JiRaffe goes bistro

Monday nights are tough. A good many restaurants are dark that night, and if they’re not, it’s often the chef’s night off. Of course, there’s always Monterey Park, where the woks are blazing and the shrimp are steaming practically 24/7.

Now there’s a casual Monday-night bistro at JiRaffe -- not that this Santa Monica Cal-French restaurant has ever been particularly formal. Maybe in this case “casual” just means easier on the wallet, with a three-course dinner running $24 to $29, depending on the night’s menu, with wines by the carafe. (The regular menu is also available.)

Though chef-owner Raphael Lunetta only began bistro night two weeks ago, when I called early on Monday afternoon last week, the only reservation I could get was for 8:45 that night. And when we walked in at 8:30, the restaurant was a happy clamor, every table taken, and a half dozen would-be diners waiting at the bar.

The only sign that something different was going on was the waiter in a red beret. When he came over to our table, it turned out he had a French accent to match. Whether it was real or whether he was an actor trying it on for the night was hard to tell.

I was puzzled when I opened the menu. There was no mention of bistro inside. And no list of wines by the carafe. Wasn’t this supposed to be bistro night, I asked? Where was the menu?

“In my head,” the French-accented waiter said, tapping his temple. “The bistro menu is three courses for $24.” Reaching over, he turned my menu around so he could read it and pointed out the two first-course choices. One was seared ahi tuna sashimi with Japanese mint and a red and nappa cabbage salad; the other was a special of grilled shrimp with vegetables encircled with a brunoise sauce. The two bistro main course choices that night were both on the regular menu: roasted chicken with a vegetable ragout and pancetta-stuffed Idaho trout.

(In the future, the bistro menu will not be in the waiter’s head. Instead of being signature JiRaffe dishes from the regular menu, it will be designed specifically for bistro night. You’ll be able to call any time from Thursday afternoon on and find out what Monday’s menu will be.)

Now I noticed the blackboard listing the two wines by the half-bottle carafe for the night, an undistinguished Pouilly-Fume and a Chateau St. Jean Pinot Noir, both pretty dull. In the future, I hope Lunetta will be a bit more daring. With carafes at $7 to $12, there’s a great opportunity here to showcase little-known wines from France or California that won’t break the bank.

By the way, there was no question that the chef was in the kitchen that night. Lunetta, looking very much like one of the Three Musketeers, took a break in the bar between courses.

How big a bargain is bistro night? Well, if you add up the ahi tuna ($12.50) and the chicken ($22), plus a dessert ($8) from last Monday’s menu, the total would ordinarily be $42.50, rather than $24.

Incidentally, that dessert was the best and most truly French part of that night’s bistro menu: supple crepes filled with a gently sweetened pastry cream.

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JiRaffe

Where: 502 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica

When: Bistro menu, Mondays only, 6 to 9:30 p.m.

Cost: Three-course bistro menu, $24 to $29

Info: Full bar. Valet parking.

Contact: (310) 917-6671