San Diego Spotlight : Only a Few Details Mar <i> Haute Cuisine</i> at Marius

Even during the failed and unmourned interregnum of la nouvelle cuisine , which decreed tiny servings arranged ever so grandly on the largest plates, a single teaspoon of ice cream would have seemed--to put it delicately--insufficient.

At Marius, probably as close to an Acropolis of contemporary French haute cuisine as any local eatery approaches, the old nouvelle rules sometimes still apply. The talent in this kitchen, and the greater talent that directs it from Paris, are formidable, and many presentations force one to pause in admiration.

But even so, a teaspoon of ice cream--unimaginably exquisite bitter chocolate ice cream--seems rather chintzy an accompaniment to the pear-stuffed crepe offered at $7.50. The purse-shaped crepe, good if not great, was lovingly garnished with that tiny spoon of ice cream, a single, painstakingly fanned strawberry and a molded chocolate butterfly. All other issues aside, it is virtually impossible in this county to find such magnificent, stunning presentations anywhere other than Marius.

It probably is easier to quibble with the failings of a superior restaurant than a run-of-the-mill place, for the simple reasons that one’s expectations are raised, the abyss between reality and perfection is tantalizingly narrow and, of course, one is paying handsomely for the pleasure of raising an alarmed eyebrow at a bruised leaf of lettuce or an imperfectly cooked fava bean. Marius seems to fall down primarily on minor issues--it also excels at small details--but, given the type of restaurant it is, these are exactly the issues it should handle.

As the luxury dining room at the Le Meridien Hotel in Coronado, Marius gains its distinction from the Le Meridien practice of hiring a chef from a celebrated restaurant in France to write the menus, and to fly over periodically to supervise their preparation. Currently, Jean-Marie Meulien, chef at the Michelin two-star Le Clos Longchamps at Le Meridien Etoile in Paris, performs the consultant role at Marius; earning two Michelin stars is equivalent to baseball’s Hall of Fame, so we must assume that Meulien knows his stuff. On the scene in Coronado, executive chef Rene Herbeck also has a distinguished background and generally impresses with his presentations of Meulien creations, some of them from the menu at Le Clos Longchamps.

Those who know French cooking only from restaurants in this country may be surprised by the offerings at Marius, which proceed with that special quality that the French call panache. This is luxury cooking, of course, garnished with remarkable style and often incorporating rare ingredients, or combining known items in unexpected ways. For example, a sauce of crushed black olives and cream is swirled into the Provencal onion and tomato soup to provide a novel effect that, although welcome, is completely unexpected.

Menu descriptions only provide suggestions of the finished product. There is no way to know beforehand, for example, that the appetizer described as “zucchini blossoms filled with a mousse of green asparagus” actually means these same tender flowers, stuffed with a chicken mousse that anchors tiny asparagus tips. Five of these packages, separated by fan-cut infant zucchini, float on a pool of herbed butter sauce flavored with pastis , or licorice liqueur. This is a lovely plate, although it might be noted that the texture of the chicken forcemeat is pasty and dry, an example of the shortcomings of modern food processors when used to perform jobs more successfully done by hand.

A similar butter, minus the liqueur, moistens the starter of wild mushroom ravioli. Provencal rather than Italian, these pasta squares are notable for delicacy of the dough, the intense flavor of the wild mushrooms in the stuffing, and the superb--and delicious--cleverness of the presentation, which specifies that a sprig of a different fresh herb decorate each of the five ravioli. These tiny details combine with the big effects to set Marius quite apart. Among other openers are fresh foie gras , sauteed with grapes and a splash of sweet Muscat wine; a warm salad of quail and green beans with a spiced olive dressing, and a second warm salad of steamed prawns in Champagne vinaigrette.

The brief seafood and meat entree lists would seem too limited were the offerings less unusual. On the briny side are such things as steamed shrimp tortellini finished with fresh tarragon, a roasted Maine lobster flavored with vanilla and an arrangement of poached striped sea bass, artichoke hearts and hazelnuts, which sounds an exquisite combination of flavors. The saute of sea scallops with fava beans and Cabernet Sauvignon sauce will surprise those who think that only white wine complements seafood. This sauce has a meaty richness that implies the presence of glace de viande , or meat glaze, and butter for thickening; it is remarkable with the thin, pan-gilded scallop slices. The fava beans presumably are tumbled through the dish to show their emerald color against the ruby sauce, but they ought to have been cooked better--a raw, crunchy fava has little to recommend it. Nor was this entree by any means substantial.

Nothing, however, disappointed about the lamb medallions, lightly crusted and doused with a brilliant “cappuccino” sauce that brought a teasing flavor of creamed coffee to the meat. An amazing plate, the serving also included a wedge of cinnamon-scented apples baked in the style of potatoes Anna, and a woven nest of white and mud-colored fettuccine, the darker of the two flavored with cocoa. That may sound precious, but it was in fact exquisite. The meat list runs on to roasted pheasant breast with morel mushrooms, roasted breast of Muscovy duck scented with Middle Eastern spices and marinated tenderloin of buffalo (or Angus beef, for the timid) with cranberries.

Although portions are relatively small, Marius routinely throws in extras to satisfy the luxury theme. These include a selection of excellent freshly baked breads, a small appetizer (recently asparagus spears in herb butter, nice but not special), a tiny pre-dessert and a plate of small sweets brought just in advance of the check. These last are beautiful and tasty. The formal, thoroughly attentive service follows the style of the room, which seems bathed in a diffused golden glow, doubtless owing to the lighting and the shade of paint on the walls. Intentionally or not, the antique-looking paintings of Provencal vegetables and fruits seem to subtly advertise the cuisine.

MARIUS

Le Meridien Hotel, 2000 2nd St.,

Coronado

435-3000

Dinner served Tuesday-Sunday, closed

Monday

Entrees cost; dinner for two, including a

moderate bottle of wine, tax and tip,

about $120 to $150

Credit cards accepted