Sophisticated bistro in a hurry

Greer Wylder

Troquet, a sophisticated French bistro with multiple personalities,

is rather hidden away from shoppers on the third floor of South Coast

Plaza.

It’s casual, warm, upscale and chic. With its mall location, it

caters to shoppers who come in dressed in just about any attire

imaginable, even shorts. Jacket and tie not required.

There’s also the business-lunch crowd, who want premium foods in a

hurry. Quick lunches can work by taking advantage of valet parking

and the elevator.

“Our goal is to get businessmen in and out in 45 minutes, if

needed, and provide them with service that’s friendly and

knowledgeable,” manager Craig Pendergraph said.

Diners also come in early before going to the nearby Orange County

Performing Arts Center or South Coast Repertory Theater.

Troquet serves a modern version of classic bistro foods.

Award-winning chef and co-owner Tim Goodell oversees the menu and

advises chef de cuisine David Mann on production and presentation.

The menu changes several times a week, mostly varying garnishes and

fish selections.

Frequent Troquet diners request foie gras in any way, shape or

form. They call ahead to find out when it’s on the menu and ask how

it’s served. Specialty dishes include seared Hudson Valley foie gras

with dried tart cherries and cherry syrup ($21). A silky and rich

foie gras sauce comes with the petite filet mignon, served with

crispy potato cake, wilted spinach and braised cippollini onions

($33). It’s also made into a terrine, or torchon (served chilled, in

a cylinder shape) with orange and fig marmalade and toast points. A

big following for Troquet’s macaroni and cheese has also formed. This

bears no resemblance to your mother-in-law’s bland macaroni and

cheese -- gobs of cheap cheese and limp pasta shells. It has black

truffles, a mix of premium cheeses, including Gruyere,

Parmesan-Reggiano, fontina and blue cheese, with gratineed bread

crumbs on top.

Other favorite dishes include the prime steak tartare served with

black-olive tapenade and quail egg ($14). The Eastern spotted skate

can be served with pomme puree, Chinese broccoli and sherry caper

beurre noisette ($23). And the succulent roasted New York State duck

breast and confit is served with baby bok choy, pickled ramps and

orange-ginger sauce ($27). A great starter salad is the wood-fired

asparagus salad, watercress, shaved Grana Padano Parmesan, with fried

egg served over-easy and black truffles ($14); or try Troquet’s take

on Caesar salad with sourdough croutons, Grana Padano Parmesan and

crispy capers ($9). Purveyors hand-pick specialty produce and provide

high-quality meats and seafood for Troquet that include cippollini

onions (bittersweet wild onions), purslane (a citrus-flavored

lettuce/herb, rich and acidic), Chinese broccoli, Scottish salmon and

dry-aged New York steaks.

A tasting menu is also available, with one caveat -- the entire

table must order it ($65 per person). A sample of a typical prix-fixe

menu could start with amuse bouche (miniature hors d’oeuvres); Tuscan

bread and tomato soup; torchon of French foie gras; Maine diver

scallops served with spring pea and truffle agnolotti

(crescent-shaped stuffed pasta), pea tendrils and truffle beurre

noisette (brown butter); and red wine-braised short ribs and roasted

onglet. (Onglet is otherwise known as hanger steak or the butcher’s

steak; it’s an intense, flavorful cut of meat commonly served at

French bistros.) A chef’s dessert selection is also included.

Pastry chef Nicole Lindsy creates delicious vanilla bean panna

cotta served with pungent sweet balsamic marinated strawberries; a

dense Valrhona chocolate souffle with prune and Armagnac ice cream;

and perfectly creamy and crisp profiteroles with espresso truffle ice

cream and bittersweet chocolate veloute. All desserts are $8. Ice

creams are made fresh here ($6). Six specialty cheeses available to

choose from include San Andreas firm and sweet sheep’s milk, and

Colton-Bassett “Stilton” mellow and cream cow’s milk. Three cheese

selections cost $18; five selections are $18.

Troquet is just one of Tim and Liza Goodell’s acclaimed

restaurants. The married couple, both accomplished chefs, share

responsibilities at the locations. They own the French-influenced

Aubergine at the Cannery Village in Newport Beach, which rates as one

of Southern California’s finest restaurants. Then there’s the hip and

sexy Chinese restaurant -- Red Pearl Kitchen in Huntington Beach. The

Lodge at The Camp in Costa Mesa serves American comfort food in a

retro-stylish setting. It’s adjacent to their Village Bakery, where

the Goodells offer the same fine bakery items found at their

restaurants. At the contemporary chic Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica,

they oversee The Whist.

When world-class boutiques throw private parties, they choose

Troquet. It provides the perfect ambience and gourmet foods for their

clientele. Recently, Troquet entertained guests from Roberto Cavalli,

Cartier and Mikimoto Pearls. It’s the only restaurant in the Plaza

that offers a garden terrace and a popular choice for wedding

receptions, cocktail parties and other events. Despite the intimate

size -- the restaurant seats 54 and the patio seats 35 -- it can

handle large parties.

“We’ve had wonderful parties for up to 400; [the parties] turn out

amazing,” Liza Goodell said. “We can open up the doors to the mall

area. And there can be dancing, a deejay’s live music, everything.”

Chef David Mann makes custom hors d’ouevres from any of the

starter dishes. Favorite party choices include the steak tartare;

steamed Bouchet mussels with white wine, garlic-fresh herbs and

pommes frites; and Serrano ham and yellow peaches with arugula, fresh

mint and aged Amontillado vinaigrette.

Open for lunch daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open for dinner

5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Level 3 at South Coast Plaza.

(714) 708-6865.

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at

[email protected]; at 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; or by

fax at (949) 646-4170.