Inside, flowered vinyl tablecloths suggest spring even in winter. Yes, but dressed up with cloth napkins. La Tomate is light, bright and lively. It has all the activity and bustle of a trattoria, with tables so small and close that you'll have no trouble seeing a preview of your possibilities on your neighbors' plates, but it's not so noisy you'd have trouble conversing. If you seek a little less noise, ask for a table upstairs.
Service is quick and unobtrusive.
The menu is Italian despite the restaurant's French name, and the dishes are largely familiar standards. Regulars praise the chicken-vegetable soup and the pastas. But zucchini croquettes are so heavy as to threaten to gum up the conversation. Tomato sauces and spinach dishes are good bets. Seek also the simple dishes such as butterflied trout, smoked on the premises, with lemon and herbs.