Pinot Provence offers a taste of southern France

Stephen Santacroce

As a restaurant critic, I’m always asked what my favorite

restaurant is. It’s a question that’s more difficult to answer than

one might think, because dining depends a lot on the mood I’m in, the

environment I’m looking for and what kind of food I want. I witnessed

incredulous stares from friends who can’t believe I liked a certain

place, and angry calls from others when I criticized one of their

favorites.

Nevertheless, there are a handful of restaurants in our area that

stand out above the competition. In that group, Pinot Provence in

Costa Mesa is one of my favorites.

Pinot Provence is the brainchild of acclaimed chef Joachim

Splichal, who made his entrance on the Southern California scene in

1989 with the wildly successful Patina, now considered one of Los

Angeles’ best restaurants.

The German-born Splichal has steadily expanded his restaurant

family, and it now includes 21 restaurants, bistros and cafes in

California, New York, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. His company, the

Patina Group, was recently sold to a larger corporation for several

million dollars, but Splichal remains as the group’s creative and

culinary guidance.

Pinot Provence, adjacent to the Westin Hotel near South Coast

Plaza, is one of the group’s California-style bistros, designed to

give diners a taste of southern French bistro cuisine in a rustic,

airy setting.

The restaurant itself is dominated by the large dining room,

featuring ochre sponge-finished walls, high ceilings and muted

chandelier lighting. An oversized fireplace commandeers one wall,

providing a cozy glow on cooler winter evenings.

Several private rooms are also available, catering to private

parties as small as 20 up to a corporate-size crowd of 150. An

outdoor patio off the main entrance provides a nice alternative for

al fresco dining or some of the special menu events the restaurant

hosts throughout the year.

Despite the recent transition to corporate ownership, the

restaurant continues to provide a personalized dining and an

outstanding menu under the guidance of Executive Chef Florent

Marneau. Adhering to the bistro theme, Marneau focuses on the quality

of ingredients, augmenting the flavors of grilled meats and seafood

with choice herbs and flavorful pan sauces.

When I think of Mediterranean regions like Provence or southern

Italy, I think of lemons, tomatoes and olives, foods that thrive in

the warm sunshine of these dry regions. One of my favorite starters

at Pinot Provence is the plates of olives, such as the tiny black

nicoise ($3.25) marinated with roasted garlic, coriander and anchovy,

the fruity green picholines ($2.95) that are enhanced with lemon peel

and lavender, or the mixed Casablanca olives ($3.75) flavored with

sherry, cured ham and peppers. If, like me, you can’t decide on just

one, your waiter will gladly put together a sampler of smaller

portions of each, all for the price of one order.

Recently my mother was visiting town to celebrate her birthday,

and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Pinot Provence. Now that her

kids are out of the house and cooking isn’t just about getting food

on the table, Mom has come to appreciate finer dining, and I was

eager to have her try one of my favorites.

After starting with the olive trio, we shared a salad featuring

goat cheese and herb beignets ($9.25). The dish was a visual treat;

with plump, soft goat cheese rounds that were lightly dusted with

breadcrumbs and fried, perched atop roasted red peppers. A mound of

small cherry tomatoes sat nearby, bursting with the flavor of summer,

and a disk of pungent olive tapenade completed both the appearance

and flavor of the dish.

As adventurous as Mom is, I couldn’t convince her to try fois

gras, and I had to watch as the table next to us enjoyed another

featured appetizer of pan-roasted halibut cheeks ($11.95) topped with

sauteed fois gras, and finished with a duck broth demi-glaze, which

is simply stock reduced until it takes on a thick, sauce consistency.

At least I have something to look forward to on my next visit.

Other starters include a selection of fresh oysters

($11.50/half-dozen, $21.50/dozen) served with a tarragon and vinegar

dipping sauce, and the soup of yesterday ($6.75) prepared the day

before in true bistro fashion to allow the flavors to blend

overnight.

As we poured over the mouth-watering entrees and daily specials,

we were expertly provided guidance by our waiter, Luis, who also

helped me navigate the restaurant’s award-winning and extensive wine

list. Mom, following Luis’ advice, chose the duck breast ($22.95)

over the rotisserie chicken ($17.50), a choice I wisely agreed with.

All the duck dishes I’ve ever tried here have been superb, and this

evening’s presentation of moist slices of grilled breast served with

a truffle-scented chicken au jus and cepe mushrooms was no exception.

Paper-thin slices of lyonnaise potatoes completed the dish. And for

the record, the chicken would have not been a bad choice -- it’s half

a roasted chicken with nicely crisped skin that’s been rubbed with

lemon and herbs, served with a thyme-scented pan sauce and crisp

French fries.

I was also having trouble deciding, and if it weren’t for being on

a diet I probably would have gone with the whole roasted lamb rib-eye

($36) served with grilled heirloom tomatoes and a rosemary and sweet

garlic sauce. Instead, I went for the rabbit ($25.75), which turned

out to be a great choice, although probably only marginally less

caloric. A perfectly roasted breast of rabbit was served on a light

mustard and portabello mushroom sauce that enhanced the distinct game

flavor of the moist meat. Feather-light raviolis stuffed with fois

gras and a mound of silky braised red chard completed the dish that,

to me, exemplified French country cuisine.

We complemented our meal with a bottle of Sinsky Pinot Noir, and

enjoyed a truly wonderful evening, featuring world-class cuisine and

outstanding service.

Pinot Provence is also open for breakfast, Sunday brunch and

lunch, leaving no excuses for not trying the restaurant at least

once. Although I’m still hesitant to name a favorite, Pinot Provence,

under the direction of Chef Marneau and Joachim Splichal, is easily

one of the top restaurants in the area, offering a true taste of

southern France right here in the heart of Orange County.

* STEPHEN SANTACROCE’s restaurant reviews appear every other

Thursday. Send him your comments at sdsanta@oc-dining.com.