8808 Centre Park Dr., (near Route 108) Columbia. 410-997-3560http://www.cafedepariscolumbia.com/

Open: for lunch Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; for dinner Tuesday through Friday 5 to 9 p.m., Saturday 5 to 10 p.m., Sunday 5 to 8:30 p.m.; for brunch Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Monday. AE, MC, V. Free parking. No smoking. Prices: dinner appetizers $7.50 to $10.95, entrees $21 to $39. Full dinner with wine, tax and tip about $70 per person.

** Evening Star Cafe

2000 Mount Vernon Ave. (at E. Howell Ave.), Alexandria. 703-549-5051http://www.eveningstarcafe.net/

Open: for lunch Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; for dinner Sunday through Thursday 5:30 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 11 p.m.; for brunch Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. AE, V, MC. Street parking. Smoking in the bar. Prices: dinner appetizers $4 to $10, entrees $16 to $25. Full dinner with wine, tax and tip about $60 per person.

*1/2 Fahrenheit

3100 South St. NW. 202-912-4110

Open: for breakfast Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to noon; for lunch Monday through Saturday noon to 2:30 p.m.; for dinner Sunday through Thursday 6 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 6 to 11 p.m.; for brunch Sunday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. AE, MC, V. No smoking. Free valet parking. Metro: Foggy Bottom. No smoking. Prices: dinner appetizers $6 to $24; entrees $16 to $35. Full dinner with wine, tax and tip about $75 per person.

One in a series of occasional looks at previously reviewed restaurants.

Let's count the ways Cafe de Paris woos us: Once a month, owner Erik Rochard hosts a martini happy hour fueled with live jazz (he's the guy on the flute), and chef Damien O'Donnell offers cooking instruction in classes designed for both kids and adults. The convivial French restaurant also features frequent wine dinners and hors d'oeuvres-and-alcohol tastings and, for bargain hunters, a set menu of three courses for $36.95. "Are you kid-friendly?" strangers sometimes call to ask Rochard. "Yes, I have four of my own!" the restaurateur might respond. A stash of Legos, dominoes and other games at Cafe de Paris underscores his commitment to everyone having a good time there. The assorted activities, suggests Rochard, help "people remember you."

All I know is, I don't need music or Monopoly to help me appreciate the tender and herby snails I'm devouring, or the crisp duck leg confit that follows the appetizer. The entree is flanked by perfect companions: garlicky slices of sauteed potato and winy mush-rooms. Recently promoted from sous-chef to top gun in the kitchen, O'Donnell does well by French bistro standards. Yet knowing that he once cooked at Roy's, the chain of fusion restaurants launched by Hawaiian chef Roy Yamaguchi, explains the presence of a few less-obvious choices on the menu, including a first course of barbecued ribs. A tepee of meaty glazed ribs rises above a bright Asian slaw whose bite counters the ribs' sweet glaze. Who knew ribs could be so elegant?

Not every dish delivers. A special of mahi-mahi highlighted overcooked fish and a "pesto" couscous that translated into a gluey thimble of green starch. And the chocolate mousse, though of fine flavor, was as dense as cement when I tried it. But there's much more to praise than to pick apart at Cafe de Paris, where the snug seating and muted lighting foster an air of easy romance, and the beef bourguignon over pasta makes the drive from the big city worth the haul. Tilapia in a crust of pistachios, gilded with lobster cream and served with melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi, is an easy dish to fall for, as is warm banana bread, sliced and offered with spicy pumpkin ice cream.

Did I mention the house-made pâté, deliciously dense with dried fruit and nuts? Or the endearing service? I did not, but only because I want to be able to get a seat here again.

A BEACON IN ALEXANDRIA'S DEL RAY NEIGHBORHOOD, Evening Star Cafe is the culinary equivalent of a pat on the back, a quick hug, a friendly handshake. Its American menu -- conceived by the recently arrived Matt Cordes -- weaves red, white and blue (think roast chicken) with contemporary notions (the bird comes with thyme-scented gravy). And the space all but says, "Howdy, neighbor." Ketchup-red booths hug mustard-yellow walls that are illuminated with sconces fashioned from toy parts. Sure, it's small. But the smiles are big, there are two cozy lounges to wait in until it's your turn to eat, and the blue velvet chairs make it easy to hang out.

