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Marché Moderne (Costa Mesa, CA)

Marché Moderne
South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Dining date: 9/26/11

marche exterior

I often see Marché Moderne near the top (or atop) lists of the best Orange County restaurants. Located in a mall (South Coast Plaza), I suspect many mall-goers that walk by may not realize the accolades garnished upon this place. The restaurant serves upscale French bistro fare in a really quaint setting that almost makes you forget you’re in a large mall. Almost.

marche interior2

I’ve been for lunch once (trying just one dish) and I thought it was pretty good. I’ve wanted to come for dinner for years now but just haven’t gotten to it. An occasion to meet some family friends in Orange County for lunch would be the perfect opportunity to drop by again.

The restaurant offers a 3-course lunch menu for $20 ($25 on the weekend), changing often. Quite a deal considering a 3-course a la carte meal can easily reach the higher double-digits. I think almost all of the lunch diners opt for that menu…we certainly did.

Smoked Salmon cucumber, mint, yogurt, freshly baked scone, arugula

salmon

The first course was a lightly-smoked salmon on a bed of spinach and arugula. Both the salmon and greens were solid, but the freshly baked scone was delightful – warm, buttery and tasty. I didn’t think the scone really fit in with the rest of the plate, but I still enjoyed it.

Milanese of Pork Filet horseradish & dijon pommes puree, caper tomato tartare, micro arugula

pork course

One of the entree options was this pork, pounded thin and breaded milanese-style. It was pretty moist and tender, complemented well by the crunchy breading and salty acidity of capers and tomatoes. A dijon-horseradish potato puree was nice as well.

Provencal Butter Roasted Shrimp Israeli couscous, blistered cherry tomatoes, yuzu emulsion, micro citrus

shrimp course1

shrimp course2

The second entree option was shrimp, just cooked through with roasted cherry tomatoes and a couscous. The sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes worked well with the shrimp, while the couscous provided a welcome grounding of flavors. The creamy emulsion of yuzu provided some welcome citrus flavors as well.

Peach Gateau caramel, chantilly

gateau

Lastly, dessert was a peach gateau with caramel sauce and chantilly cream. Served warm, the gateau was rich and buttery, though the peach flavor was lost. Pretty comforting, nonetheless. The chantilly cream helped to lighten things up a bit.

The three course menu at Marché Moderne was solid. Nothing exactly memorable, but it was a well-executed variety of flavors. For three courses at $20, it presented a ton of value and a budget-friendly opportunity to try the restaurant. I do need to return here for dinner, eventually, as I feel it’ll be a much different experience.

6 Comments

  1. I actually recently went to lunch here with my mom (ordering a la carte items) and wasn’t as impressed as I have been in the past. They changed one of my favorite dishes (the alsatian tarte flambee) and it was definitely not as good as the old version. We actually ended up not eating it! Sad, because this was probably one of my favorite restaurants in OC.

    1. Ack! That’s too bad about the tarte (and maybe your overall experience)…the gateau dessert we had was solid, though likely not as complex as the tarte flambe.

  2. Coming down to OC on a weekday? And here I thought I did nothing at work! Glad you made it down, definitely do try dinner. You were spot on with your assessment of the 3-course, an inexpensive way to try the restaurant but certainly not its best work.

  3. i LOVE the lunch prix-fixe at Marche Moderne!!! so glad that you were able to try it. see, the OC isn’t a culinary wasteland like most LA bloggers say…

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