Mungers Return to Kitchen at 2 of the Remaining Piret’s

If one likes restaurant lore, the saga of the Piret’s chain may seem even tastier than the menu at the new (in a manner of speaking) PiretM bistro at The Lumberyard in Encinitas.

The news about PiretM is that George and Piret Munger, who founded the Piret’s chain in 1979, are back in charge of this location, as well as of the Piret’s in La Jolla Village Square. (The latter branch is still called Piret’s, not PiretM, which is a hint that this plot thickens like packaged pudding mix.)

Were the Ewing family involved with Piret’s, rather than with something inconsequential like oil, “Dallas” would be a much less believable drama.

The tale begins sweetly enough in 1974, when Piret and George Munger rented a small storefront in Mission Hills to house The Perfect Pan, a cookware shop. The introduction of cooking classes that included lunch led to the repeated suggestion that the Mungers serve lunch on a regular basis. They decided to do just that, and in 1979, the first Piret’s opened at Washington and Goldfinch streets, just down the block from The Perfect Pan.

An Epochal Event

That 1979 opening was an epochal event for San Diego, because it marked a genuine departure from the rather staid food traditions of this town. Piret’s served an adventuresome bistro menu, stocked all sorts of previously unavailable luxury items (such as fresh truffles, and extra virgin olive oil at $30 per liter), and offered a wide array of extravagant French charcuterie, or prepared foods available for carry-out. Most important, Piret’s proselytized the wonders of the gourmet revolution.

Quick success led to a succession of events, paving the way for the “Dallas” scenario: the Mungers opened branches in La Jolla Village Square, Grossmont Center, Encinitas, downtown San Diego, Orange County and Beverly Hills. But there were money woes along the way, which led to an embarrassing loan from J. David (Jerry) Dominelli, and then a buyout by the Vicorp restaurant group, which operates such chains as Carlos Murphy’s, the Hungry Hunter and The Boathouse.

Last fall, Vicorp itself went through a complicated buyout in which the local division emerged as an independent company. The new, local Vicorp group, devoted primarily to serving uncomplicated fare, proceeded to divest itself of Piret’s by closing several branches, transforming the downtown branch into The Boathouse Grill, selling the Mission Hills bistro to former Vicorp executive Jeanne Driscoll, and selling the Encinitas and La Jolla Village Square locations back to the Piret’s founders, Piret and George Munger.

If all this sounds complicated, it is. After all, Piret’s is not exactly a Burger King-like franchise, but there are now different managements running restaurants called Piret’s.

The Mungers have made relatively few changes in Encinitas, other than modifying the name to PiretM to make it perfectly clear that they are in charge. The decor, if anything, has been brightened by the addition of artworks loaned from the Mungers’ private collection; future plans are to install shows by individual artists whose works will be for sale.

Every Dish Special

The menu is very much in the spirit and style the Mungers established years ago. There is a certain trendiness to the food, but it does have depth and polish--every dish is designed in a way that makes it special. This is not to say that the execution is always perfect, because it is not, but the intent to excel is most obvious.

Servings tend to be small, so as to encourage guests to order several courses. The result is that one gets a good sampling without filling up, but also pays for the pleasure. The cost of dinner for two, including a bottle of wine, can easily top $60.

Many dishes are familiar Piret’s offerings, such as the salad verte (a respectable melange of greens with cheeses, bacon bits, walnuts and vinaigrette); the plates of Chino’s choice baby vegetables, served in variety and abundance in both appetizer and entree portions; cassoulet, the bean casserole baked with various pork, sausages and preserved duck; the tourte aux choux, or cabbage and pork pie; the delicate chicken and pork boudin blanc sausages, and the tasty, elegant “designer” pizzas.

These pizzas have the advantage of doubling as appetizer (when split) or entree (when selfishly kept to oneself), and run from the rich five-cheese version to the lighter blend of mixed sausages and herbs. The “breakfast” pizza, so-called because the Mungers say that leftovers of this pepperoni and cheese pie are good served cold for breakfast, is simple and excellent; the light yeast crust is so rich in olive oil that it seems almost like pastry, and there is a delightful, almost fruity sweetness to the tomato sauce.

First course choices include a trio of oyster offerings, among them a plate of bivalves steamed open on the grill and served still in the shell with an anointing of lemon and herbs. The accompanying horseradish-based cocktail sauce has some of the qualities of Mexican salsa, and is nice.

A plate of marinated forest mushrooms, which could have been quite a luxurious starter, had been carelessly cleaned, if at all. The first mouthful contained so much grit that the serving was returned to the kitchen. The day’s soup, black bean with ham, made a much happier first course. Thick enough to hold a spoon upright, it was brought alive by the addition of much fresh thyme.

Ample Entree List

The entree list begins with roasted chicken and progresses to supremes (boned, skinned chicken breasts) in either Scotch and raisin cream sauce, or a yogurt and lemon sauce; large shrimp in lemon, garlic and butter; grilled salmon in herb butter, and veal scallops in a cream sauce flavored with Calvados, the French apple brandy.

There also is a roast leg of lamb, which when sampled seemed to have started out in the right direction, although it was served quite well done--the waiter should have warned that this would be the case when he took the order. As a nice touch, it was served with a fresh “chutney” of highly spiced apples. The steak au poivre a la Munger, one of George Munger’s very own creations, is a tasty variation on the classic pepper steak theme; a small filet is coated in cracked peppercorns, sauteed in butter, sprinkled with herbs and lemon and finally flamed in Cognac.

A quibble with the entree presentations would be that while they include lovely wreaths of well-cooked baby veggies, there is nary a hint of starch to be found anywhere on the plate. Potatoes and rice, it would seem, need not apply to the PiretM kitchen. The idea evidently is that the frequently replenished baskets of warm French bread supply all the necessary starch.

The pastry tray continues to be about as lovely as ever, and is bolstered by rich Cocolat truffles imported from San Francisco. A lime chess pie was a taste of the Old South, a blend of eggs and sugar bolstered with a shot of tart lime juice, and baked into a translucent custard inside a rich crust. The tarte tatin, however, was less than satisfactory; in order to be fully appreciated, this marvelous, upside-down apple tart has to be served warm, so as to release the wonderfully perfumed syrup made of butter, sugar and natural juices. PiretM served it straight from the refrigerator.

PIRETM

897 1st St., Encinitas (in The Lumberyard)

942-5146.

Lunch and dinner served daily.

Credit cards accepted.

A meal for two, with a glass of wine each, $20 to $60.