by Frank Sabatini Jr.

Mille Fleurs
6009 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe • 858-756-3085
Chef Martin Woesle has remained at the helm of this upscale restaurant for the past 20 years, sticking faithfully to the tenets of French cooking that have garnered him recognition in Gourmet Magazine, the New York Times and Zagat Guide. A cozy, parlor-like atmosphere sets the stage for such favorites as clear lobster bisque, poached veal tongue and squab breast with foie gras.

Savory
267 El Camino Real, Encinitas • 760-634-5556
From appetizers to entrees, Savory’s menu provides suggested wine pairings at every stop for those who haven’t discovered the joys of drinking a crisp Viognier with a sprightly green salad adorned with toasted goat cheese, or say, an Old World, inkyred Rhone to wash down that hardy beef pot roast. From duck leg confit to lamb osso bucco, chef-owner Pascal Vignau’s dishes are flawlessly countrified. And his signature pear crisp is a must. The sleek atmosphere is appointed in colored glass light fixtures, upholstered banquettes and soundproof panels on the ceiling.

Currant American Brasserie
140 W. Broadway • 619-702-6309
Downtown’s answer to a stylish Paris-meets-Manhattan brasserie has arrived at the historic and refurbished Sofi a Hotel, where Chef Jonathan Pflueger churns out such delights as soufflé omelets with asparagus, buttermilk frog legs and a decadent sweetbread club layered with foie gras mousse. But where do those tart little currants surface, given the restaurant’s name? In our last visit they appeared only in a Tuscan bread salad paired with roasted chicken, although you’ll see them crawling up a few columns in hand-painted form near the fashionably appointed bar lounge.

WineSellar & Brasserie
9550 Waples Street, Suite 115 • 858-450-9557
Hidden within a Sorrento Mesa office park, upstairs from the WineSellar retail shop, this intimate restaurant offers French-inspired cuisine that points to outstanding white corn and truffle soup, pan-roasted pheasant and other seasonally driven treasures. Customers will also revel in one of the largest and most exclusive wine lists in San Diego County — fine French labels not excluded.

Bleu Bohème
4090 Adams Ave. • 619-255-4167
Restaurateur Philippe Beltran brings to Kensington a slice of his native Paris in a chic new haunt boasting heavy wood beams, sea-blue walls, rough-cut limestone and candlesticks on every table. A divided menu features traditional and contemporary French cuisine that includes plump escargot imported from Burgundy, charcuterie, filet mignon served with three sauces, and of course the cherished winter dish of France, coq au vin (chicken and veggies braised in scads of red wine).