He is Florent Marneau, chef and proprietor of Marche Moderne, one of the best French restaurants in the county. We are food bloggers with a few dumb questions that we've always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.
What do you get when you mix? You get what we hope is an off-the-cuff, quick, fun, entertaining, and marginally frivolous interview (that we hope to repeat with other O.C. food personalities) which goes something like this:
1. Dish that you cook that most represents you.
Too hard to pick one but our style is to put a modern twist on classic
dishes.
dishes.
2. What was the last meal you had at home?
Tomate farcies (stuffed tomato) made with pork belly on Father's Day,
(along with) assorted stuffed vegetables. It reminds me of my childhood.
(along with) assorted stuffed vegetables. It reminds me of my childhood.
3. Your favorite restaurant (other than yours):
L'Ousteau De Beaumaniere in Les Baux de Provence France. Two Michelin
stars. Sitting there on the patio, having milk fed spring lamb — rustic yet
refined.
stars. Sitting there on the patio, having milk fed spring lamb — rustic yet
refined.
Locally: Blue Fin in Newport Coast. So fresh. Everything from the
specials board is great. It makes a nice lunch on Mondays off. Followed by a
nap.
specials board is great. It makes a nice lunch on Mondays off. Followed by a
nap.
4. Fast food guilty pleasure:
After almost 20 years in the US, I can't get used to fast food. Last time,
it was when we were re-modeling the restaurant. Amelia (my wife) took me to the
drive-thru at In-N-Out. We were eating in the car arguing how bad it was.
it was when we were re-modeling the restaurant. Amelia (my wife) took me to the
drive-thru at In-N-Out. We were eating in the car arguing how bad it was.
Honda-Ya in Tustin when we get off work all stressed out. Great yakitori.
Great to decompress.
Great to decompress.
5. Complete this sentence: I would like to [verb] [Food Network Star] with [noun].
(for example: “I would like to BEAT BOBBY FLAY with A STALE
BAGUETTE.” or “I would like to SHOWER GIADA DE LAURENTIIS with
FLOWERS”)
BAGUETTE.” or “I would like to SHOWER GIADA DE LAURENTIIS with
FLOWERS”)
I would like to have a few beers with Mario
Batali arguing about the Italians creating French food.
Batali arguing about the Italians creating French food.
The Food Network is not what it used to be: Too many pretty stars. Mario
Batali is among the few that are left with a very informative and fun show.
Batali is among the few that are left with a very informative and fun show.
6. Last meal of your life, what would it be?
A nice selection of cheese, fresh baguette, sea salt, butter, Sancerre, and
coco-mango ice cream that we
make at the restaurant.
7. Items you always have in your
refrigerator:
coco-mango ice cream that we
make at the restaurant.
7. Items you always have in your
refrigerator:
Champagne, Laughing Cow, French butter.
People think that chefs always have the best in their refrigerator. There
are two extremes on this: we often have the very luxurious or the very
common.
are two extremes on this: we often have the very luxurious or the very
common.
8. Your most indispensable kitchen tool or appliance:
My surgical tweezers made out of German steel provided by Dr. Joel Sheiner, Surgeon at Hoag Hospital. I use them constantly for precision plating.
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.