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16 Reviews
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Might be one of the best meals of your life!
We had one of the best meals ever. The carrot soup was amazing, and the duck entree, which was recommended by the waitperson, was truly exceptional. The service was memorable-we had five in our party, and each course was served by five waiters, one for each of us. It was expensive, but was worth it!
Be the first to ReplyMixed Results at Knife Pleat
This is a beautiful restaurant and welcoming space. The table was simply and tastefully adorned with one red rose, in bloom. The champagne cart was a nice touch. NOTE: The restaurant has a "no substitution rule" regarding the holiday tea, so if you have a food allergy, you are out of luck--they will offer to keep that item off of the main tea display, but no substitutions. I called ahead of time to inquire regarding the inclusion of shellfish and was told something to the effect of, "Well, hopefully your friend will swap sandwiches with you...." I notice that the reservation page for their regular tea has a "disclosure" to this effect, but the reservation page for the holiday tea does not. Ironically, when making the reservation, the application specifically asks diners to note any dietary restrictions. Furthermore, the reservation confirmation page notes the following: "If you would like to make any special arrangements or have questions about your reservation, please do not hesitate to reach out." It's a bit contradictory and frankly, off-putting. While not to the point of ruining the tea, the service was a little off on the day we dined. For example, there was one water glass provided on the table. We asked for another and it was provided, but then no water. Then, after about 30 minutes or so, no tea had arrived--we had to ask that it be brought to the table halfway through our service. The server did pour us a splash of champagne as an apology, and that was appreciated. The items provided for the tea were tasty, especially the cucumber sandwich and the whimsical reindeer confection.
Be the first to ReplyBad customer service with restaurant manager
I booked the reservation by calling the restaurant few days ago because we were going shopping on a Sat. The receptionist said Sat they only offer afternoon tea menus and I had to pay first. I told them we had one vegetarian. The receptionist said put it on the reservation under special dietary restrictions. So they text me a link. I reserved through RESY which I paid at front (including 23% service fee). When we arrived at the restaurant, I reminded them we have one vegetarian here. The server went to the kitchen and came back saying they could not substitute any non vegetarian sandwiches that day. I was really surprised because I have been there many times and this was the first time they said that. I thought the server was new, so I asked for the manager. The manager came and she told us that it was when they opened two years ago they allowed substitution. I pointed out that I had proofs and it was not two years ago when they first opened. She was not apologetic but very entitled still. So I pulled out two pictures from my phone showing her I had vegetarian afternoon options there and it was within a year. I even enlarged my plates to show her the date and the veggie sandwiches I had. This manager’s name is Celeste. She was not embarrassed to tell a lie. She went on and said well she could not substitute it today because that would be taking away other people’s plate to accommodate my request. This was the answer from a Michelin starred manager. I was so shocked because she’s accusing me of wanting to take away other people’s food when I already informed the restaurant my request couple days ago before my arrival. It does not make sense at all. First, I made the reservation and paid for it couple days ago. If they could not accommodate any dietary restrictions, why do ask customers to put the special request column before I made the payment? The previous times, I put vegetarian options this place took good care of me that’s why I kept going back and bring more friends to dine there. Second, if they changed their afternoon tea to No Substitution for any dietary restrictions, the restaurant staff/manager could have called me before arrival so I could make other arrangements to dine at else where, but they didn’t. The manager’s attitude and method of handling situation was really offensive and not acceptable. If they continue to have this kind of customer service, I would say regardless of Michelin starred or not, this is not a restaurant worth dining in because you will have a bad experience with the customer service plus $$$$ out of your pocket. This is totally not worth it.
Be the first to ReplyDisappointing
We retuned because we loved their lobster salad. We were disappointed with the special appetizer. It had pieces of lobster in a corn custard concoction. Our entrees took forever to arrive. My duck confit was okay but not something I would order again. My wife’s mushroom entree was the best dish we had. Service was mediocre as it appeared they were short of staff.
Be the first to ReplyFancy weekend tasting menu
This Michelin-starred restaurant is located on the small 3rd level of South Coast Plaza, amidst the most exclusive stores in this quite luxurious mall. The Louis Vuitton atelier across the way is for LV VIP's only; the regular stores are on the 1st and 2nd levels. Knife Pleat's space was always a restaurant. I think it began as Barneys restaurant back when Barneys was still around (in the 1990's in SCP). Marche Moderne, now in the Crystal Cove Shopping Center, was once here. Knife Pleat's chef-proprietor Tony Esnault and his wife Yassmin Sarmadi ran several chichi restaurants in Los Angeles before migrating to Orange County, At this time, Knife Pleat offers 4 different dining experiences: 1) Lunch (a la carte or 3-course prix fixe) Tues-Saturday. 2) weekday dinner (3-course prix fixe $150) Tues-Thurs. 3) Saturday tea $115. 4) Weekend Tasting Menu (6 courses) Friday and Saturday $295. I've enjoyed the Weekend Tasting Menu, which changes weekly, twice in the last 6 months and was quite pleased with the food, presentation, service and atmosphere both times. There is a caviar option for all 4 dining experiences. For the tasting menu, there were 3 levels of caviar, all presented with pomme gaufrette (house-made potato chips), toasted brioche and 2 oeufs brouilles (whipped eggs in their shells) with chives. The optional wine pairing is $175 for the tasting menu. Also offered is an $85 non-alcoholic beverage pairing. I had this both times and found the selection--mocktails, non-fermented varietal grape juices, faux wines made of such things and mushrooms and hibiscus--to be imaginative and unique. Since the menu changes weekly, I'll just mention that for my last visit there were 3 amuse bouches, 2 appetizers (both seafood-oriented), a pasta with black truffle, a seafood (scallop) main, a meat (duck) main, dessert (3 different chocolate presentations) and mignardises (one a chocolate shaped like a Michelin star). A packaged petit lemon cake was a parting gift. It was nice to see chef Esnault in the kitchen, but he does not seem to be one to schmooze with guests. I'm a tasting menu lover and always choose it if one is available. Knife Pleat's meal compares favourably with others I've had over the years both nationally and internationally. The cost is comparable to others, but perhaps has 1-2 fewer courses. I look forward to returning, especially because SCP is my favourite mall.
