Marché Moderne — Restaurant in Newport Beach

Before I get too far into this review...let me be clear that the food was 5-stars! Unfortunately the service received was 1-star.

Marche Moderne was the setting for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary dinner. 10 of my parents closet friends & family were looking forward to an elegant, yet casual, evening that we knew would be a memorable experience...

The evening started by being greeted by our server Carrie. She seemed polite, yet the insincerity in her smile and her tone made it clear she was unhappy with having to serve our large party despite a standard 20% gratuity being included. My father ordered bottled water for the table and she repeated it three times like she was shocked that this request was made. Next, was her poor service in managing the bottles of champagne and wine. She had to be prompted to open the 3 bottles of 2016 Chateauneuf-du-Pape so they could breath and never decanted the wine while we enjoyed champagne to start the evening with appetizers.

My parents had pre arranged for appetizers for the table. Fast and furiously the plates were being delivered to the table without explanation and certainly no pomp and circumstance! Carrie needed another prompt, "could you please explain the food being presented?" Which was received with an insincere smile and the request obliged like the teacher had just asked her to read out loud in front of her 4th grade class.

Luckily the food began to steal the show. We loved all of the appetizers:

1. Escargot: divine! Perfectly prepared in a delicious garlic-herb butter...don't forget to dip your bread in this
2. Hamachi: like butter! And the sorbet garnish added something special!
3. Grilled Octopus: another slam dunk! Tender and seasoned without flaw
4. Chopped Salad: what a gorgeous salad from presentation to all the delicious greens perfectly paired for such a refreshing and clean flavor profile

As we were enjoying appetizers, our favorite Carrie, made another appearance to explain the fish of the day. Have you ever watched a terrible stage play? Dry, uninspired, and insincere? Well this was our experience as Carrie recited from memory details about the Icelandic cod which was followed by "it will be prepared as it is written on the menu." Like yes we can read!

In any event, the main courses redeemed our experience and once again we were dancing in our seats:

1. Prawns & Scallops: dear god! This was incredible! The prawns and scallops are served on this gorgeous leek stuffed, lightly pan fried, "pancake" that was so phenomenal we asked Chef to come explain to the table! Thank you Chef for sharing your secrets!
2. Short Rib: fantastic! The smokiness of the bacon was unreal! Tender and fell off the bone.
3. Fish of the day: delicious, buttery, and flakey! It really was excellent! Fell apart with a touch of a fork

As we continued to enjoy our wine, Carrie, returned to offer dessert menus. We all knew we wanted the chocolate soufflé! Like any fine diner, we knew the preparation would take some time so we wanted to place our order early. When asked, Carrie, with that insincere smile swiftly told me "no, I have to take the entire tables order" At this point, we were done with Carrie so we let it go!

She did bring my parents a plate that read " Happy Anniversary" but as you can imagine the plate was dropped and Carrie departed swiftly to what I imagine as a profanity filled smoke break inspired by the likeness of "Vanderpump Rules."

If you are looking for incredible food that is elegant and casual in Crystal Cove be sure to make a reservation at Marche Moderne, but it is strongly suggested you bring your...

I've never heard of a French Buffet, but somehow people classify MM as one. They specialize in French seafood and fly in regional varieties daily.

I've done the 5 course set dinner menu which changes often enough that I'd consider it seasonal. Obviously items are subject to change due to availability. I found the food to be prepared and plated with excellence. Personally I found some to be amazing in flavor and others not so much. I went with the caviar because it was the most French to me (sashimi, uni and dungeoness crab all seemed worldly and certainly not French). The blini was soft, pliable and a nice medium for the smokey, briney and flavor packed caviar, small of course. Tuna and faux gras. Not fois gras. The CA ban has loopholes like giving it away. Interesting mix because the tuna also had ponzu truffle butter and here I'd believe they use the real thing. Truffle fries do not have truffle oil, you'd know by taste and you'd be paying $20+ for fries. Both the lobster and halibut dishes were excellent, but far to complex for me to remember the sauce. By now I've had a few drinks before the wine pairings so I honestly can't remember what I had as far as drink anymore. Green Tea and Pistachio gelato to go with a macaroon, unfulfilling as far as appetite goes. I went with the cheese plate which had some. If I recall had more non-French selections than French. It was great and setting us up for eating.

I really blew money in my other 3 times here. Loved tuna sashimi. Coconut vinaigrette, wakame salad. Excellent. The crab with the pickled veggies sounded more appealing than the more French version. Boudin Noir, oh lovely velvety rich blood sausage. Amazing. Don't get the oysters, fresh, but $18 for a half dozen, may as well go to Shuck and I didn't find them any better. Bone marrow was hearty and left me wanting more. The pork belly spoons is more an appetizer, but worth a try for the bacon lover, which is everyone. I stayed away from the steak tartar based on price and went with the Toasted Spanish Octopus. Subtle, warming, classic, I felt very French eating these. Pomme Frites are twice fried, made nightly and first come first serve, so order and come early and hope you get one. They are delectable and that's hard to say about fries. The Belgian's perfected it though.

Service of the food was excellent, but not cordial in the sense they were helpful and attentive. You get a French experience of fine dining and good food, but not necessarily a good time. I think that's why the French drink so much, jk. I was not impressed with it all in all. I only got a good table once and I wasn't willing up financially encourage a change. Perhaps it's because I'm used to equal money, equal service. It's expensive to eat the way a normal foodie eats here and don't' take someone here who doesn't like French food or isn't adventurous or a wino. A lot of money can be spent...

My husband and I had a lovely birthday dinner on a Sunday evening. There was a smaller crowd so no worries about covid, although I was slightly disappointed that the staff was not masked. Besides that, the food, service, and ambiance were all top notch. There was a lot on the menu we would’ve loved to have, so we will definitely be coming back!

Epis bread: I was hoping for something more flavorful. It was fine and very tasty, but the butter could have used more seasoning. The bread was fresh and moist, though.

Tasting menu: I ordered the tasting menu with cheese pairing. The 4 courses were all excellent, and the 5th (dessert) I swapped out for another dessert with a $2 charge for the change.

The 1st course was a tuna sashimi and veal carpaccio. Beautiful, bold presentation with an interesting mouthfeel — lots of different textures and flavors between the tuna, veal, gelee, and crispy capers.

The 2nd course was a life-changing Dungeness crab with veloute. The veloute came piping hot in a separate cup, which was excellent for sipping. Dungeness crab is a personal favorite of mine so I was very excited it was on the menu. It did not disappoint!

The 3rd course was the scallop. The fennel leek compote added nice flavor, although the kumquat wasn’t very noticeable. Overall it was still tasty and had nice presentation.

The 4th course: steak, truffle, gnocchi, lobster. This was a very rich dish! The sauce was very flavorful and added a lot. To be honest this was probably my least favorite — it was fine, but nothing spectacular.

Cheese plate: Before the dessert came a cheese trio with some candies pecans and preserves. The hard Dutch cheese was a bit bland for me. The truffle Boursin was excellent, as was the blue cheese (which we paired with a Sauternes, so it was extra tasty).

The 5th course we selected the panna cotta. It was creamy and not overly sweet, which was great. Overall nothing special, though.

My husband opted for some oysters, steak tartare, and steak au poivre. All three were excellent. The Kumamoto oysters were delicate and refreshing, and paired nicely with the two sauces. The steak tartare was tasty but not anything noteworthy. My husband raves about the steak — he loves a good rare steak with a nice sere on the outside, and they delivered beautifully. The potato fritters that came with the steak were divine!

Overall this was an excellent dinner and we would love to...