Hungry for short ribs with steamed carrots at 6 p.m.? How about 1 a.m.? Either way, chef Nathan Coulon can suit your mood at Modus. (photo/alandeckerphoto.com)

In the restaurant business we are always talking about “turns.” “How many turns did you get last night?” would be a common question Bertrand Hugg (of Mille Fleurs) might ask George Hauer (of George’s at the Cove). This almighty term refers to how many times a restaurant turns over a table, or how many times it is seated in one evening.

Every restaurant wishes for, and most need, more than one complete turn per night in order to survive. That’s where it gets tricky, because there is a distinctly different set of diners who comprise each turn. There are the “early turns” (also referred to as the earlybirds, thus inspiring restaurants to create “earlybird specials”), there are those who dine during the peak restaurant dinner hour and then there are the “late turns,” those who dine after the normal dinner hour.

Modus, a recently opened Downtown eatery on Fourth Avenue, is a perfect example of a restaurant that caters to the “late turn.” Modus proprietors Scott Johnson and Nathan Coulon created a trendy environment in a quiet part of the city offering forward food that has created a lot of buzz on the Downtown food scene. Coulon, who literally grew up in the kitchen of his grandparents’ restaurant, the Belgian Lion, is the chef.

I dined at Modus on a Wednesday night, arriving at 6:00 sharp. I was admittedly early, but those of us who employ weeknight babysitters have learned that arriving early and dining at a fast clip assures us of getting home by 8:30. The room was sparse with guests throughout our meal — six, maybe seven tables all night. At least I thought it was all night, but, I left at 8:15.

The room is ultramodern, or “moderne,” as they say: clean, straight lines; a monochromatic color scheme and no unnecessary “decorative” extras. I like it. The menu follows the same method (“modus” means “method,” by the way, but I bet you already picked up on that): one page, with appetizers on top, followed by soups, salads and entrées.

The appetizer list starts with “Pommes Frites” ($5). They are described as “perfect French fries with catsup and mayo.” I love it! They were pretty darn close to perfect, served in a beautiful white vase-like bowl, golden brown, salty and smoking hot.

I also ordered and highly recommend the scampi-ish “Wild Mexican White Shrimp” ($10). Hunky shrimp are sautéed in a garlic, white wine, and butter emulsion. This dish is just made for dipping and the La Brea Bakery bread served upon ordering is the perfect vehicle for soaking up every extra drop of sauce.

The French bistro-inspired menu offers several of my favorite dishes, so it was difficult to pick an entrée. The “French Onion Soup” ($8), “Confit of Duck” ($26), Braised Short Ribs” ($26) and “Steak Frites” ($32) were all calling my name. What’s a girl to do?

I went with the short ribs simply because I wanted to try the mashed potatoes. The Meyer Ranch short ribs, slowly braised in a red wine demi-glace, are heavenly and served with aromatic vegetables. The mashers were light and creamy and the dish was topped with beautiful steamed baby carrots.

Desserts are done by the chef’s mother, Michele of Michele Coulon Dessertier. The S’mores are made especially for Modus — you’ll love them.

Incidentally, a co-worker, Marisa Callahan, dined at Modus the very same night. Pretty, 20-something, a fashionista and already a bit of a gourmet, her first remark to me was, “Oh my gosh, they were packed that night, weren’t they?”

“What time did you dine?” I asked.

“I got there at 9:30 and left at midnight, and they were full when I left,” she said.

In the industry, we would say that Modus gets the late and later turn.

Evidently I’m old now, which works out great because those of us with weeknight sitters and carpools in the morning don’t have to worry about getting a table at Modus. We early-turners like to eat well too, and at Modus’s moderate prices we don’t even have to ask for the earlybird menu.

— Terryl Gavre