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Perhaps no section of the menu better illustrates Monsod's inventive approach than a collection of 13 hors d'oeuvres. Locally procured yellowtail is served with cherry, wasabi, arugula, and shallot jam, while chrysanthemum and an ume (plum blossom) vinaigrette lend floral notes to a Lady Edison ham and cantaloupe salad. Meanwhile, sweetbreads are served with peach and maple trout roe, while white fish is paired up with an almond financier (tea cake) and blueberry capers. Even something as simple as summer squash is gilded with exotic pickled strawberry, gruyere, and anchovy oil. e same goes for carrots with hazelnuts and pickled aprium (an apricot-plum hybrid). is is anything but typical fare at a French restaurant — or any restaurant, especially in somewhat emporte-pièce San Diego. Two starters, in particular, are showstoppers. e first is tuna tartare lent brilliant creaminess and spice care of crème fraîche cut with horseradish and paddlefish caviar, plus bright, fruity acidity from pickled gooseberries. It may very well be the finest local take on this dish; an absolute must-order. en there's a bowl of mussels served with verdant spigarello (heirloom broccoli rabe) and blue cheese foam. White wine minerality, shellfish, and dairy funk cohesively meld together into something that, like the tartare, is delightfully different and a cut above. Monsod first experienced this dish while staging at Paris' Les Enfants du Marché and was so enamored she sought — and received — permission to reimagine it as part of Le Coq's bill of fare. Monsod's mains are more straightforward. Steaks and chops include a ribeye, New York, (the currently en vogue) Denver, filet mignon, or bone-in pork chop with add-on sauces (béarnaise, bordelaise, anchovy) as well as Perigord black truffle and caviar. (e latter is everywhere on this menu, including stuffed in the olives garnishing a dirty martini, "e Filthy.") Les Plats include Parisian-style (non-potato) gnocchi, pork collar with creamed wakame (seaweed), halibut en croute, and duck breast with tamarind purée. ere are also steak frites, the salty pommes portion of which gets a serious umami boost from a powder fashioned from dried mushrooms, onion, and chicken skin. Pastry chef Laura Warren's dessert menu is compact yet diverse. On the lighter side, golden brown pâte à choux sandwiches a lovely, not-too-sweet pistachio mousseline in a classic Paris-Brest, while those in search of deep, dark decadence will get what they ask for with a dense chocolate gâteau dusted with potent (read: spicy) Espelette powder (seriously, watch out). Le Coq is brimming over with originality. e restaurant may bill itself as a steakhouse (an undersell in this critic's opinion), and a steak will do you right, but Monsod is a talented chef with a newly broadened worldview provided by authentic experiences in the very country she is honoring. Take a chance and try something more outside the norm, because this is where both she and Le Coq shine. 858.427.1500, lecoq.com OPPOSITE Le Coq's Tuna Tartare, Steak Frites, and Baguette with Chicken Skin Butter BELOW Le Coq Executive Chef Tara Monsod Golden Forks Service: Timeliness: Ambience: Culinary Innovation: Food Quality: Cocktail Program: Wine List: Value: @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE AUGUST 2024 61