Knife Pleat is carving a France-focused niche at South Coast Plaza.
It’s the new restaurant helmed by Michelin-starred Chef Tony Esnault and restaurateur Yassmin Sarmadi, taking space where Marché Moderne used to sit; the latter relocated to Crystal Cove Shopping Center in Newport Coast.
Knife Pleat—bound to compete in 2020 at the Golden Foodies—is a pun on fashion combining “culture and cuisine” Sarmadi said. The food is a modern take on classic French modes. The wife-and-husband team previously partnered on French locales in L.A.: Spring and Church & State.
The interior of their new place is strikingly different from Marché, from the entrance to where they put the bar. The 5,000 square feet has 80 seats and two dining areas, refined architecture and design by Johnson Fain, with strongly influential input from Sarmadi and Esnault. It’s elegant and understated and it fits the haute couture vibe.
Knife Pleat opened first for dinner only, then added lunch. I made it to a media tasting for dinner and came back the next week for lunch. Impressed? Oui, oui!
From hiramas kingfish crudo with red wine poached pear and puffed quinoa to crescent farm duck to wild Alaskan halibut: beautifully plated, creative, not overdone, and French with that modern twist.
I loved the legumes de saison, 15 individually prepared raw and cooked vegetables; and a kiwi apple dessert: vanilla panna cotta, granny smith sorbet, and gelée with an Earl Grey crumble.
Power Lunch
The lunch menu is a la carte or a three-course prix fixe menu for $32.
I dined with my assistant, Laura Wise, so we tried both. The a la carte entrée was pasture bird chicken with sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, and pomegranate.
The prix fixe menu: Gazpacho with cucumbers and tomatoes marinated with olive oil, in a moat of gazpacho with sherry vinegar and basil pesto. Might be the best gazpacho I’ve had. The entrée changes daily; ours was pan-seared branzino filets accompanied by yellow and purple roasted cauliflower, with cauliflower puree and lemon caper brown butter.
For dessert, we shared a classic Louis XV.
Business lunching amid fashionable menu and décor.
Knife Pleat: 3333 Bristol St. (Penthouse), Costa Mesa 92626, (714) 266-3388, knife pleat.com.
