Marché Moderne is back, in Newport Beach, with an ocean view
From the return of a lauded Orange County French restaurant to a cereal bar in Koreatown, here’s what’s happening in the food and drink world:
French by the ocean: Fans of Marché Moderne, the almost 10-year-old French restaurant at South Coast Plaza, have waited patiently for it to reopen after it closed earlier this year. Marché Moderne, which is featured on restaurant critic Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list, has reopened in a 4,200-square-foot-space in the Crystal Cove Shopping Center in Newport Beach. Yes, there are ocean views. Husband-and-wife chef-owners Florent and Amelia Marneau are cooking a mixture of old and new dishes. So you can still order the roasted wild Spanish octopus with chorizo emulsion, and the Salade Composée with hearts of palm. But you’ll also see newer dishes such as braised veal and crayfish blanquette. The Marneaus plan to start three-course prix-fixe dinners on Mondays and Tuesdays next year, as well as brunch. 7862 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach, (714) 434-7900, www.marchemoderne.net
Cereal party: Whether you’re a cereal-loving kid or an adult who never gave up the stuff, you’re going to want to check out Milk Tavern. It’s a new dessert lounge in Koreatown, just north of the Wiltern theater, that has a cereal bar with more than 18 different kinds of cereal, along with toppings such as cheesecake bites and marshmallows. The restaurant also makes cereal milkshakes, liquor-infused cereal ice cream and sorbets. And to go with all that cereal, you can order Moët Champagne, rosé and craft beers. The 3,000-square-foot space also has Nintendo video games, a ping-pong table and bean bag toss. Milk Tavern is open daily from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. 528 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 568-3770, www.milktavern.com
Seeing white: You may have run into a Diner en Blanc event in Los Angeles over the last few years. It’s a giant dinner party, in a random location (the first year’s event was held on Rodeo Drive; the next two were held at Pershing Square and at the Music Center in downtown), full of thousands of people dressed entirely in white. The large-scale pop-up dinners started in France 29 years ago. Attendees set up tables clad in white table cloths, and the tablescapes range from elaborate candelabras to floral displays of white roses. Each year, the location is secret, known only to attendees when they arrive on buses from meeting points around the city. This year’s event in L.A. will be Oct. 14. To register for the event and for more details, visit losangeles.dinerenblanc.com.
So wild, so free: Terry Heller, the restaurateur behind the Plan Check restaurants, has just opened Wild & Free, a rotisserie chicken restaurant in Sherman Oaks. Wild & Free has taken over half of the now-closed Solley’s Deli space on Van Nuys Boulevard. The seasonal menu includes rotisserie chicken prepared in three styles, a spicy chicken bowl with herbed rice, a Peruvian spicy chicken sandwich and Chinese chicken salad. Plant-based chicken from Beyond Meat is also available at the restaurant as a vegan option. 4550 Van Nuys Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 616-5688, www.eatwildandfree.com
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