RESTAURANTS : Exemplary Food but Few Takers

A true professional gives a top performance even when the house is empty. Chef Byron Gemmell can count himself among this elite fraternity at Palmira Grill, a cozy restaurant in the Atrium Marquis Hotel, across from John Wayne Airport.

Seasoned Orange County restaurant-goers know Gemmell’s resume. He was born in Guatemala and learned the art of classical French cuisine at Jean Bertranou’s L’Ermitage in West Hollywood in the 1970s. In the ‘80s he operated his own restaurant, the very chichi Gemmell’s in Costa Mesa. Later, he ran things at Chanteclair, an Irvine restaurant popular with the convention crowd. More recently, he opened Cassis in the same city.

Amazingly, his latest challenge is going relatively unnoticed. On most nights, only a few tables are occupied at Palmira Grill. Go figure. Gemmell’s cooking is exemplary: excellent ingredients, fine sauces, beautiful presentations. Fans of French cooking should put Palmira Grill at the top of their hot list. It won’t be secret for long.

Meanwhile, I’ve found myself having pretty much the run of the place when I’ve dined here. Next door, in the hotel’s down-home nightclub, things are jumping to the beat of a live band. But in the restaurant, a dark green and pastel-colored room decorated with etched glass and fresh orchids, there are only the muffled sounds of a few business travelers conversing, the faint tinkle of crystal and occasional silences.

The restaurant’s menu is marginally less ambitious than Gemmell is accustomed to. You don’t find the exquisite fresh foie gras with pears that Gemmell prepared in his restaurant years ago--the foie gras pan-seared with caramelized edges, the slices of poached fresh pear fanned out attractively.

Though that is not an option here, you can get his excellent foie gras mi-cuit --literally “half cooked.” Picture warm slivers of imported goose liver, wrapped in perfectly blackened cabbage leaves. The liver comes in three tiny bundles, with minuscule heaps of salt and pepper as the sole garnishes.

The fine roasted goat cheese salad is another dish that makes a king out of the humble cabbage. Goat cheese can be a cliche when handled thoughtlessly, but this salad of baby greens, balsamic vinaigrette and gently wilted cabbage leaves skillfully unmasks the natural sweetness and pungency of the cheese. Gemmell also smokes his own salmon, cutting it into surgically thin slices. The salmon is served with abundant wedges of lemon and a smooth, creamy dill sauce.

Some of the other starters come off more as walk-throughs. In escargots Roquefort, the snails are presented out of their shells in an elegant white timbale, but the sauce is overwhelming and even too salty for the delicate taste of the snails. An Italian-style bruschetta is made with a winning mix of chopped tomatoes, Italian parsley, a high-grade olive oil and moist, firm balls of bufala mozzarella. Too bad these first-rate ingredients come on dry and boring toasted French rolls, rather than on good Italian bread.

The entrees are distinguished by vegetable side dishes. Some are simple, such as sugar snap peas or asparagus Hollandaise; others are laboriously prepared: good potato creations, a gorgeous wild rice pilaf, chartreuses of various baby vegetables.

I don’t quite understand why Gemmell’s terrific sand dabs almondine are so named, since they are made with pine nuts instead of almonds. But the dish is certainly one of the identifying recipes this chef has developed. It consists of three or four filets of this most delicate of California fish with an abundance of lightly toasted nuts and a simple, satisfying caper beurre blanc sauce.

Meats are handled with equal care. Stuffed chicken Palmira is a whole boned chicken breast stuffed with a galantine of wild mushrooms. A superbly crisped roast duck is available with either a raspberry sauce, an unctuous sauce of green peppercorn and brandy or a rustic topping of green olives.

Gemmell cooks bistro fare too. Count on his New York steak to be charred rare the way it is done in a top steakhouse, penetrated by the flavors of a confit of garlic. The pork medallions are thick slices of roasted pork in a mustard sauce that is more patrician than any bistro has a right to expect. Lamb loin is served with a rosemary sauce and the pale French beans called flageolets .

Gemmell is also his own patissier , and his pastries, made on the premises, are mostly meticulous to a fault. Often there is an excellent flourless chocolate cake, or an eggy Meyer lemon tart with a buttery bottom crust.

Tarte Tatin is to French kitchens what tiramisu is to Italian ones. Gemmell knows his way around an apple tarte. And for that matter, a creme brulee and just about anything else that belongs to classic French cooking.

He is one show destined for a long run, even if the Atrium Marquis does seem a long, long way from the Great White Way. Talent is never too far from an audience.

Palmira Grill is expensive. Salads and lighter fare are $4 to $15.95. Entrees are $14.95 to $26.95.

* PALMIRA GRILL

* In the Atrium Marquis Hotel, 18770 MacArthur Blvd., Irvine.

* (714) 833-2770.

* Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

* All major cards.