It is no wonder that, when stealing the word amuse-bouche from the vocabulary of French cuisine, Americans commonly take only the first part, and unceremoniously dump its trailer. The First Amendment covers the freedom to butcher the French language, we cannot let old Europe's silly traditions straight-jacket the American idiom into a convoluted and elitist language. So amuse it is.

Still, some of the silly French cooking traditions find a way to creep back into America. There is no surprise to find them at the French Laundry or Campton Place, but we were shocked to encounter amuses and some other classically French twists at a month old restaurant in the Sunset. Dragonfly showed surprising class, and offered us a complimentary amuse on both our visits. We did not expect it the least: it is a Vietnamese restaurant, a category which, with the exception of the Slanted Door, evoques big bowls of pho in bare settings. But Dragonfly is quite an overachiever.