The Pirate of Bistro Row

Le Pirate has all the appearances of a hot, hip restaurant: low lights, intimate booths, a good-looking staff, each with the potential to snub if they must. On a recent Monday night, the self-described Bistro De Luxe is missing only thing: a crowd.

This may explain the unusual sighting of a French waiter who is actually friendly to his customers, even Americans.

He takes the time to explain that the item listed on the menu as “chopped lamb” is really a lamb chop. He tells you his favorite dishes on the menu with what appears to be actual enthusiasm--and his choices aren’t even the most expensive dishes. He apologizes profusely for the restaurant’s temporary lack of a liquor license. He says “thank you” approximately 27 times.

Best of all, he brings decent food to the table: salmon tartare with dabs of caviar, an old-fashioned Nicoise salad, an asparagus flan that is really more of an asparagus omelet set on a bed of salad greens dressed with good vinaigrette--a terrific combination. The lamb chops are pretty good, and there’s a nice filet mignon, unfortunately topped with overcooked, tough goose liver that is instantly forgotten once you taste the crisp, thin disc of fried potato that also comes on the plate.

Other things on the menu: “les 6 escargots,” steak tartare, sweetbreads, salmon in puff pastry, sea bass in a salt crust and duck stuffed with mushrooms. It’s not the sort of serious French cuisine you’ll find at L’Orangerie down the street, but it’s good cooking--and it’s reasonably priced. It’s also, with Fennel and Cafe Maurice, the third French bistro to open this year on La Cienega--is this the new bistro row?

Le Pirate, 980 N. La Cienega, West Hollywood, (310) 652-3585. Entrees $11.50 - $16.75.