Anyone who enters GiGi's will get what diners have always dreamed of: excellent food, superb service and, at the end of the meal, a check that won't send the host through the roof. Small wonder since its opening early last October in Mizner Park, GiGi's has become a mecca for discriminating south-county gourmets.
    On a recent Saturday evening, a friend and I went to Boca Raton's GiGI's for dinner. As soon as we were seated, a waiter appeared with a plate of grougères - small, soufflé-textured biscuits made from choux pastry, Gruyère and fines herbes. Champagne seemed the only foil for this innovative alternative to the usual basket of rolls; we ordered a glass of Domain Chandon, Blanc de Noirs ($5.95 each).
    At GiGi's, fun is the concept; the diner eats what he wants - within a choice of four different dining areas to play in: The Oyster Bar (Edwardian and pubby), the Café (for pre- or late-evening grazing), the Cub Room (smoking allowed) or the Brasserie (relaxed, intimate ambiance).
    The food is also lightened-up. In line with the current comfort-food trend, Bobby Lane - GiGi's chef and culinary mastermind - has divined a French bistro-type menu offering items such as onion soup gratinée ($4.95), croque monsieur ($5.95) and bouillabaisse ($19.00) all designed to whisk the diner away from the la folie of the daily life.
    Moreover, GiGi's features a net full of "Les Plateaux de Fruits de Mer" - Fresh and steamed seafood items - including fresh oysters, clams and mussels which are "priced by tide" and harvested only from certified, coldwater beds.
    Our meal began with two culinary lightning strikes. The pâté de champagne ($6.95), a toothsome mélange of veal and pork flavored with quatre épices (a classic spice mixture), was consorted by a crisp frisée salad anointed with a ground-mustard vinaigrette. Delicious indeed, but the Savage Napoleon ($6.95) provided even more adventure: flaky pastry, layered with herbed goat's cheese and sautéed wild mushrooms, launched on a port-wine demiglace.
    My guest's entrée, a baked triple tail-grouper filet with horseradish breading ($18.95), had flesh so delicate, it virtually melted on the tongue. The accompanying, and somewhat disappointingly flat-tasting, saffron beurre blanc was redeemed by a cloud of mashed potatoes perfumed with spinach, leek and garlic.
    My roast duck à l'orange ($13.95), blessed with moist and tender flesh - and by a dark lacquered skin that crackled as my knife cut across it, was garnished with a bed of cumin-scented cous-cous pearls scattered with red and green peppers, orange slices and pine nuts.
    An exemplar of GiGi's precise and unobtrusive service, our waiter Michael Ignatowicz selected the two wines we enjoyed with our entrées - Château La Toque, blanc, for the grouper; J.Lohr, Riverstone Chardonnay, for the duck. Both, $5.95 a glass.
    GiGi's desserts were equally irrésistible. One bite of the zephyr-light apple beignets (fritters), flavored with kirsch and peach schnapps - or the chocolate croissant bread pudding (both $5.95) would have been worth the visit alone.

    Billed as a French-inspired tavern, oyster bar and cafe, GiGi's is all that and more. Located in fashionable Mizner Park, GiGi's in the brain child of owner Karl Alterman, formerly of Unique Restaurant Concepts and chef Bobby Lane, formerly of Oxley's. With a rich decor, friendly staff and tasty fare, GiGi's is a winner, attracting a professional and polished crowd. As the night progresses the scene turns more boisterous, and diners head to the large bar to drink, socialize and watch sporting events. GiGi's is perfect for both a light snack after shopping or a long evening of fine food and wine.
    Upon my arrival one Wednesday night, the hostess warmly greeted me and my friend Allison and sat us in a primo spot - one of several booths that line the back of the restaurant, affording us the best view in the house. Immediately a basket of warm herbed popovers arrived at our table. Called grugeres, these melt-in-your-mouth starters consist of Gruyère and goat cheese, cream, eggs, butter, flour and various spices - a combination that is so heavenly we polished off two baskets. To wash down the creamy concoctions I ordered GiGI's Cauldron, the restaurant's own microbrewed beer. Created in Ybor City, it is a light and refreshing Alsatian-style lager. Meanwhile, my companion was pleasantly surprised to see the multitude of wines by the glass and chose a Lockwood Chardonnay.
    Our waiter, who introduced himself as Sparkey, was very knowledgeable, and though the specials are written on chalkboards that dot the room, he described each one in great detail. GiGi's lengthy menu contains two sections: one that features seafood specialties such as oysters, mussels and gravlax, the other describing creative French dishes. Being adventurous, we opted to try everything. Soon an immense platter of assorted shellfish was set before us. Oysters from Maryland, Texas, Maine and New York beamed in liquid freshness, hearty stone crabs proved once again why they are the king of the ocean, and crisp, chilled shrimp luxuriated in a spicy and delicious rémoulade sauce. Not since Grand Central has an "oyster bar" been so aptly - and wonderfully - named.
    Leaving the sea behind, we ventured toward more conventional dished. Three appetizers arrived: leek and tomato fondue, savage napoleon and that night's special, escargot. The leek and tomato fondue, served in a deep dish, was filled to the brim with Gruyère. Big chunks of fresh tomato swam in the cheese while the leeks added a slightly bitter taste to the mix. Though the fondue is served with baguette crisps for dipping, I preferred eating it with GiGI's homemade potato chips, which are seasoned with Gruyère cheese and herbs. The escargot, in a red wine sauce over puff pastry is not conventional in that the snails were served out of their shells. Adding spice to the dish were mushrooms, artichokes and pearl onions. The last appetizer we sampled was the savage napoleon, a pastry with wild mushrooms and herbed cheese. Although the sauce accompanying the napoleon was too sweet for my taste, I found the cheese at the bottom of the plate added just the right amount of sharpness to make this appetizer delicious.
    And the the entrees were placed upon the table. I ordered the pan-roasted farm chicken, a deboned half bird with glaze and herb frites. Crispy and spicy on the outside, the chicken was tender and juicy on the inside. After scraping away the too-sweet garlic glaze, I savored every bite of my flavorful meal. I also substituted the herb frites for garlicky spinach - a name they weren't joking about - which I loved. (Chunks of garlic abound in this tangle of fresh spinach, so diners on a first date might want to avoid this side dish.) My friend couldn't stop raving about her filet mignon aux champignons. The very generous cut (nine to ten ounces) was extremely tender in texture and robust in flavor. Prepared differently from other such steaks, GiGI's in first skillet-roasted and then thrown on the grill. The filet mignon is enhanced by a port wine sauce and Portobello, porcini, and oyster mushrooms. Accompanied by a heaping portion of creamy spinach leek mashed potatoes, this entree is the ultimate in comfort food.
    Even though we couldn't fathom the idea of more to eat, when the dessert menu came around, we jumped at it. Two dishes caught our fancy: apple beignets with vanilla ice cream and crème brûlée. The beignets, with its crispy coating, reminded me of apple tempura, while the vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce added just the right amount of sweetness. The crème brûlée was served in a deep dish, though I prefer a thinner dessert I was enchanted by the silkiness of the vanilla cream. Coffee and port completed our wonderful meal, and we left GiGi's with a greater appreciation of French cuisine.