Some of the food will keep you in your seat, too, particularly anything with an Asian accent. Piping hot spring rolls filled with shredded duck and presented with a not-too-sweet peanut dip make a nice introduction, as does a salad of green beans tossed with red onion and radish slivers, and bound with a zingy ginger vinaigrette. And mussels in a creamy coconut milk broth, whose richness is cut with pickled ginger, turns out to be one of those dishes that is as good for its sauce as for its star.

Like its siblings, Tallulah in Arlington and Vermilion in Old Town, Evening Star lets you drink well. Its basic wine list offers some good sips (and nothing is more than $30), while its extensive master list reflects the restaurant's ties to the shop next door, Planet Wine.

Curiously, some of the homier-sounding dishes fall flatter than Nebraska. Beef tenderloin reveals very little savor, a problem exacerbated by wimpy mashed potatoes and a crown of fried onions bested by the stuff you can buy in a can. The grilled pork chop is almost as lackluster, though it's thrown a lifeline in the form of a dollop of soft polenta. The kitchen serves a respectable hamburger, however, and desserts tap into primal pleasures. Made with risotto, the kitchen's riff on rice pudding is gussied up with candied pistachios and a breezy-with-mint syrup. Chocolate can be experienced a couple of ways: as an espresso-blasted brownie partnered with nutmeg ice cream or, more fashionably, as a ganache tart with a cap of bananas and meringue. Either requires great patience with your table mates, who will undoubtedly want in on the action.

I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED SITTING IN FAHRENHEIT. With its never-ending brick walls and epic windows framed by sheer, champagne-colored curtains, this airy and modern restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown nods to the future as it pays respect to the past: Some tables take in a view of a slender chimney outside, a reminder that the setting was carved from a former municipal incinerator (hence the name Fahrenheit). The chairs are comfortable, the music is jazzy and the gratis nosh from the chef -- creamy butternut squash one night, a refreshing bite of spring roll another time -- leads you to believe great things are in store.

Sometimes they are. Chef Terence Feury, hired from the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia to take over the kitchen last fall, has some great ideas on his menu: His creamy peanut soup, garnished with tiny chicken croquettes and jalapeno slivers, is an elegant twist on tradition, and bites of tuna banded in seaweed and served as tempura with a salad of pickled ginger are light and luscious. Short ribs are charmingly staged in a little black casserole, with a rainbow of vegetables and a drizzle of horseradish cream. And I applaud a kitchen that (food fashion alert!) serves its savory dishes in two sizes: appetizers are available "small" or "medium," and entrees can be ordered "medium" or "large."

The problem is, you might not want some items in any amount. Roasted prawns, for instance, are chokingly salty, rest on a bed of oddly crunchy red lentils and show no signs of the chili vinaigrette promised in the menu. Pumpkin risotto lacks any evidence of the vegetable. A side dish of black-eyed peas is so sweet it could pass for the third course. Some of the desserts make me wonder when they were made. Peanut butter cheesecake does a great imitation of a stale Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. And a lemon tart is defeated by its bland and rubbery crust. The lunch menu reads like a hotel room service document -- really safe and truly unimaginative.

It doesn't help that the service is inconsistent. One visit, no one bothers to take our coats, which we end up bunching on our chairs. On another visit, a managerial type shows up with our appetizers and informs us, "You'll be seeing a lot of me tonight. An SA decided not to show up." Huh? "Service assistant," he explains. That's TMI -- too much information -- when I'm shelling out $150 for dinner for two. Yet other days, diners dressed in dark clothes are thoughtfully handed black linen napkins, and my coat is ready and waiting as I bid adieu.

Fahrenheit is a Ritz-Carlton property that looks as if W Hotel designed it, and sometimes acts as if the Super 8 were running it.

Ask Tom will return next week. To chat with Tom online, click on Live Online at www.washingtonpost.com on Wednesdays at 11 a.m.