Alliteration fun: Marche Moderne Mmmmmmmm
February 19th, 2008, 6:16 pm · 3 Comments · posted by Jennifer Muir
So what if you can’t read French?
All you really need to know about Marche Moderne is that the food is delicious and that it’s the perfect place for a luxurious meal after an afternoon of power shopping (or power browsing for those of us with normal people salaries) at South Coast Plaza.
Various foodies have written about this place and its husband and wife team (Florent Marneau is the head chef and his wife Amelia dreams up delicious deserts), and about some select dishes. Check it out here, here and here.
But I felt the prix fixe lunch was worth a separate mention.
For $20, you can get three courses of heaven. And then shop off the calories next door at Nordstrom. And the menu changes daily, so you can try something new every time!
Normally, $20 for lunch is a little spendy for me, but after the $60 prix fixe dinner at Old Vine Café, the price tag felt like shopping at the Nordstrom semi annual sale.
So for course one, everyone got an endive and arugula salad, sprinkled with hazelnut vinaigrette dressing, Asian pears and thin slices of Tomme de Savoie, a cow’s milk cheese made in Savoie in the French Alps. The arugula was fresh and crisp and made a salad feel really light despite the rich toppings.
We had a choice for course two: Julie and I chose the filet fricassee, flavored and cooked to perfection. This piece of meat was tender and seeping with deep red juice, and the light seasoning amplified all the meat’s natural flavors. It was served on top of the fluffiest, richest risotto sitting in a bath of au poivre jus.
Kat and Nina went for the healthier roasted petrale sole in celery and leek puree. The sole looked more like plump pheasant than a fish, browned like it had spent a summer month lounging outside in Laguna. It was simultaneously light and rich in flavor. The ladies liked the leek puree, and I didn’t hate it. But something about really light green pureed vegetables reminds me of baby food. So I was very happy with my choice.
Gateau du jour – or cake of the day — was on the menu for dessert. This day, it was a light yellow cake topped with thick chocolate, served with cream. We ordered coffee and espresso and chatted for 45 minutes while enjoying this treat. Look at how pretty this plate is.
3333 Bristol Street, #3001
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(In the Norstroms wing at South Coast Plaza)
(714) 434-7900
February 19th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I had dinner there a few months ago and had the short ribs: the reviews made it out to be a big deal but it was just beef stew. The only thing big about it was the price. My wife, on the other hand, had a lobster dish that was quite tasty but equally pricey. Overall, I would go back but in this recession I am hunkering down with everybody else.
February 24th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Went to inspect the new menu items last week and the chef continues to amaze. Chef Florent’s coq au vin is the best my wife has ever had. I had the Australian snapper with a wonderful Thai emulsion that was simply superb. This restaurant has grown very rapidly into the best in Orange County. Additionally, I continue to praise them over their very fair and reasonable $10 corckage fee. May they resist the temptation to expand and dilute what they have created.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
I’ve been to this place a couple of times. First 2x, I was not that impressed - had the short ribs one time and felt that the sauce was a bit heavy. The second visit, I had the lobster salad, which was yummy but pricey.
On the last visit, I had a GREAT dish - it was the filet fricasee mentioned in this blog. Basically, it was filet medallions over white truffle/cheese rissotto - it was DYNAMITE. For days, I could remember what this tasted like! Can’t wait to go back and order this again.