux peches) or a cooling orange and grapefruit soup (soupe aux agrumes). Coffee comes with an excellent square of Valrhona bittersweet chocolate. If you get the right table, you will even be able to gaze up at the tip of the Eiffel Tower.

On the subject of romance, one of the city's most historic and romantic sites remains La Closerie des Lilas. The place that Hemingway made so famous has been revived, thanks to its new director, Jean-Jacques Caimant, last seen managing Joel Robuchon's dining rooms. La Closerie's lovely outdoor terrace beneath the shimmering plane trees is more welcoming than it has been for a long time and the clientele as chic Left Bank as ever.

And now we have the freshest of oysters, excellent whole grilled bar (on my last visit just a touch overcooked) and a staff that is willing to help you with your choices.

The wine list is expensive, but count on Monsieur Caimant or the sommelier Evo Jacobozzi to steer you toward a good buy of the moment, such as a little-known white from the Gers. The brasserie awaits those who want less fuss and fanfare, and offers quality oysters, such classics as herring and steak tartare and changing daily specials.

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La Fontaine de Mars, 129 Rue Saint-Dominique, Paris 7. Tel: 01-47-05-46-44. Open daily. Credit card: American Express, Visa. A la carte, 250 to 300 francs.

La Closerie des Lilas, 171 Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris 6. Tel: 01-40-51-34-50. Fax: 01-43-29-99-94. Open daily. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. 250-franc lunch menu (including wine and coffee). A la carte, 400 to 450 francs.

Provencal Chef's Ode to Melons

CAVAILLON, France - Would that 100 regional chefs in France had the same passion for produce as Jean-Jacques Prevot. Anyone familiar with this Provencal capital of the European cantaloupe, could suspect that the famed ''melon de Cavaillon'' would fall into his range of obsession, and so it does.

Until the end of the month this enthusiastic, committed chef is offering a lively all-melon menu, in which he features every part of the fragrant, sweet and juicy fruit.

From the seeds, or pepins, he concocts a luscious, puree-like sauce. The flesh just beneath the rind is turned into a slippery pickle. A gelatin-like sauce adorns the local banana shallot, or echalote de Simiane, which is cooked ever so slowly in red wine sauce.

Perfect slices of melon are sauteed in butter and olive oil, anointed with a touch of balsamic vinegar, and turned into a rosette-like offering, twisting the melon slices with smooth and mild slices of wild boar ham. The accompanying pickles form a perfect foil. Monkfish is stuffed with nuggets of melon, the fish is cooked slightly, then teamed up with a iodine-rich sauce based on the delicate langoustines, or Dublin Bay prawn.

His nougat glace is laced with a confiture of melon, and of course the house aperitif is a refreshing, melon-tinged drink that includes an infusion of dozens of local herbs. He will show you the melon can be eaten raw or cooked, sweet or
salty, hot, cold, or spiced, as an entree or a dessert.

Prevot - whose family has been in the restaurant business in France for several generations - continues to dig deeper and deeper, working with melon growers to create a super-sweet and juicy Cavaillon melon whose sweetness level is inspected with a syringe.

The small restaurant in the center of this old-fashioned farming town is decorated with what must be the world's largest collection of melon memorabilia, including Art Deco forks for spearing cubes of melon, melon artwork, pottery,
posters, and trompe l'oeil works.

At the end of the season Prevot does not close up shop. He turns his attention to scallops, for his mother once ran a restaurant in Brittany where coquilles Saint-Jacques were the specialty.

In the winter, Prevot offers an all-truffle menu. All this would be a lot of trickery if Prevot's passions were not built on the complete understanding of his ingredient, and a willingness to capture the best qualities of each.

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Prevot, 353 Avenue de Verdun, 84300 Cavaillon.

Tel: 04-90-71-32-43. Fax: 04-90-71-97-05.

Credit cards: American Express, Visa.

Closed Sunday dinner and Monday. Open for Sunday lunch from September to July.

All-melon menu from 295 to 360 francs, including service but not wine. A la carte, 280 to 360 francs.

One's Memorable, Another's Just Dull

PARIS - La Zygotissoire, a small rotisserie restaurant at the edge of the trendy Bastille neighborhood, is perhaps the city's best buy today. Where else can you have a delicious, can't-finish-it-all three-course meal, with coffee, for 80 francs? And the food is not just O.K., it is memorable and inventive.

On the 80-franc ($13) menu, one might begin with a chicken-wing salad, made up of a quartet of moist, beautifully roasted chicken wings set on a bed of greens; move on to a faux filet cooked on the rotisserie, and sauced with shallots, then top it off with a dessert of homemade ice cream or sorbet. A la carte starters include the brochettes de legumes anchoiade, excellent brochettes of zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant, with a delicately flavored anchovy sauce and a small green salad alongside. Good main courses include a filet of sea bass grilled on the rotisserie, or a filet of bar, on a bed of Swiss chard greens, served with a round gratin of the celery-like whites of chard.

