The Brasserie: Tales of a French Facelift

7:25 p.m. on Tuesday night: The Brasserie is abuzz with Oxford-cloth-shirted, middle-aged men, and women in equal dress. There is a small cluster of patrons beginning to collect next to the miniature Georges Debeouf wine barrel inside the entrance; they're hoping to be seated, but no tables remain. They will eat somewhere else tonight.

Tuesdays at Saint Tropez were not like this.

In late May 2010, Saint Tropez fell victim to the hard economic times and quickly reconfigured itself to suit the recession's dining trend: Quality food for affordable prices in a casual setting.

What you'll detect has happened to Saint Tropez is the restauranteur's form of cosmetic surgery. The management remains the same, as do the chefs  and waitstaff, but the food and decor have been nipped and tucked.

Tucked is the mural depicting the idyllic Provençal river town. Sailboats, charming storefronts and a distant steeple are no more; a chalkboard, scrawled with the night's specials, hangs in lieu. No longer are the walls a muted lemon. The room has a sleek overtone, toned a business gray as to suggest its modernity and the demise of its former charm.

Nipped are the daily offerings of unctuous French delicacies like foie gras, sweetbreads and frog legs. They will, however, resurface occasionally as specials: thickset frog thighs come wading in a pool of olive oil, lemon and enough garlic to ward off a commune of vampiric creatures for miles, a testament to Provençal cookery. If only the chef threw a little extra salt on the legs rather than over his left shoulder.

8 p.m.: The room is still alive. Our waitress scuttles by, and in her French- inflected English lets my table know, "It's so much better now!"

Is it though? Certainly there are more patrons,  but Saint Tropez's change brings on a feeling that's similar to when your 11-year-old best friend had gone off to summer camp for the first time, returning in late August as a different person.

Even so, it's comforting that much of the food is still high in quality. Tousled, peppery watercress is laced with Gorgonzola crumbles, salty bacon and red wine-poached pears aromatic of baking spice. A halo of balsamic girds the plate.  P.E.I. mussels greet your nose with a plume of garlic and ocean; the plump, meaty morsels burst inside your mouth filling it with their garlicky brine.

On hand is an extensive wine list of French bottlings; simple, accessible wines are also offered by the glass, merely the canvas on which the meal's flavors are mounted.

A glass of Arnoux & Fils Cotes-du-Rhone has enough tannin to contest the blackcurrant balsamic-lacquered short ribs; it accentuates the sauce's fruitiness yet remains as the backdrop. The ribs are textured yet tender, braised until they hardly cling to the bone. A knife is almost optional.

Swim past the tilapia with the champagne cream; the filets nearly drown in a bowl of hedonistic guilt.

For an enjoyable dessert, stick with the French traditionals: Apple tart and profitéroles. Pass on the peach and raspberry mousse, it's more yogurt than mousse - grainy with lumps of fruit; forgettable. Check please.

Despite what management describes as less expensive fare, there isn't much of a difference between your check's total at The Brasserie and what it would have amounted to at Saint Tropez. The prices have hardly diminished.

Maybe, after all, it wasn't the economic hardships that kept patrons from dining at Saint Tropez,  ending its 11-year French reign.  Perhaps after 11 years, Fairfield just wanted a change.

The Brasserie

52 Sanford St. Fairfield, CT 06430; 203-254-8094; www.thebrasseriect.com

ATMOSPHERE: Dining with middle-aged professionals in a sleekly-furnished room.

SOUND LEVEL: A modest hum of voices, far from offensive.

RECOMMENDED DISHES: P.E.I. mussels, watercress and gorgonzola salad, braised short ribs.

WINE LIST: Pure French domination both by the glass and bottle.

PRICE RANGE: Appetizers, $6 to $10; entrees, $15 to $22; dessert, $5 to $8.

HOURS: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Thursday 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

RESERVATIONS: Recommended for dinner, call 203-254-8094.

CREDIT CARDS: All major cards.