A Nice Pinch of Spice in Life

Do you mistrust any food vendor in a shopping center? I do, though I should know better. Actually, I do know better; this is Southern California, and everything’s in a shopping center. That means everything from theme restaurants to fine cuisine.

But if you’re still doubtful, pay a visit to Pascal Epicerie, owned by chef Pascal Olhats and located very near his fine dining room, Pascal, in Plaza Newport.

The Epicerie is a full-service delicatessen that opens its doors at 7 a.m. to drowsy commuters eager to put some starch in their collars with searing espresso, delicate pastries and croissants (baked off premises). From there, it does a steady takeout business throughout the day, filling up at lunch with customers raiding its cases of prepared salads, sandwiches, pa^tes and entrees.

With a dozen or so small tables shunted Parisian-style into every available nook, plus some outdoor seating, it’s a pleasant place to linger.

Entrees first. You find them on ice in the deli case.

My indecision ended as soon as I laid eyes on a plump cut of sea bass sporting a cloak of thyme sauce; my friend just as quickly homed in on a tender strip of poached salmon. Neither arrived the worse for wear from a zap in the microwave. The thyme hovered delicately over the sea bass, allowing its flavor to shine through, and the salmon, redolent of wine and citrus, was majestic in its simplicity.

Each was flanked by well-chosen side dishes: an aromatic helping of stewed tomatoes for the bass and pleasantly nutty wild rice with the salmon.

A further tour of dinner selections revealed a heartening consistency. The double-thick rotisserie pork chop was seasoned with a ping of basil and reminded me of the days before pork had become tyrannically lean. The tender rack of lamb, delicately flecked with thyme, rested on a bed of lentils and creamy mashed potatoes punched up with a hint of lemon. Filets of sole came in a breading that was nicely flavored with oregano.

The prepared salads were distinguished by the gentleness of their vinaigrettes. The unusually restrained touch with vinegar falls into line with an overall approach: Sauces (the beurre blanc cloaking several of the seafood dishes is a highlight) and dressings are designed to complement the main ingredient, rather than dominate.

Pasta salad is a bestseller; it’s tomatoes, creamy feta and butterfly pasta lightly tossed in a remarkably non-oily pesto. There’s a white bean salad that’s pure comfort food, and the mushroom salad has the tender, meaty texture of prime rib.

I wasn’t carried away by the basmati rice tossed with bell peppers, though; the rice sulked and refused to get along with the peppers. On the other hand, the pearl couscous salad, charged with bits of green and red bell peppers, has a voluptuous bite.

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I wish I were in a position to recommend the panini, which are sandwiches of prosciutto, smoked chicken, cheese and so on, inserted into a partially baked baguette and finished off in the grill. They looked delicious on my first visit, and I was dying to have one. But when I returned, there had been a run on them, so I settled for a lamb sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes on walnut bread. In concept it was excellent, but the Epicerie’s sandwiches (apart from the panini) are made ahead and can start to give away their age as the day wears on.

There’s a tart of sweet stewed tomatoes on a flaky crust; don’t miss it. Ditto the onion tart, with the caramelized vegetables accented with Greek olives. The pa^tes are made on the premises, and all of them, from satiny-smooth duck liver to the more rustic pork pa^te, taste very fresh.

Also worth noting is the rabbit rillettes, spiked with pistachios, and the tapenade, a briny, palate-cleansing olive paste.

For dessert, the deli case of tartlets and cookies glitters like a cache of jewels, and you can hardly go wrong. The lemon tartlet, its filling bulging like an egg yolk from its diminutive crust, won the day in my book, but there’s also the one with chocolate mousse floating in a cookie crust and topped with dark chocolate shavings.

BE THERE

Pascal Epicerie, 1000 N. Bristol St., Newport Beach, (949) 261-9041. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Prepared salads $6.20 per pound. Sandwiches $4.95-$5.75. Prepared meals $9.95-$14.95. Dessert portions $2.20 (full-sized tarts & cakes $26.50-$32). Picnic and barbecue kits available.