Your passport to French L.A.

How French can L.A. restaurant kitchens get? Very. Special French-themed nights, even French-themed weeks, are an ongoing attraction at restaurants all around town. Chaya in West Hollywood started Monday brasserie night a couple months ago as a way to highlight the French side of its Franco-Japanese cuisine. The $35 prix fixe menu, which changes weekly, features three courses. Entrees have included grilled fillet of beef with lavender-infused Port sauce, asparagus and haricots verts as well as pan-roasted duck breast with cherry-Port sauce served with mushrooms, potato galette and herb salad.

JiRaffe in Santa Monica also goes French on Mondays, with its bistro nights. Butcher paper covers the tables, berets top the servers, carafes of wine are passed around, and a three-course menu is offered for less than $30. Chef-owner Rafael Lunetta has offered dishes such as crisp whitefish with wild mushroom and turnip duxelles, beef bourguignon and a rendition of chicken pot pie, Frenchified with morels and asparagus.

On Tuesday nights, moules frites (mussels and French fries) are the star at Mimosa. Chef Jean-Pierre Bosc does six different preparations, all priced at $14, including mariniere (white wine and shallot), mouclade (white wine, curry and coconut milk) and provencale (white wine, onion, piquillos and tomato). On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Bosc makes bouillabaisse using local scorpion fish, which he likens to racasse, the fish most commonly used in the south of France. “That’s the No. 1 fish for the bouillabaisse,” offers Bosc. “No racasse, no bouillabaisse.”

Le Marmiton, the tiny Santa Monica bistro, also does bouillabaisse -- using swordfish, salmon, black mussels, shrimp and clams -- on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Finally, through mid-September, Morel’s French Steakhouse & Bistro at the Grove is offering “Passport de L.A. France” with themes that change every two weeks. “Rhone, White and Bleu,” for example, runs through Thursday, with a 2001 Cotes du Rhone from Chateau des Tours ($38 per carafe) and boudin noir with roasted apples and pommes frites ($14.75). On Friday, the theme changes to “Sancerre-ly Yours.”

How do you say “cheesy” in French? Fromageux!

-- Leslee Komaiko

Small bites

* Gingergrass, a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant, has opened in Silver Lake. In addition to traditional items like pho, chef Mako Antonishek (a veteran of Le Colonial) is doing vegetarian dishes such as crisp tofu on a bed of shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy with a vegan “nuoc cham” fish sauce.

Gingergrass, 2396 Glendale Blvd., Silver Lake, (323) 644-1600.

* The restaurant formerly known as Opaline has been transformed into a contemporary Italian spot called Cafe Capo. As with sister restaurant Capo in Santa Monica, its executive chef is Bruce Marder. Here, he and chef Ricky Moreno are doing Italian classics like osso bucco and gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce, as well as some American entries, including a kobe-style beef burger.

Cafe Capo, 7450 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 857-0660.

* Several places are getting out the barbecue. The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills has started monthly theme barbecue dinners. Tonight’s has a classic all-American menu, while August’s menu will have a Balinese flavor. In September, chef Conny Andersson will look to North Africa. Meanwhile, Cinch in Santa Monica is offering a barbecue menu on Sunday evenings in addition to the regular menu.

Four Seasons Hotel, 300 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 273-2222. Cinch, 1519 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 395-4139.