Marché Moderne fetes Bastille Day with an authentic bouillabaisse

Hurry! Florent Marneau at Marché Moderne in Costa Mesa is celebrating Bastille Day with bouillabaisse from now through July 19. That's just one week more.

This is the real deal, not some tricked-up California-style fish stew. Marneau is so obsessed with authenticity he's flying in seafood caught off the coast of Nice, Marseilles and Toulon, France, every day. That's the only way to get the flavors right. Depending on the day's catch, his bouillabaisse might include rouget (red mullet), Saint Pierre, dorade grise (bream), and rascasse (scorpion fish), plus octopus, scallops, mussels, clams and shrimp.

The seafood stew also includes fennel, potato and roasted tomatoes bathed in an aromatic broth. The traditional rouille and croutons are served on the side, along with Marneau's basil-scented tomato tartare, fennel pollen emulsion, lemon-garlic emulsion and tapenade.

The bouillabaisse is priced at $50 and served at dinner only through July 19.

What to drink?  Rosé de Provence, of course, from Château Saint-Martin.

For reservations, call (714) 434.7900.

ALSO:

Hepp's Salt Barrel finds seasonings of many flavors

Food FYI: Democrats fail to block cuts to food stamps

Packing for vacation? Don't forget your traveling cocktail bitters

-- S. Irene Virbila
twitter.com/sirenevirbila

Photos: bouillabaisse. Credit: Marché Moderne and South Coast Plaza

 

Joseph Mahon turns up in Fullerton to open Early Bird

Ever wondered what happened to Joseph Mahon? He is the onetime chef at the celebrated Bastide restaurant in West Hollywood, the guy who took it California casual (and earned good reviews while doing it). He's popped back up again, this time in his old stomping grounds of Orange County.

Mahon's been running a semi-permanent burger pop-up Wednesday through Saturday nights at the Rialto restaurant in Fullerton (his burger was a big seller at Bastide). And now Mahon, who has also worked with Daniel Boulud and David Myers, is opening a breakfast and lunch spot appropriately called Early Bird in Fullerton.

The place is scheduled to open July 16 with Jonathan Moulton as chef de cuisine. Moulton has worked with Rafael Lunetta and Josiah Citrin at Lemon Moon in Santa Monica and with James Boyce at Studio at the Montage in Laguna Beach.

The menu is sketchy at this point, but, according to press materials, will include dishes such as brioche French toast with almonds, toad-in-the-hole with grilled asparagus and smoked salmon, and a morning pizza with puff pastry, tomato compote and eggs for breakfast. Lunch items include coconut-curry soup, fried chicken salad, grilled cheese and penne arrabiata.

Early Bird,1000 B E. Bastanchury Road, Fullerton.

-- Russ Parsons

Photo: Mahon at Bastide. Credit: Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times

Wine bags for the crafty set

Sorry, but that brown paper bag doesn’t quite cut it at BYOB restaurants like Black Hogg in Silver Lake. 

Not that you need to go in for an expensive leather wine tote disguised as a man purse. That’s definitely overkill. 

How about these tongue-in-cheek wine bags from the Nest Vintage and Handmade in Anaheim? Made by Nest’s Lisa Rios, they’re suitably crafty for the neighborhood, labeled with wine-friendly words such as HOORAY!, CHEERS!, WINO and, er, LUSH. Which are you?

And for hiking refreshment, they’ve got some winsome whiskey flasks too, emblazoned with mustaches, whales, bicycles, octopi. Claim your preference.

Nest Vintage and Handmade, 423 s. Brookhurst St., Anaheim, (916) 4MY-NEST (469-6378), www.nestvintageandhandmade.com. Wine bags and flasks, $18.

ALSO:

Food FYI: David Myers to open Century City restaurant

Make Huckleberry Cafe's maple bacon biscuits

Object of desire: Fried peanuts

-- S. Irene Virbila
Twitter.com/sirenevirbila

Photos: Lisa Rios wine bag. Credit: Nest Vintage and Handmade.

Fig & Olive to open at Fashion Island

Fashion Island, the popular Newport Beach outdoor shopping center with the ocean views is welcoming a new addition to its culinary lineup. The olive oil-centric restaurant Fig & Olive is slated to open its sixth U.S. location at the center by summer 2013.

The restaurant will be located on the south side of the shopping center in a new standalone structure. It will accommodate 300 and feature limestone stucco walls, a terra-cotta ceiling, green rosemary and olive trees and other items meant to bring the French Riviera to mind. The menu will include Mediterranean-style items created by executive chef Pascal Lorange as well as a wine list including more than 30 varietals from the South of France, Italy and Spain.

