THE FRENCH LINE

Americans are eting more French food than ever before. These recently reviewed restaurants prove that you can have your sauce and not gain five pounds. Bon appetit.

CAFE KATSU (2117 Sawtelle Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 477-3359). Here is French cuisine at reasonable prices, filled with exciting surprises, great sauces, beautiful presentation. Fish dominates on the menu. Try the lotte , which is roasted and served with Brussels sprouts and oyster mushrooms in a vin rouge sauce or grilled striped bass with zucchini and pepper in an olive oil and lime sauce. There’s also breast of chicken served with a mousse of mushrooms and truffle sauce. The grilled shiitake mushrooms and smoked mozzarella salad, and the tuna, avocado and mushrooms salad are also winners. Be sure to save room for dessert. The tarte tatin is excellent and is made on the premises. Open for lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. MasterCard and Visa accepted. Beer and wine. Mall parking. Dinner for two, food only, $40-$75.

CHAMPAGNE (10506 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 470-8446). Champagne, despite all the California touches on its menu, feels more like a family-run restaurant in France than a Los Angeles establishment. Owner/chef Patrick Healy offers something for everyone, from calorie-laden cuisine bourgeoise (cassoulet) to spa cuisine. There is also what he calls cuisine moderne-- dishes like rare strips of squab arranged across a heap of soft garlicky cepes and bound up in a sauce with just a touch of port. The eggplant-and-crayfish cake is delightful--round slices of eggplant cooked almost until they melt and then layered with toothy little crayfish tails. The spa chicken is equally satisfying--the breast grilled and simply served with an enormous pile of sauteed onions. The feuilletage , filled with various berries and served with little balls of vanilla ice cream, is a good choice for dessert. Open for dinner Tue.-Sun. All major credit cards accepted. Beer and wine only. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $45-$80.

CHEZ CARY (571 S. Main St., Orange, (714) 542-3595). The main dining room is full of red velvet and crystal--a palace of soft, subdued lighting. The chairs are plush, little rose petals are carefully placed under every wine glass on the fine linen tablecloths, service plates are highly polished, and strolling musicians provide a backdrop for hushed conversation. The escargot Murat, a round of French bread embedded with a snail and glazed with hollandaise, is an impressive appetizer. Bouillabaisse marseillaise is pleasant and so is supreme de volaille bourgeoise, a breast of capon in a sauce with bacon, onion and carrots. End the evening with an after-dinner drink called a pousse-cafe , an array of cordials layered in rainbow-like fashion in a tall narrow glass. Open for dinner daily. All major credit cards accepted. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $70-$150.

CHEZ DUPONT (8638 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (213) 274-1893). The silver is Ricci, the china Villeroy and the charming lithographs look as if they’ve been hanging in a French country inn. And all at reasonable prices. Brie fritters served with jam are impressive. So are the moules marinieres, steamed mussels piled on a plate. The salads are French bistro salads; Try the one made of hearts of palm plastered with homemade mayonnaise. Other good, dependable dishes include grilled chicken with rosemary, veal scaloppine and steak au poivre , all served with incredibly delicious mashed potatoes. Open for dinner Mon.-Sat. MasterCard, Visa and American Express accepted. Beer and wine. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $25-$40.

SAUVIGNON (307 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, (213) 394-3311). Here is a courtly and old-fashioned but charming little French restaurant (definitely little: about a dozen tables) with extremely reasonable prices if you eat early. Try the salmon in Champagne sauce with rose caviar. The osso buco is quite pleasant, a big veal knuckle in tomato and white wine sauce. So is the light and fluffy whitefish in a simple sauce of sweet cream and green onions. The best of the desserts is the raspberry “cake,” more or less like strawberry Bavarian cream with a bit of crust in and a sweet raspberry sauce. Sauvignon offers a prix-fixe dinner, and an even cheaper early-bird Sunset dinner (from 5:30-7:00). Open for lunch and dinner Mon.-Fri. and dinner only on Sat. MasterCard and Visa accepted. Beer and wine. Valet parking at dinner. Dinner for two, food only, $40-$63. Prix-fixe dinner is $17.95. The Sunset dinner is $10.95.