UNIQUELY FRENCH

In the beginning, all French restaurants served onion soup and coq au vin. The next thing we knew they had gone nouvelle. Then bistros came back. Now all bets are off. You’ll find that all of these recently reviewed restaurants have a slightly French accent--but in its own fashion, each is unique. AU FONTAINEBLEAU (12130 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (213) 826-8177.) Gilt-framed scenes of Paris, ornate chandeliers, mirrors and a profusion of greenery create an ambiance far removed from contemporary California high-tech. The menu is a blend of French and exotic Asian cooking, each accompanied by wondrous made-to-order sauces. An outstanding French dish is the filet mignon flamed with Cognac and served in a creamy black pepper sauce; equally fine are the langoustines in Port wine, the salmon with bearnaise sauce and the salade forestiere a la tartare (steak tartare on lettuce). The exotic plates include a succulent five-spices beef brochette sprinkled with chopped peanuts and served with Vietnamese-style sweet-sour dipping sauce. Tables are set with starchy white napery and elegant glassware; service is hushed and meticulous. Lunch, Mon.-Fri.; dinner daily. V, MC. Beer and wine. Lot and street parking. Dinner for two, $35-$60.

BARONESS AND DAUGHTERS (1447 2nd St., Santa Monica, (213) 393-3133.) The appearance of this restaurant, which has just changed its name from Christiana de Montafon, is a cross between a movie set and a furniture store: Gargantuan lace-covered tables are set with heavy flatware and a profusion of large cabbage rose-patterned china. The large, airy room is hung with great swoopy pink moire drapes, the decor ranges from Baroque golden mirrors to a bank of fluorescent lights, classical music gently fills the room. The gimmick here is that each dish on the menu is accompanied by a calorie count. The most caloric dish is a rich avocado mousse served with fine smoked salmon and three kinds of side dressings. Marvelous hot oysters on the half-shell come glazed with a luxurious creamy Champagne sauce. A nicely textured vegetable terrine is made with Gruyere and eggs, without any additional fat. Lunch, Tues.-Fri.; dinner, Tues.-Sun. V, MC. Beer and wine. Lot parking. Dinner for two, $25-$50.

CASSIS (8450 West 3rd St., Los Angeles, (213) 653-1079.) The menu features “Cuisine of the Sun”--that of Nice and Southern France. Cassis is cushy, even plush: Besides muted carpeting, etched glass, mauve and gray walls, there are alcoves, lots of greenery and ultra-comfortable booths. Cassis is quiet and relaxed, decorator pretty, generically chic. The kitchen is good with standards: Breast of chicken with rosemary is tender, fragrant, juicy and served with a haystack of crisp French fries. A salad of green beans and fat scampi grilled with a light pesto is fine. Gnocchi with spinach, sage and parmesan is totally melt-in-your-mouth. (Less successful are the veal and tuna steak.) Sea-tinged pastas--like a nubby black linguine with scallops, the coral still attached--are intriguing and rich. Service is impeccable. Lunch, Mon.-Fri.; dinner, Mon.-Sat. All major credit cards. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, $35-$65.

CHEZ NOUS (10550 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake, (818) 760-0288.) Despite its French name, Chez Nous seems more Californian than European: The food picks up on such fads as baby vegetables and peppercorn sauces, but tends toward the familiar and satisfying rather than innovative. Chez Nous’ best points are its cheerful informality, its smart, bright, white look and the sweep of windows that fills it with light during the day. While breakfast and lunch are usually crowded, dinner is fairly quiet and has a more expensive menu. Mussels with 15-spice butter are hot, buttery and well seasoned. The house pate, a chicken mixture presented in slablike triangles, is at the same time hearty and delicate. Breakfast and lunch daily; dinner, Mon.-Sat. V, MC. Lot parking. Dinner for two, $25-$50.

PIRET’S (998 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 657-2545.) Piret’s is a full-service yupperama--a patisserie/charcuterie /bistro/ boulangerie , take-out, eat-in, espresso/wine bar, lunch and dinner place, its grocery shelves stocked with designer olive oil and vinegar, Piret’s cookbooks, Piret’s aprons, jams and coffee. The restaurant proper is to the back of the store and up some stairs to a room that stands as a monument to post-modernist interior design--Levelor blinds, geometrical wall art, outsize flower arrangements. The menu is vast, offering everything in the deli case plus pastas, fish, chicken, veal, lamb, calzone, pizza and a computerized list of daily specials. While some plates (like the Mediterranean Fish Stew and calzone stuffed with Portuguese sausage) are all form and no content, the pasta is often exceptional. Lunch and dinner daily. V, MC, AE. Wine and beer. Lot parking. Dinner for two, $25-$50.

30TH STREET BISTRO (501 30th St., Newport Beach, (714) 675-1557.) There is wonderful food at this new Newport Beach venue. The accomplished cooking successfully mixes Californian and haute cuisine traditions. The Bistro’s two best dishes appear to be veal: One is small veal medallions with accompanying sweetbread slices in mustard demiglace and chive cream sauce, the other a large veal chop, a positive advertisement for the flavor of veal, in meat glaze spiked with green peppercorns. In the California manner are some dishes that sound more classical than they are--structures of meat and vegetables named after desserts like charlotte (which contains very good smoked salmon). An unlikely but winning combination is sea bass with pineapple-saffron sauce, an exotic, harmonious blend of flavors. Desserts are remarkably good. Dinner, Tues.-Sat. V, MC, AE. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, $45-$75.