Feeling Fresh at Champagne Bis

There’s a new chef in town: Recently arrived from Provence to take over the kitchen at Sophie Healy’s Champagne Bis, Christian Plumail may be just what Southern California’s French restaurant scene needs--a fresh, enthusiastic voice of good taste.

It’s said that if Plumail had stayed at his restaurant l’Abbaye, near Nice, he was certain to receive a second Michelin star. Instead, he has come to Los Angeles where he is learning to work with a whole new set of local products. Early meals at Champagne Bis show that the lessons are going well.

Lobster and foie gras show up on the menu, but there are no extraneous spoonfuls of caviar, no price-inflating shavings of out-of-season truffle. When you taste his food, it’s clear that Plumail prefers to impress you with the wonders of simpler ingredients. He brings out the sweetness of a piece of pan-fried salmon by matching it with a side of artichokes and fennel confit. Rack of lamb is drizzled with a thyme-scented jus . Rabbit terrine is earthy, accented with rosemary. Fresh red snapper is crusted with fresh dill.

There are some tricks--rock lobster “cappuccino,” for instance, a full-flavored foamy-topped bisque; “braided” duck slices; a woven basket of thinly sliced asparagus around a lobster salad--but you never get the sense that Plumail prefers looks over taste.

* Champagne Bis, 10506 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 474-6619. Entrees $18-$24.