chat noir costa mesa

Chat Noir - Costa Mesa

We arrived at around 7 pm last night, parking in the structure behind

TGI Fridays, so we had short walk to Chat Noir.

As soon as we stepped in, we noticed the red velvet, and the dark

motif. Very Moulin Rouge, but not as in-your-face as the movie. Sultry

and seductive as the decor was, we were there for the food. We flew

past the bar (we don't drink alcohol of any kind) and into our booth

for two. The crowd consisted of a few groups of men in business suits.

I overheard talk about "action plans" and "revenue targets" from the

other tables. Obviously, people on expense accounts. Otherwise, it

wasn't a busy night.

Our waiter, a polite middle-aged gentleman recited the night's

specials. Salmon with risotto and beurre blanc. They brought out a

wire basket with warm rolls while we decided what we wanted. The rolls

were actually just small versions of not-overly-crusty French

baguettes. A ramekin of butter with a paper cover imprinted with a

cat's paw came along with the bread.

My girlfriend decided on the salmon special ($30.00). I opted for the

seared scallops ($28.00). After a short while, a young gentleman

server came out with our dishes. It was at this point that I informed

this man that we intended to order the souffle for dessert. As you

hounds already know, if you want souffle at a restaurant, better order

it ahead of time or else be prepared to wait. The man smiled and took

our order for the souffle. Is it chocolate, I inquired? "Oh yes," he

said. "Chocolate souffle, with a Grand Marnier creme fraiche and

melted Belgian chocolate sauce."

I started on my scallop dish. It was awesome. I had four fat scallops,

nicely caramelized crust, served on top of creamy risotto. The risotto

was prepared right, with bits of cruncy asparagus mixed with the rice.

There were also little jewels of oven-dried tomatoes which straddled

the edge of the plate. The tartness of these tomatoes nicely undercut

the creamy richness of the risotto and complemented the delicate

brininess of the scallop. There were also thin baby zucchini on the

plate. These were done perfectly, not too raw, and not too mushy. A

nice bite of freshness. The sauce that brought all of these components

together was stupendous. I don't know what it was called, but I wiped

the plate clean with a piece of bread, getting every last bit of the

sauce.

My girlfriend's salmon was also good. It was cooked to her

specification. Well done. It also came with risotto, although when I

went in for a taste, I detected an uncooked grain of rice or two. But

she loved the dish. For her vegetable component, it was thin haricot

verts, still crispy and vibrant.

The dessert came shortly after our entree plates were taken away. The

original waiter who greeted us brought the bulbous souffle ($12.00) to

our table. He then took a spoon and cut out a well in the middle of

the cake. Then he mashed it down with the spoon. A couple of dollops

of the creme fraiche went down, followed by a drizzle of the chocolate

sauce. I think "a drizzle" is understating it. It was more like a

deluge. Okay, I thought. This was not what I am used to. Usually at

places, they would just serve the souffle as is and allow us to judge

how much or as little of the cream and sauce we'd like to put in. We'd

do it ourselves. Upon tasting the now overflowing souffle, I was a

little disappointed and decreed that from now on, I am going to forgo

the theatrics of the souffle assembly presentation. Souffle should be

unadulterated by any pouring of chocolate sauce, especially if done by

anyone other than yourself.

The delicate texture of the souffle was totally overwhelmed by that

sauce. We scooped up globs of the soggy cake, which was had the

consistency of bread pudding. It was a bit of a let-down from the

pleasure of the entrees. There was no way we could tell how well the

souffle was done. How airy was it? No idea. I tasted nothing but

chocolate sauce.

Oh well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad. We still agreed that it was a great

experience. Good atmosphere, great food, attentive service. The total

with tip was $87.00.

BTW, the parking structure seems to charge eventhough Chat Noir

validated our parking ticket. We ended up paying for a remaining

balance of $6. So if you are going there on a date night, you probably

might as well, do the valet.

Chat Noir

655 Anton Blvd.

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 557-6647

NOTE: Chat Noir is now Savannah.