Dining Review: Le Coq

Prolific San Diego restaurateurs Brian Malarkey and Chris Puffer have doubled down on downtown La Jolla with their newest concept, Le Coq. The recently launched “new wave French steakhouse” resides in the same circa-1930 Herschel Avenue structure that once housed their seafood-centric eatery, Herringbone. In reacquiring that space, the duo aimed to introduce something familiar yet unique that would appeal to locals and foodies alike, leaning on their powerhouse executive chef Tara Monsod to bring their vision to life.

Before digging into her new digs, Monsod — the acclaimed toque behind downtown’s Asian-fusion gem, Animae, and San Diego’s first-ever James Beard Foundation Best Chef California finalist — ventured across the Atlantic to stage in high-profile Parisian kitchens. In doing so, she not only immersed herself in French restaurant culture but witnessed firsthand a multitude of cutting-edge innovations being put forth by the city’s young, hungry chefs. This included techniques and ingredient combinations so avant-garde that they challenged time-honored French gastronomical tenets.  

That adventurous spirit inspired Monsod as she endeavored to update and personalize classic French cuisine for Le Coq, adding fresh, seasonal, and unexpected ingredients plus micro-infusions of her Asian heritage. The result is a menu that, while largely made up of French standards, is abundantly interesting thanks to clever twists lending one-of-a-kind status to many of Le Coq’s dishes.

Though billed as a steakhouse, one could just as easily enjoy a bistro-style experience, even skipping viande rouge altogether. Regardless, a house-made baguette gets things rolling in the right direction thanks in large part to imported French Pamplie butter. Rich yet airy, this “chef’s butter” is positively transportive. Compound versions infused with seaweed, caviar, and more are also available along with a jam du jour. There is no incorrect choice here.

Perhaps no section of the menu better illustrates Monsod’s inventive approach than a collection of 13 hors d’oeuvres. Locally procured yellowtail is served with cherry, wasabi, arugula, and shallot jam, while chrysanthemum and an ume (plum blossom) vinaigrette lend floral notes to a Lady Edison ham and cantaloupe salad. Meanwhile, sweetbreads are served with peach and maple trout roe, while white fish is paired up with an almond financier (tea cake) and blueberry capers. Even something as simple as summer squash is gilded with exotic pickled strawberry, gruyere, and anchovy oil. The same goes for carrots with hazelnuts and pickled aprium (an apricot-plum hybrid). This is anything but typical fare at a French restaurant — or any restaurant, especially in somewhat emporte-pièce San Diego. 

Two starters, in particular, are showstoppers. The first is tuna tartare lent brilliant creaminess and spice care of crème fraîche cut with horseradish and paddlefish caviar, plus bright, fruity acidity from pickled gooseberries. It may very well be the finest local take on this dish; an absolute must-order. Then there’s a bowl of mussels served with verdant spigarello (heirloom broccoli rabe) and blue cheese foam. White wine minerality, shellfish, and dairy funk cohesively meld together into something that, like the tartare, is delightfully different and a cut above. Monsod first experienced this dish while staging at Paris’Les Enfants du Marché and was so enamored she sought — and received — permission to reimagine it as part of Le Coq’s bill of fare. 

Monsod’s mains are more straightforward. Steaks and chops include a ribeye, New York, (the currently en vogue) Denver, filet mignon, or bone-in pork chop with add-on sauces (béarnaise, bordelaise, anchovy) as well as Perigord black truffle and caviar. (The latter is everywhere on this menu, including stuffed in the olives garnishing a dirty martini, “The Filthy.”) Les Plats include Parisian-style (non-potato) gnocchi, pork collar with creamed wakame (seaweed), halibut en croute, and duck breast with tamarind purée. There are also steak frites, the salty pommes portion of which gets a serious umami boost from a powder fashioned from dried mushrooms, onion, and chicken skin.

Pastry chef Laura Warren’s dessert menu is compact yet diverse. On the lighter side, golden brown pâte à choux sandwiches a lovely, not-too-sweet pistachio mousseline in a classic Paris-Brest, while those in search of deep, dark decadence will get what they ask for with a dense chocolate gâteau dusted with potent (read: spicy) Espelette powder (seriously, watch out).

Le Coq is brimming over with originality. The restaurant may bill itself as a steakhouse (an undersell in this critic’s opinion), and a steak will do you right, but Monsod is a talented chef with a newly broadened worldview provided by authentic experiences in the very country she is honoring. Take a chance and try something more outside the norm, because this is where both she and Le Coq shine. 858.427.1500, lecoq.com

Service: 4.5
Timeliness: 3.5
Ambience: 4.5
Culinary Innovation: 4
Food Quality: 4.5
Cocktail Program: 4
Wine List: 4
Value: 3.5