JLX Bistro

They're the most energized participants in a scene devoted more to the intensely social than the casually edible.

And JLX Bistro, offspring of last year's East Hampton hottie, Jean-Luc East, moves Sag Harbor a little further from relaxed summers gone by.

The mango martinis and cinnamon sangria evoke seasons more recent than past. The process, however, has been under way for a decade. Some locals would say longer. But after a night or two at JLX, Sag Harbor 2004 seems officially Hamptonized.

JLX Bistro takes over the old site of Peter Miller, Harbor Rose and, considerably earlier, a gas station. It has the right art direction and set decoration for a French-dressed, summery stop, with sunny tones, dark banquettes, tiles, ample amounts of Absolut, and a barside noise level that could propel you to Shelter Island.

The adjoining dining room is a little more restrained, as likely diners peruse menus and wait for a table. No reservations taken; no prisoners, either. Eventually, you're seated. The staff is jaded and distracted but sometimes efficient, given the circumstances; their overseers are friendly.

But JLX is less ambitious than Jean-Luc East and less appealing. You'll have to order more carefully and put up with a more high-strung buzz.

So, get some energy from the "Hungarian steak tartare," the size of a tuna can and in the shade of paprika. It's a well-seasoned, lean production, served with toast points.

The house's crab cake, paired with a corn-and-red pepper salad, also is plump and serviceable. The shrimp-and-vegetable spring roll, crisp and fragile, is teamed with a sweet peach salsa.

But the artichoke vinaigrette is pretty dry and short on tenderness. Frisée salad benefits from sliced fingerling potatoes and diced bacon. Still, the effect is less than routine.

You could say that about the croque monsieur, too. The classic, toasted ham-and-cheese sandwich shows up cool at the center, and is more like a deli special than a Parisian reverie. The quiche Lorraine, with a tasty salad of mixed greens, arrives blackened at the edges.

But JLX's hamburgers are fat and juicy. Have yours all the way: caramelized onions, bacon, mushrooms, Gruyere. Or veer toward the lobster-and-crabmeat salad with coleslaw, and the soft-shell crab and avocado sandwich with spicy mayo.

Broiled lobster is satisfactory, sent out with lemon butter and respectable frites. The essential seafood fish here, however, is a witty play on fish-and-chips. It's an ample portion of fried Atlantic cod paired with a Lincoln Log configuration of yucca chips, and a lemony tartar sauce.

Steamed mussels have a savory, eastern scent and flavor of lemongrass and ginger. They're recommended. Those haricots verts are the sidekick for a pristine, whole grilled Montauk sea bass. Sauteed spinach does the same for pan-roasted salmon.

The "fear factor" rib steak weighs in at 11/2 pounds. But it's a dull, chewy affair, short on the advertised chopped garlic and topped with greasy, wispy fried onions. You're better off with steak frites.

Desserts are so-so and less-so. The professional crème brûlée, vanilla variety, heads the contingent. But rum crepes floating on a puddle of blueberries need more verve than whipped cream. Coffee eclairs in "ganache sauce" are bakery quality, as is the apple-and-almond tart. You could be content with the sorbet trio, of mango, lemon and passion fruit.

To fit in effortlessly, however, skip the finales. Just move languidly but ever attentively to the music, at table and beyond. Is it the soundtrack from "Sleepless in Seattle"? And who gets the mojito?

Reviewed by Peter M. Gianotti, 8/22/04.