Best of 2003: Best French Bistro

Chez Odette
3614 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest
619-299-1000

Odette comes from Belgium and she has decorated her small place like a bistro in Brussels. Her place smells of fresh French bread and garlic. She has cooked for the best, including Julie Andrews, Governor Jerry Brown, Linda Ronstadt, and, uh, Marilyn Monroe's psychiatrist. Great breakfast omelets include the Provençal and the smoked salmon. The accompanying sautéed potatoes are to die for. At lunchtime, her salade niçoise and quiche Lorraine are the real thing. But for a real déjeuner, try her stuffed pork with apple cooked in port wine or seafood pasta with mussels, shrimp, and salmon.