Revised French Yannick Cam Makes Statement With Le Paradouís Updated Cooking by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana Le Paradou may be writing the manual for the latest edition of revised classic French cooking in the area. The restaurant is chef Yannick Camís latest venture in Washington. Cam is a French native and a familiar name in the metro areaís kitchens serving French cuisine. He has been involved with or owned a series of restaurants in the area dating back to the 1970s with Le Pavillon, Yannickís, Provence, Coco Loco and Le Jardin. Then in 2002, he left for a stint in Boston. Cam returned to the area as a consulting chef for Le Relais, but this year he opened his new restaurant, Le Paradou, which seems to be the culmination of a lifelong dream. Le Paradou gets its name from a small town in France, but there is nothing rustic about the restaurant, starting with the interior, which is as sleek and modern as a piece of Danish furniture. The backlit bar is the first thing you notice as you enter through the front of the restaurant off tiny Indiana Avenue. The main dining room is a level down behind the bar, and a second smaller dining room is another level down and behind the main dining room. The entire space is decorated in organic colors, mostly tan, with accents of natural wood and clean lines using chrome and glass. One nice feature was that the center part of the ceiling in the main dining room is perforated with tiny lights shining through as though it were the star-lit night sky. The rest of the lighting is low, diffused and soft. The menu is not designed in typical al la carte style. Instead, the food is priced according to the number of courses you want. A two-course meal is $58, three courses $75, six courses $100, or the chefís nine-course tasting menu for $135. We knew that if the starters were an indication of things to come from the kitchen, then we were in for something special. The first one was a variation of a crËme caramel with seared duck foie gras covered with caramelized plums. We gave this high marks for originality. The appetizers showed a flair for the dramatic, served on huge white curved rectangular plates. The wild salmon tartar was typical of Camís ingredient selection: The raw salmon was shaped into discs and topped with sliced quail egg and osetra caviar. It was a delicate dish, with very tender tartar and subtle but compelling flavors. The lobster claw salad featured a disk of avocado terrine in a pool of gazpacho, with the lobster claw perched on top of the mound and micro-greens sprinkled over the whole thing. The avocado and gazpacho were understated enough so as not to overpower the lobster. The crab ravioli was a standout, even among the other impressive dishes. A savory combination of ingredients, the three round raviolis of tender pasta were stuffed with crabmeat and covered with fresh white corn ragout. The butter content was apparently high but worth it. The wait staff worked with a mix of proper traditional service and friendliness without getting too familiar. We thought the black business suits and dark ties were an attractive and distinguished touch over the standard short waiter coats. Our waiter was exceptionally knowledgeable and confident in his recommendations, and there seemed to be no bottom to what he knew about the restaurant and food, which is always reassuring. Although weíve had our share of roasted rack of lamb, we were impressed with how well Le Paradouís version tasted. Incredibly tender and without a trace of gaminess, the three pieces were served in a savory black olive reduction with green asparagus. Another current favorite on many of the cityís finer menus is bass. The fish at Le Paradou was served as a thick square, crispy brown on the exterior, and stuffed with shrimp mousse. It was accompanied by roasted scallops and a vermouth sauce with saffron and rosemary. For dessert, we decided to mellow down with the baba ($12) an updated traditional confectionary of a rich cake soaked in rum with roasted pineapple and nicely paired with coconut ice cream. Slightly more exotic was the vacherin ($12), which consisted of several crisp apricot meringue rings stacked on top of each other and drenched with apricot coulis. We remember how much we liked eating at Le Jardin a few years ago, vowing to return. With our visit to Le Paradou, we feel we finally did. Le Paradou is located at 678 Indiana Ave., NW. The phone number is (202) 347-6780 and the Web site is www.leparadou.net. The kitchen is open for lunch from Monday to Friday from 12 to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served Monday to Thursday from 6 to 10:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Dress ranges from business to urban elegant. Valet parking is available. Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana are the restaurant reviewers for The Washington Diplomat.