The wine list offers some offbeat surprises, such as the rarely seen Ladoix, a worthy red from the northernmost village of the Cote de Beaune, and almost always a bargain.

The restaurant shares ownership with the popular 12th arrondissement bistro, Les Zygomates. - It has been a long time since I had a meal in Paris as boring as the one I had the other night at the trendy, and generally good-buy,
Campagne et Provence: The welcome was as chilly as a day in December, the food dull as dishwater and the service amateurish.

Walk in with a reservation, suggest you might be seated at that nice sunny table in the window and the head greeter shrugs, suggesting that when he puts people there they always ask to be seated elsewhere. (So when the restaurant is half empty, why not let the customer choose?) Everyone on the staff (including the chef) seemed to want to be elsewhere.

A salad advertised as mesclun was nothing other than a tangle of mixed greens - no herbs, no verve, a few shavings of Parmesan and strips of ham. Equally unimpressive was saffroned rabbit with a ''risotto'' of epeautre, or ''poor man's wheat'' - a dish that sounded promising but turned out to be something that might have come from a packaged TV dinner.

Only the wine list - with Alain Brumont's robust 1994 Madiran Meinjarre - and the wholesome sourdough bread from l'Epi Gaulois in the 14th arrondissement saved the evening.

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La Zygotissoire, 101 Rue de Charonne, Paris 11.

Tel: 01-40-09-93-05; fax: 01-44-73-46-63.

Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Credit card: Visa.

80-franc menu. A la carte, 130 to 160 francs,
including service but not wine.

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Campagne et Provence, 25, Quai de la Tournelle, Paris 5; Tel: 01-43-54-05-17; fax: 01-43-29-74-93.

Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday, and Monday lunch. Credit card: Visa.

120-franc lunch menu and 180-franc and 215-franc dinner menus including service but not wine.

Shades of Lyon in a Paris Bistro

PARIS - Francoise Petit promised herself four things: She would never marry a chef; she would never own a restaurant; she would never live in Paris, and she would never have a daughter who was a Virgo.

Well, now the 34-year-old Francoise Constantin has all four, and she is as giddy as a schoolgirl.

At the age of 17, she began working as a waitress at the quintessential Lyonnais bistro Cafe des Federations. During her 13 years there she and her patron, Raymond Fulchiron, became minor celebrities in the food world, as gastronomes came from far and near to hear their banter and chow down on saucissons chauds, andouillettes, blanquette de veau and platters of weeping Saint-Marcellin cheese, all washed down with tumblers of sturdy Morgon.

In 1994 Francoise left Lyon for Paris and promptly broke her three other promises. Since April she and her husband, the chef Daniel Constantin, have been happily installed at the Auberge Pyrenees-Cevennes, the classic Parisian bistro that was also known as Chez Philippe and run by Philippe Sebource until his death least year. With hams and sausages hanging from the rafters, colorful old tile floors and rustic stone walls, the bistro remains thankfully unchanged.

And while the Constantins have maintained many of the old standbys - platters of sausages and cured meats and cassoulet - they have also added such Lyonnais classics as robust green salads loaded with top-quality cured bacon; a rich and densely flavored pork sausage, and those Saint-Marcellin cow's milk cheeses from Mere Richard in Lyon.

Chef Constantin, who has been at the stove since the age of 14, is a classic French cook - a dying breed of those who have French cooking in their very veins, and it shows in everything that comes from his spotless kitchen.

The food has soul, character and an honesty one rarely sees today in simple bistro fare.

The chef's battery of sturdy copper pots that he brought from the Eiffel Tower after working there for a decade attest to his determination and respect for French cuisine.

''You can't make a Bearnaise in stainless steel,'' he likes to say.

Daily specials here might include thick slices of exquisitely flavorful saddle of lamb seared on an ancient gas grill; a rich and creamy potato gratin, and an impeccably prepared plateful of sauteed girolles mushrooms.

The 43-year-old chef's motto is: ''It is simple to do, but difficult to succeed at.''

Wines all come from small producers and have been selected by Francoise. Try the silky Chiroubles cru Beaujolais Domaine du Clocher from Jean-Noel Melinand, or the fresh and fruity Coteaux du Lyonnais, available by the
glass or the traditional Lyonnais pot.

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Auberge Pyrenees-Cevennes, 106, rue de la Folie-Mericourt, Paris 11

Tel: 01-43-57-33-78.

Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Credit card: Visa. 148-franc ($25) menu. A la carte, 160 to 210 francs.