401 Newport Center Drive,  Newport Beach, www.shopfashionisland.com.

ALSO:

Hungry Cat's Crabfest 8 (and more half-price oysters)

New Autry farmers market to open in Griffith Park

Test Kitchen tips: Cherimoya

-- Jenn Harris
twitter.com/jenn_harris

Photo: Interior of Fig & Olive in Los Angeles. Credit: Lisa Cohen.

Orange County restaurant week kicks off this weekend

Orange County restaurant week starts Sunday. Multi-course menus with three price categories for lunch ($10, $15 and $20) and dinner ($20, $30 and $40) will be offered by 100 participating restaurants throughout the county.

Participating restaurants to anticipate include Pizzeria Ortica in South Coast Plaza, the Crow Bar and Kitchen in Corona Del Mar and French 75 Bistro in Laguna Beach, among others.

The event runs through March 3. Diners can search participating restaurants by location and price point as well as make reservations online.

For more information, check out www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com.

ALSO:

Culinary SOS: Heilman's Key lime pie

Test Kitchen video tip: Roasting garlic

Test Kitchen tips: Straining cooked custard

-- Caitlin Keller

Photo: Pizzeria Ortica. Credit: Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

New in the O.C.: Communal table and cult wines

An ambitious new restaurant has just opened in Brea (for the geographically challenged, that’s north Orange County). It’s called Two 40 South after its address on Brea Boulevard, and it’s a safe bet to say these parts haven’t seen anything quite like it before. The owners and designer have made sure to bring in every one of the ubiquitous current restaurant trends. Dying to try communal dining or drinking? They’ve got a long onyx table just for that purpose. A trio of semi-private cabanas. And, yes,  an outdoor living room too, perfect for sipping high-end cocktails or California cult wines.

We’re talking 2008 Bryant Family Vineyards Cabernet, 2008 Screaming Eagle Cabernet or the 2007 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red wine by the ounce. That’s right. Eight of the slots in the 32-wine Enomatic wine system have been reserved wines most people have only read about in the pages of wine magazines but never actually tasted. 

Wine director Corby Hagan is pouring wine from a barrel straight from the winery. Right now it’s Summerland Winery Pinot Noir, but once that’s exhausted, he’ll move onto to something from another California winery.

The menu, at least at first glance, looks very much like standard-issue small plates, something that’s been fashionable in Hollywood for quite awhile. The chef is listed on the menu as Jacko, just the one name. He's Jack Ourfalian and has worked at some trendy places there, including the late White Lotus as well as at Granita in Malibu and as a private chef. 

What's to eat? Look for yellow and red Brandywine tomatoes with burrata and micro-basil or a red quinoa salad with heirloom tomatoes, avocado and pomegranate seeds, and crostini with different toppings. A couple of pasta dishes, eight or nine "artisan" pizzas and a flurry of small plates round out the menu.

Whether Two 40 South will be a hit remains to be seen. It all depends on how the food, wine, service, and crowd come together. Too early to call it. 

 Two 40 South Restaurant & Wine Bar, 240 S. Brea Blvd.,  Brea, (714) 912-1053, www.Two40South.com.

ALSO:

5 Questions for Tony DiSalvo

Seeds! The end-of-season sale at Renee's Garden

Demitasse now pouring coffee in Little Tokyo

-- S. Irene Virbila
Twitter.com/sirenevirbila

Photos: Two 40 South dining room. Credit: Two 40 South.

 

Il Garage at Park Ave.

Lovely how these balmy summer nights just keep rolling on. San Franciscans may be shivering on their porches, but here in Southern California we can eat out every night. 

This season chef-owner David Slay of Park Ave. Restaurant in Stanton unveiled a 60-seat Italian café dubbed Il Garage. Housed in what was once (just last year!) a tractor garage, it’s behind the restaurant on the former dairy farm where Slay grows produce in a series of generously proportioned raised planters. Seeing those beds last year made me want to rethink my kitchen garden.

That garden -- and breezy seating area -- makes the new café unique in this part of town. Slay simply has to survey his beds to write the week's menu. And there's something very appealing about eating in that open-sided garage with the garden just steps away. 

The menu has symbols to indicate which dishes are prepared with produce from the garden or their farm, Sage Ranch — bruschetta with eggplant caponata with sultanas and pine nuts, tomato salads from the garden or spinach tagliatelle with chopped shrimp, peppers and garden tomatoes. The menu capitalizes on the vegetables, with only a handful of main courses, such as lemon sole piccata-style or baby lamb chops, all served with veggies. 

A tractor is parked in the garage dining room, sort of the mascot for the place. Red-and-white tablecloths complete the look. For relaxed al fresco dining in the O.C., check out Il Garage.

Il Garage at Park Ave., 11200 Beach Blvd., Stanton, (714) 901-4400, www.parkavedining.com. Al fresco dining Tuesday to Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m.

ALSO:

'True Blood' cookbook?

