BROOKSIDE. Featuring a coffee bar for sleepy morning customers and a cheerful, rustic dining room for later in the day, Aixois is fast becoming a Brookside mainstay. Classic French dishes, simply prepared, form the backbone of the dinner menu. Start with classic hors d'oeuvres ­ mussels cooked with wine, herbs, and shallots, or snails in garlic, parsley, and butter will whet your appetite. Entrees include grilled duck breast with sauteed mushrooms and black truffle sauce, and scallops and shrimp in a port reduction with crystallized ginger. Beef, veal, and fish also make appearances in a variety of savory sauces. Don't forgo either chocolate and fruit crepes or profiteroles for dessert.

PRAIRIE VILLAGE. With a chocolatier and pastry chef from Lyon, France, this small bakery brings a large dose of authenticity to local sweet tooths. Within the cheery, yellow-walled space, you can enjoy a coffee and pastry at your leisure, or a small patio is available. Cookies, brownies, and an assortment of bars, fruit tarts, breads, and muffins can be had, and a small but delightful lunch menu includes quiches, sandwiches (including a croque monsieur), and salads. Espresso drinks, brewed coffee, and Italian sodas comprise the drink offerings.

DOWNTOWN ­ RIVER MARKET. With one bite of this restaurant's signature seafood dishes and cream sauces, you'll be transported directly to southern France. The eatery's moniker is a tongue-in-cheek reference to "The Crazy Frenchman" chef-owner, who hails from Marseille. His culinary skills are evidenced in pan-seared pheasant, crispy duck breast with honey lavender sauce, pan-seared diver scallops with seaweed salad, and sauteed Chilean sea bass with a smoked bacon-tomato compote. A perennial favorite of visitors and locals.

PRAIRIE VILLAGE. Ever heard the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover?" Well, the phrase applies to this unique eatery tucked away in a strip mall. The Japanese name (its chef-owner is Tatsu Arai) belies the delicious Continental cuisine on offer, and authentic French dishes like seafood bisque and salmon en croûte are served amid a softly-lit, romantic decor that's both comfortable and stylish. Reservations recommended.