Knife Pleat - Costa Mesa, CA

Lunching in the land of conspicuous consumption defines the fine dining in this cushy Costa Mesa mall. Eating amidst elegant restaurant decor surrounded by an eyesore of bright lights and beckoning displays of habits worth more than my mortgage, I'll admit I never had high hopes for Knife Pleat. 

The amuse bouche gougeres are crumbly, quasi-cheesy bits full of a grainy, earthy pea puree. A welcoming texture and I'm all for the less-is-more cleaness of the flavors that shine through the complex preparation. 

 

The prix fixe menu offered something fresh and forgettable-sounding at a price point too frugal to ignore, so out came the Wild Arugula Salad, a simple salad. The arugula is crisp and bitter, the first peaches of the summer, soft and sweet. Toasted pine nuts add a savory element, highlighting the sweeter notes of fruit. White dots of gooey cheese make it stick. 

The English Pea arrives, and we silently shovel bite after bite into our mouths while muttering "It's so good". It's so good we ordered it again for dessert, to consume before our last course came out. We got looks but apologized for nothing. There is truly no execution more flawless than the golden ratios of this dish. Sunkissed peas are fresh off the vine, snow pea chiffonade adds a layer of luxury with a bolder bean flavor in the texture of satin. Mint and a dash of acid uplift the crisp prosciutto, and a base-bed of stracciatella cheese adds some salty notes. It's a mouthful of sunshine and rain, an entire spring garden on a single plate. For this dish alone, one Michelin star is not enough. 

The prix fixe gives us a tender Chicken Thigh in a chicken jus gravy good enough to drink. The potato puree is a little pile of comfort with chips to add some crunch. The fresh peas are a recurring theme, this time buttered. Simple yet spectacular. 

This Duck Leg Confit eclipses everything I ate in France. The meat releases savory shreds, so soft you can cut them with a spoon. Good gastrique, chef's-kiss skin, well-suited sides of starch and berries. 

It always surprises me how good rhubarb can taste. Their Rhubarb Tart is arrayed in picture-perfect stripes of pink, a pretty pastry with a side of fruit-packed sorbet. 

The Louis XV is a luxury, an on-the-nose parallel to their neighbor Louis Vuitton. Gilded with gold leaf, it tastes the inspiration for the first jar of Nutella. The chocolate is chocolate without not so much sugar, the hazelnut puree is smooth as silk, and the hazelnuts form a crunchy crust to contrast the cream. 

A birthday Macaron with pistachio, 

And gold stars filled with passionfruit wrap up an exquisite meal. 

I am not surprised, not even shocked; I am astounded. I haven't had food of this quality in years, and I never expected it, not from here. Well if this is only lunch, I MUST return for dinner.