Marché Moderne

I know it seems like I just wrote about Marché Moderne. But this needs to be said.  When Amelia and Florent Marneau operated their swanky French bistro in the penthouse at South Coast Plaza, the daytime meal was integral to the restaurant’s identity

can officially vouch for is the blueberry clafoutis brulee, which is like a cross between a soufflé and creme brulee. Baked to order, it is fluffy and creamy and vanilla-y and absolutely brilliant.  Marché Moderne Where: 7862 E. Pacific Coast Highway

. 3313 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa, 714-538-8444, tacomaria.com Campechana with geoduck clam, spiny lobster, avocado, tomato at Taco Maria in Costa Mesa. (File photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) 3. Marché Moderne (2018 ranking: 4) The best

French restaurant in California? This is it. Two years after moving their glamorous French bistro from South Coast Plaza to the Shops at Crystal Cove, Florent and Amelia Marneau’s Marché Moderne is still one of the toughest reservations in the county. The

Vine    A Restaurant    The Ranch Restaurant    Irenia    Water Grill    Broadway    Mastro's Steakhouse    Brick    Vaca    Arc    Taco María    Marché Moderne    Bourbon Steak    Hana re    Solita   

It bears repeating: There’s no better French bistro in Southern California than Marché Moderne in Newport Beach; no better stewards of classic French technique than Marché’s Florent and Amelia Marneau. Case in point: Who else these days would go to

and radishes. Highly recommended.  Marché Moderne Where: 7862 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach When: Dinner nightly Cost: $46 Phone: 714-434-7900  Online: marchemoderne.net

Marché Moderne, Florent and Amelia Marneau’s long-running South Coast Plaza restaurant, has relocated at Crystal Cove Shopping Center in Newport Beach. More details on its offerings here. 7862 Pacific Coast Hwy, Newport Beach, CA 92657 Apola Gyro

Florent and Amelia Marneau’s relocated Marché Moderne at Crystal Cove is an upgrade from the old digs at South Coast Plaza. When it finally opened here, with views of the Pacific Ocean, two months ago, it no longer felt as if it were suffocating

restaurants are, of course, long gone—eclipsed by Marché Moderne itself when it burst onto the OC dining scene 10 years ago. But in identifying them by name, Marneau acknowledges not only that his restaurant bested its fancy French cuisine compatriots, but

The original Marché Moderne may have been the perfect neighborhood restaurant, if you stretch the idea of “neighborhood” a bit: a sprawling French bistro reached by a short ride up the very swankest escalator in the toniest corner of South Coast

. It always felt like a secret, this lovely bistro hidden in its giant mall. Marché Moderne closed last January, set to move to more palatial quarters in the Crystal Cove area of Newport Beach. The wait lasted until September. A friend took to driving

, 949-248-1912, hendrixoc.com Prime rib with pan-dripping potatoes and caesar salad, served for two, from the takeout menu at Hendrix in Laguna Niguel (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) Marché Moderne Marché Moderne, easily the

The Capital Grille    Hana re    Hendrix    Marché Moderne    The Ranch Restaurant   

Capistrano (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 1. Coconut brioche French toast at Marché Moderne My most exciting meal of the year came in March just a few days before the first round of shutdowns. It was weekend brunch at Marché Moderne

. Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach, 714-434-7900, marchemoderne.net Coconut brioche French toast at Marché Moderne in Crystal Cove (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

dedicated a good chunk of this guide to the best of what I’ve discovered along the way, like the extraordinary crispy tacos and shrimp aguachile from Taco María in Costa Mesa. Or the exquisite curbside tasting menus from Marché Moderne in Crystal Cove. Or

(Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 8. Duck pithivier at Marché Moderne The recipe for this fancy French pastry stuffed with black truffle, potato and duck sausage (served with seared duck breast) probably dates to the 19th century, if

not older, yet it feels so current at the hands of chef Florent Marneau. 7862 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Crystal Cove, 714-434-7900, marchemoderne.net Duck breast and black truffle pithivier at Marché Moderne in Newport Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson