Cafe Pascal’s Goal: Make It High Quality, Make It Fast

Shop, Then Stop: Cafe Pascal is opening next week inside South Coast Plaza near Tiffany’s at the base of the new Bridge of Gardens crossing Bear Street. The owner is Pascal Olhats of the French restaurant Pascal in Newport Beach. Cafe Pascal will be a casual cousin of his more upscale place, serving light meals of quiches, cre^pes, soups, and sandwiches either over the counter or at the totally outdoor table area. Olhats says, “My idea is to bring [customers] very good food, very high quality, but in a quick way.” Everything will be made in-house, though some hams and cheeses will be imported from France. Sandwiches run from $6 to $7. The plat du jour will be $9.95. And for deflated shoppers in need of quick hit of sugar or caffeine, there will be pastries, cre^pes, ice creams and coffee. To celebrate a particularly felicitous purchase, he’ll have bottles of champagne on hand. Beginning Sept. 21, Cafe Pascal will be open daily during mall hours.

* Cafe Pascal, in the Garden Terrace, South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa; (714) 751-4911. Pascal in Newport Beach, (949) 752-0107.

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A New Accent: Pangaea restaurant at Le Meridien Hotel in Beverly Hills has undergone some changes. When the former Hotel Nikko was bought by the European-owned Le Meridien hotel group, the management divested the restaurant of its Asian theme. Though the restaurant has already been redecorated, it’s not scheduled for a full remodel until early next year. In the meantime, the menu has been taken in a French-Mediterranean direction by new chef Gerard Ferri, who was, most recently, chef at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey. Sometime before that he owned his own restaurant in France called La Couletta. Says Ferri, “I am from [the] south of France, and I like to work with olive oil, fish, vegetables, and produce from the south of France.” We hope he’s not planning to bring everything from France. What about all the glorious produce in our local farmers markets? His braised sea bass comes with a duo of asparagus, scallion and black truffle ($26). Swordfish is layered into a Napolean with eggplant and a tomato coulis ($20); his chicken casserole includes morel mushrooms, fava beans, and spring potatoes ($18). Pangaea is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.

* Pangaea Restaurant & Bar, in Le Meridien Hotel, 465 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A.; (310) 246-2100.

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Soon to Be History: Bruno’s Ristorante, the behemoth Italian restaurant in Mar Vista, is closing Sept. 25. The place has been mobbed since the owner announced the impending shuttering. Those planning on indulging in any nostalgic last meals at this venerable institution should know that reservations are required for its last remaining days. Bruno’s will serve dinner Tuesday through Sunday through Sept. 24.

* Bruno’s Ristorante, 3838 Centinela Ave., Mar Vista; (310) 397-5703.

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Lunch by Linq: Linq will open its doors Tuesday for lunch service. On the menu: sweet white corn soup with Dungeness crab ($6.75), Thai curry noodles with green coconut curry ($10.50), salad Nicoise with ahi, haricot verts and potatoes ($12.50), and sole Grenobloise in a yuzu lime-butter sauce ($9.50).

* Linq will be open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Linq, 8338 W. 3rd St., L.A.; (323) 655-4555.

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A Game Effort: Gladstone’s 4 Fish tips a hat to the Olympic spirit this month by featuring seafood from Australia on its menu. Blue Nose seabass with rock crab sauce was $21.99 one day last week. Pan-fried John Dory was $24.49. Other Australian fish like orange roughy will be cooked up in daily specials alongside shrimp, green-lipped mussels, and yabbies. Say what? Yabbies are small freshwater crustaceans native to Australia. Some folks describe them as mini lobsters, but their shells turn orange when cooked. These were running $29.99 for five of them broiled scampi style. The Australian seafood specials will be available, along with Australian wines, through September.

* Gladstone’s 4 Fish, 17300 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades; (310) 573-0212.

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Angela Pettera can be reached at (213) 237-3153 or at pettera @prodigy.net