Heady Scents of Provence at Pinot in Costa Mesa

L.A. chef-entrepreneur Joachim Splichal has finally taken the plunge and gone south, to open the sixth of his French-California Pinots in Orange County. This one is baptized Pinot Provence, and it’s set in the Westin Hotel just across from South Coast Plaza. The space is very grand, with an ornate ironwork canopy and a couple of nifty terrace patios for schmoozing over aperitifs and nibbling on appetizers. The restaurant also has a series of charming private rooms of various configurations.

The Splichals have taken provincial France as their theme, and from the looks of the decor, hauled back a few containers’ worth of suitably French antiques: old armoires, massive doors and beams, farmhouse tables, chandeliers, even a limestone fireplace. Banquettes are amply upholstered in yellow-and-white stripes that evoke the south of France. The chef is French, too. He’s Florent Marneau, former chef de cuisine at Aubergine, who also worked at Pascal. (Both restaurants are in Newport Beach.)

The menu faithfully follows the formula Splichal employs to effect at his Los Angeles-area Pinots, which means you can expect his signature “soup of yesterday,” potatoes in ingenious guises, and plats du jours for every day of the week. But this time part of the menu at least has a Provencal inflection.

I like the oval bowls of olives you can order with various flavorings, especially the Picholines steeped in lemon oil, lemon peel and fresh lavender. Splichal’s restaurants all have a good selection of oysters on the half shell, which is always a fine way to begin a meal. The chef’s playful side is evident in his take on summer’s prosciutto and melon, “tartar” of melon wrapped in Bayonne ham. And if you want to go native, you can feast on rabbit stuffed with Nicoise olives and mascarpone polenta, or that truly Provencal dish called pied et paquets (feet and packets), made with braised pork shank (instead of the more usual sheep’s feet) and tripe. But you can also get a great ro^tisserie chicken redolent of lemon and herbs served with a tall pile of pommes frites.

If you squint your eyes and breathe in the scents of olives, lemon, lavender and thyme, you’re there. Or as close to Provence as maybe you’re ever going to get in South Coast Plaza.

BE THERE

Pinot Provence at the Westin South Coast Plaza, 686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa; (714) 444-5900. Open daily for lunch (brunch on the weekends) and dinner. Valet parking. Appetizers $3 to $10, main courses $17 to $22.