Kat's 9 Lives

Last Saturday I went to Marche Modern and the pictures were somehow deleted from my camera. Since I liked the food from last time, I decided to go again. Tofu liked this place to so he was willing to come again with me. The Spontanée menu for the weekdays are $20 and for the weekends are $25 for a 3-course pre-fixe meal. It is a pretty nice deal for New American food. BUT... this time around we received HORRENDOUS service. I don't think Tofu and I will be back. Even if we did, we probably would hold a deep grudge. The first time it wasn't as busy and the service was slow but nice. This time they were super packed for lunch. We were seated immediately and then NOTHING! No one came by to ask what we would like to drink or if we were ready to order. Do remember that it's been really hot outside these days and anyone would be thirsty! Eventually someone gave us bread but nothing else. People who were seated after us that were near us immediately got their drinks and bread. Tofu and I were getting agitated after waiting a while. I also needed water to take pain killers for my knee, so imagine my dismay that the service was so bad! After a while, I flagged down this older lady who probably was a manager because she wasn't wearing the aprons that servers wore. I explained to her that we had waited a while and received no service. She impatiently said, "So what would you like to drink?" and brushed us off. Then she RUDELY asked, "Are you ready to order?" She took it and just left in a hurry. I understand they are busy and such, but they need some common courtesy and decency! She should have at LEAST apologized that no one came around to take our drinks and order. This really shows how LOW CLASS this place really is! At first I thought this place could be a new favorite because it serves the type of food I seek when I go to NY, but now they are nothing but dirt to me!

The first course was a Marche Moderne version of Caprese. I thought they did this very inventively. They used yellow tomatoes and fresh mozzarella with basil. It was a nice presentation and the taste was very nice. I really liked that they did a tomato sorbet that kicked it up a notch. It's definitely not a new idea, but the flavor of the tomato sorbet was very sweet and delectable. This was probably my favorite course of the day. It's very light and simple, yet flavorful.
I decided to get two lunches because I wanted to try both main course dishes. The Roasted Maine Scallops with Lemon Mosto Scented Eggplant Flageolet au Beurre de Pastis was DISGUSTING. Tofu and I almost gagged. Sadly, I didn't know Flageolet were beans as I abhor beans and never eat them. lol EWW! That's not even the reason why the dish was bad. I didn't want to cause too much trouble and since I was already really annoyed, I decided not to send this dish back. I really should have though! The scallops were not cooked well, it was a little rubbery or they just weren't fresh. They were beautiful scallops but not done well. The eggplant on top was just funky and the green beans below were VILE! It tasted like black licorice! Blech! Avoid this dish if it ever cycles back on the lunch menu.
Tofu and I both got the Roasted Duck Breast, Carmelized Endive, Port Jus, and Potatoes. I felt the presentation was lacking in cleanliness. At first I thought it had potential but there was blood juice scattered across the plate, which only made it unacceptable! Below is the picture with the blood gathered on one side.
Here is a cleaner shot, where I focus on the cleaner side. I like to make my pictures pristine, so I showed you the real entire photo and then focus on a prettier view. The duck, even though bloody, was very tough! They really need a lesson in preparing cooked food! The appetizers are usually the best and require little to no cooking. Tofu had a huge tendon in his duck. I was annoyed that I had to SAW into the duck to get individual pieces. The sauce on this dish was fine and much better than the horrible scallops. I thought the dish as a whole was only sub par. It's not anything new or unusual and it wasn't even done well!
For dessert they had "Crepe" with Mint Gelato and Strawberries. I actually liked this a lot. It was light and flavorful. The crepe was sweet yet had a solid texture. The mint flavor along with the strawberries only enhanced each other.
All in all the food has its ups and downs. Tofu and I debated on which meal was the best, but we both agreed that the appetizers were always the best dish. They really can't make the main dish right, it's always missing something or not cooked well. IF THEY HAD BETTER SERVICE, I would have still kept coming back to try new dishes. Tofu and I felt that they purposely ignored us just because we are not their typical clientèle, which would be the elderly. It's just wrong that they should judge us just because we are young. Who are they to decide who would tip better? For their information, I always try to tip around 20% or more at nicer restaurants. I also am a FIRM BELIEVER that a server only deserves the tip if they do the job well. In all honesty, I have been to many top restaurants around the world and this place definitely can't even compare in taste. At least they should have better service, which would only enhance the dining experience. The sad part is we went to a cheap join for dinner and their service was a MILLION times better. Even a fast food place has better service than this horrendous restaurant. Would I recommend this place now? It's pretty obvious that it would be a NO! I am still debating if I want to report them to the South Coast Mall Management about their discriminatory behavior! We never even had a server for the whole meal nor did they ever apologize or make any feeble attempt in compensation. If you want good food, definitely go somewhere else because there are TONS of great restaurants around with much BETTER service!

Marche Moderne
3333 Bristol St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 434-7900