1000 Water St. SW (202) 488-8111 Hours of Operation and Prices Lunch: M-F 11:30-2:30; Entrees: $10-$15 Dinner: M-Th 5:30-10:30, F-Sat 5:30-11, Sun 5-9; Entrees: $13-$22 Pre-Theater: Daily 5:30-6:30, $17 Other Information • Credit Cards: All major • Reservations: Recommended • Dress: Casual • Parking: Valet (fee) • Nearest Metro: L'Enfant Plaza

While most waterfront seafood restaurants simply defrost, heat and serve the likes of Alaskan crab legs or frozen, breaded seafood dinners, Le Rivage goes so far as to smoke its own salmon. Its fish is not only fresh, but it's prepared with obvious care. Its crab bisque is a spicy, earthy, house-made broth that's just a variation on the classic lobster bisque, and there's also a Riviera-style fish chowder.

The standing menu lists the typically French mussels in white wine, lobster in beurre blanc, gratin of seafood and meat dishes from duck breast with cassis to beef stew with mushrooms. The most interesting items on the menu, however, are the daily specials. That's where you'll find the fresh catch - the usual farmed salmon fillets, to be sure, but offered in a modern French manner with seasonings like lemon grass or sometimes blackened with Cajun spices. The vegetable accompaniments are bright and firm (and there's a Provençal vegetable stew for vegetarians), the salads are tangy and crisp, and Le Rivage makes all its desserts, from the sorbets to the tarts of seasonal fruits. You can sample the full range of desserts on a whimsical mock palette with nearly a dozen little dishes arranged along the rim, enough for two or even more. Just the thing for after the theater at Arena down the street.