While Troquet has often been presented to me as “that little bistro on the top level of South Coast Plaza,” it is anything but a simple, small bistro. It oozes sophistication like the belle epoque brasseries that have endured for many decades in Paris.
The d & #233;cor is glamorous, thanks to OC restaurant designer extraordinaire, Art Valdez. Fine fabrics are used on the banquettes. Art Nouveau lamps with flower-shaped shades illuminate the restaurant at night (my favorite time to go, as the room takes on a special romantic quality that’s not quite the same at lunch). There are a couple of boudoir style chairs,small, plushly upholstered and lavishly fringed,tucked into corners. A very tiny bar sits at the front of the restaurant. Tables are pristine and properly attired with special china and good glassware. The only casual element here is the open kitchen at the back of the room where cooks are in full view. There’s an intimacy that makes quiet conversation, toasting with glasses of wine, and slowly savoring a meal a natural element. Any Francophile will feel at home.
Owners Tim and Liza Goodell, who also own Aubergine in Newport Beach, have carved out a unique entity for themselves with this one. An ultra-modern mall is not where one expects to find such a restaurant; thus it is like a “discovery” to every diner who goes through the door the first time. And, although the French ambiance is a lure, it is the food that is ultimately talked about in columns and in random conversations.
Tim is a classically trained chef who plates up signature dishes as works of art. His mission statement is to offer the most personal dining experience in the county. His sous chef is from the famed Christopher’s restaurant in Phoenix. Together, they have managed in the past two years to put Troquet on the high-caliber dining map. While the food ideas for the menu come from the travels of Tim and Lisa to many countries, they are mostly true to French tradition. Lisa does the wine list. They collaborate on specials of the day and perhaps some wines that will match. The symbiotic relationship as a couple and as partners in the restaurant seems to work well.
A few months ago we dined with Joe and Barbara DeFranco and my executive editor here at the Journal, Rick Reiff, and his mother and father from Chicago. Joe and Barbara know their way around good food and chose Troquet for this particular occasion. Since I am not shy at all about stealing tidbits from other’s plates, it offered an opportunity to try several new dishes besides the ones we’ve had on our own on various occasions. We recently ate yet another meal at this charming place.
There is always a tasting menu of several courses in addition to the a la carte menu. Both change daily, but some variation of the most popular dishes is always available. Here are some samples of appetizers. Mussels and Manila clams steamed in a white wine-and-shallot sauce came topped with a grand pile of crispy fries. The diversity in textures is very nice. The Caesar salad is topped with shaved Reggiano cheese and the surprise taste of fried capers. A tart is filled with caramelized onions, pancetta and red trout. A wonderful steak tartare is made of chopped fresh filet mignon with all the traditional garnishes to be added as you wish. A must is the white anchovy salad composed of the fillets, avocado, fennel, tomatoes and sweet Maui onions. At both lunch and dinner there is always a foie gras dish. One appetizer that has garnered much press is the galette of Peeky Toe crab,the name alone is an attention-getter,that also is flavored with saut & #233;ed leeks and fried capers, and of course the nice chipotle aioli sauce drizzled around the edges of the plate.
One of the most talked-about dishes always has been the sandwich of sweetbreads. Stacked between slices of homemade bread are oven-dried tomatoes, applewood-smoked bacon and arugula in addition to the sweetbreads, and in total it makes for a very nice lunch entree.
Lately, Maine diver scallops are on the menus. One preparation was with Oregon morel mushrooms, sweet English peas and summer truffles on the dinner menu, while on the lunch menu they came in a white corn “risotto” and a veal jus. Line-caught swordfish was on a recent menu and it was poached in a sophisticated broth flavored with both lemongrass and cardamom. At this time of year, Copper River salmon is available. On our particular evening it had been slow roasted which allowed for a crisp outer layer and a flaky moist interior. The accompanying French green beans, tiny pear tomatoes and Ni & #231;oise olives gave it a distinctive Mediterranean flair.
This is the place to eat traditional French steak frites. The sirloin is usually pan-seared with peppercorns and classic crisp fries are the accompaniment. It’s the essence of bistro cooking. That could also be said of the braised veal cheeks. Served in a casserole with root vegetables, pureed potatoes and ribboned with black truffle oil, this has the taste, texture and interesting components of country cooking at its best. Taking a cue from the Austrians, spaetzle flavored with whole grain mustard accompanied our pan-roasted rack of pork. Any bistro worth its salt has duck on the menu. The current signature preparation is breast of duck swathed in a honey-coriander glaze.
At lunch there’s a prix fixe menu of three courses, and you’re given a choice within each course. Some of the aforementioned dishes usually are listed. At dinner, the set-price menu consists of eight courses plus a complimentary chef’s appetizer to start things off. For an additional charge, matching wines are added. The one drawback for me,and it has always precluded my ordering the tasting menu,is that it is prepared for the entire table only. I have never had everyone at my table want to eat all of the same dishes.
Desserts are exemplary. A French lemon tart has the appropriate tang to it. Flavored cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;e is smooth as silk, puff pastry encases espresso truffle ice cream and a fine chocolate sauce is poured over them, and fresh fruits are used in intriguing ways.