Test Kitchen tips: Making macarons

Shin-Sen-Gumi to open in Little Tokyo

— S. Irene Virbila

Photo: Il Garage at Park Ave. Credit: Park Ave.

Guinness cupcake for Dad? Sugar Blossom Bake Shop has you covered

Tired of buying your dad beer for Father's Day? Why not switch up that tired tradition and buy him a beer cupcake instead? Thanks to pastry chef Lei Shishak at Sugar Blossom Bake Shop in San Clemente, you can do just that.

From June 10 to 19, Shishak will offer these rich, brown-and-bubbly little Guinness cupcakes, ready to serve at any family gathering featuring man-centric activities geared to celebrate paternity in its many-splendored glory. Yes, this year, being a dad matters. And beer cupcakes are the fresh-baked proof.

Opened about a year ago, Sugar Blossom is Shishak's homage to her favorite things: quality, all-natural ingredients and the tender, warming feelings that accompany a good sweet treat. After all, she dropped out of a fast-paced career in New York City finance to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Before opening Sugar Blossom, she was the executive pastry chef at Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point.

That's pastry-chef street cred to be sure. And your dad deserves nothing but the best. Also, if you want to make these boozy dreamcakes yourself, Shishak has been kind enough to share her recipe after the jump. It hasn't gone through the Test Kitchen, but it looks good.

Small Bites: Il Sole reopens in West Hollywood. JDate launches JPicks.com, 'the chosen deals.' Casey's Cupcakes wins 'Cupcake Wars.'

 'The Chosen Deals': Earlier this month JDate, the online community for Jewish singles, launched JPicks, a website featuring a different discount (from 50% to 90% off) at Los Angeles shops, retaurants and entertainment venues every day. Since selling out its first offer, JPicks has had success with its "Chosen Deals," ranging from Jewish- and date-themed deals in line with its direct demographic, to more general ones that people who aren't single or Jewish can also enjoy. See www.jpicks.com. 

The new Il Sole: In the heart of West Hollywood, chef Isaac Rivera has updated the menu at Los Angeles staple Il Sole to go along with the reopening and new design of the restaurant. Rivera is focusing on regional Italian favorites such as eggplant Parmigiana “Napoli style”; manila clams sautéed with white wine, garlic and olive oil; and spaghetti with Tuscan ragu. Il Sole will also feature a special crudo menu. It’s cooking that’s meant to go with the new vibe, described as stylized trattoria mixed with a romantic atmosphere.

8741 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 657-1182. 

Cupcake coup: With sugar diamonds, rice paper feathers and some chocolate crunch balls, Casey's Cupcakes won the Food Network program "Cupcake Wars" last night. Having just opened a second location (with one already in Riverside) in Laguna Beach this month, owner Casey Reinhardt -- whom you may recall from MTV's "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" -- is celebrating. With cupcakes. She'll be making appearances at both locations on Saturday with live music and, most importantly, packs of cupcakes for sale featuring the four winning flavors: white chocolate cherry, white Russian, chili chocolate and lavender.

303 Broadway St., Laguna Beach; 949-715-8245; also at the Historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, 3649 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside; 951-328-6908; www.caseyscupcake.com.

-- Emma Wartzman

Photo: Cupcakes from "Cupcake Wars"/Food Network

 

3 Food Events You Should Know About: 'Blood, Bones & Butter' dinner at Lucques; Dominick's and Little Dom's celebrate Mardi Gras; O.C. Restaurant Week

Dinner with the author: On March 14, Lucques owners Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne will host a three-course, prix-fixe dinner in celebration of and inspired by "Blood, Bones & Butter," the new memoir by Gabrielle Hamilton, chef and owner of Prune in New York. While moving their way through a menu including spit-roasted Sonoma lamb and cornmeal shortcakes with strawberries, mint and crème fraîche, guests will be able to meet and talk with Hamilton. $95 a person, including a copy of the book, reservation required.

8474 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 655-6277; www.lucques.com

There will be king cake: Dominick's and Little Dom's are celebrating Mardi Gras this year. Chef Brandon Boudet, a New Orleans native, will be cooking additional dishes (along with what's on the regular menu) for dinner March 5 to 8. Gumbo, jambalaya, crayfish pie and beignets are just some of the offerings. Plus mini king cakes. Prices are $4 to $8. 

Dominick's, 8715 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 652-2335; www.dominicksrestaurant.com; Little Dom's, 2128 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 661-0055; www.littledoms.com

Restaurant Week in the O.C.: This weekend is the start of the annual Orange County Restaurant Week (Feb. 27 to March 5). For the fifth year, participating restaurants -- upscale as well as family-friendly -- will offer special three-course menus for lunch (prices will be $10, $15 or $20) and dinner ($20, $30 or $40). Guests can search by location and price point and make reservations at OrangeCountyRestaurantWeek.com. 

 -- Emma Wartzman

Photo: Random House