Technically, the DB in the name of this mid-priced French-American restaurant refers to its owner and executive chef, Daniel Boulud. But spend a few minutes in the bistro’s front dining room and it becomes clear quickly that “db” could just as easily stand for decibels. And on a recent Thursday evening visit, we were treated to a festival of dBs, courtesy of one soused party of eight Dutch business travelers arguing and typing on two laptops and a four-top of rowdy locals celebrating the release of one of their number’s first novel.

The volume question is a thorny one for any restaurant: When does an animated party of diners cross the line and become an irksome annoyance that demands intervention? The person to whom such decisions invariably fall is the front-of-house manager (maitre d’, floor manager, captain, etc.), and while some are true ninja masters of the placating arts, others cower or just ignore the problem. During another dinner elsewhere, we sat, awed by the skills of one local captain who approached an extremely rowdy table and said, “I can tell you are enjoying yourself very much, and I would love to join you for a drink in a little while. Just one request in the meantime: Keep the noise down so our other customers can finish their meals? Thank you.” It was classic schoolteacher classroom management at work–firm, even-handed, and best of all: nobody felt chided.

Yet at db Bistro Moderne, neither the noise, the spreadsheets, nor the squeal-inducing ass-grabbing we witnessed impelled our maitre d’ to take action. On another night, had we been less hungry, we would have left, but seated as we were with a bottle of wine open already, we made the choice to stay–and in this we are complicit. We both began with appetizers: my heirloom tomato salad with ricotta salata (pictured top, $17) was very good, dressed in a light vinaigrette and accompanied by a few sticks of marvelously crunchy, deep-fried polenta sticks that tasted like a cross between a french fry and a savory churro. HungryMan’s smoked salmon (called “Daniel Boulud’s Smoked Salmon,” although our server could not tell us whether it was house-made or not) with celery remoulade and tiny potato pancakes was decent, if a little underwhelmingly seasoned. The dish played well with textural contrasts, but the salmon and the salad both could have used a solid hit of citrus.

Our main courses were both very solid, especially HungryMan’s squab en croute ($32), the dish of the day. The slight gamey flavors in the poultry and the toasted exterior of the flakey pastry made an especially lovely combination. The John Dory with leeks, chanterelles, and potato gnocchi (pictured on Flickr, $38) also impressed. The gnocchi that accompanied this dish were as good as any we have eaten in New York City and merit inclusion in the restaurant’s short list of otherwise less interesting side dishes like brussels sprouts and pommes frites. Not to say that db Bistro Moderne should abandon its fries–such a move would be sacrilege at a restaurant whose reputation is built largely upon its $32 belly buster of a burger–foie gras, short ribs, sirloin, and black truffles, anyone? No, there is plenty of room on the already short menu for a few extra sublime sides. Getting your server to hear you order them in the dinnertime din, on the other hand, is a completely different story.

db Bistro Moderne, 55 West 44th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), 212-391-2400.