Be the first to ReplyDefinitely Not Worthy of 1 Michelin Star just Above Average...Maybe??
The ambiance is nice, the service is good, however, this is not a 1 Michelin star restaurant for what I had for lunch. Here's why: 1. The bread roll was something you could have found at any buffet in Vegas or all inclusive in Mexico and the accompanying but had nothing in it. Moreover it wasn't hot or fresh or even yummy. Mozza, Juene Et Jolie, Callie and countless many other restaurants sever better bread. 2. The lobster Creaser Salad. Personally I could have made this salad better if I was blindfolded and lost all taste in my tongue Literally this salad was merely romaine lettuce chopped, A Cold lobster claw diced, easy to make hard boiled egg sliced and terrible salad depressing that was under seasoned and no anchovies. You get a better ceaser salad at an airport terminal in a plastic to go box. 3. The duck confit which was recommended by server. The duck was above average in flavor and perpetration but lacking any immigration or creativity. This was the best of the 3 savory courses however i have been to many one stars that attempt fine dining and this is just a snooze fest. Nothing to write home about 4. The macaroons (if made by there pastry chef) and not brought in from outside) was the highlight of the meal. I have been to paris sever times and this is a very good macaroon. Again nothing inventive but the macaroon was good and god knows how many bad macaroons are out there. 5. The Price. I am not afraid to spend money on food. I have dined at t Le Cinq, Steirereck, Pujol, White Rabbit, Addison, Mourad..., Mozza,...Juene Et Jolie.... many excellent restaurants across the world and was willing to shell out serious money for the food and experience but this place is not worth the $$$$$ they demand The food is just above average and should not command such a price
Be the first to ReplyGood food marred by some seriously bad service
We took 2 friends visiting from Norway to Knife Pleat last night — knowing they’re foodies like us. This will have been my 4th dinner at Knife Pleat. The first was not long after they reopened, and the food was great and service was a bit off. The second and third dinners were sublime — especially the white truffle and Krug special dinner we enjoyed in early December 2021.
This last night’s dinner, however, was the least impressive by far of them all. The food was very good — but didn’t quite stand out as in previous dinners. The service, unfortunately, was pretty bad.
First, we had booked outside and had that confirmed by phone a day before, yet arrived and were told we were booked inside. They had to abruptly take us to the outdoor table and set it up — very clumsy start, especially considering I’ve asked for outdoor dining every time.
Second, our server just wasn’t up to the task. He was nice but not experienced enough to converse, handle questions, or handle the details for our orders. He missed so many things it wasn’t even funny. While he wasn’t a native English speaker, he seemed completely incapable of following through and was clumsy at checking in on us. His conversation skills were awkward, and he lingered far too long with us far too many times. He left menus on the table after taking our orders, twice. Oir drinks came out always to the wrong person. My wine pairing once was served without introduction while I was in the restroom. Without question, he is the worst server we’ve ever had at a Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world.
Third, we asked repeatedly for the heat lamp to be turned on above us. It took almost an act of God for us to get them tuned on by finally going to speak to the manager.
Overall it was a service fiasco. But the food was good and we love the ambience. But we will have to give the restaurant time before we ever return. For the money, this dinner wasn’t worth it.
Beef was unacceptably tough
3 of us ordered steak w frites (very limited menu) and the beef cooked medium rare was so tough we left most of it on the plate. Accompanied by 1 tiny leaf of red lettuce & some French fries which were ok. We expressed our disappointment & the waiter apologized & brought us 1 small pumpkin dessert to share. $44 + 10 tip. Not worth it & we will never go again.
Be the first to ReplyGo for lunch or a special occasion
I had been wanting to go to Knife Pleat since they opened and then COVID-19 closed most things down and we were resigned to dining at home. Then Knife Pleat earned their first Michelin star and renewed interest brought me out to dine here. My friend Cat A. made reservations for lunch and we went last weekend. The restaurant is in the Nordstrom wing on the 3rd floor so if you're at a lost of where it might be, that's where you should go.
I arrived first and sat in the lounge to wait for my friend. The restaurant has indoor and patio dining available. Reservations are recommended as I saw them turn away a few walk-ins. While the restaurant wasn't completely full, I imagine they do this for social distancing reasons.
First we ordered drinks. I looked at the wine menu and decided my best bet was the cocktails they offered. We both went with the Smooth Operator ($17). It consisted of brown-butter bourbon, house-made bitters, and tarragon. It was really nice and I would definitely recommend this cocktail. They had a 3-course prix fixe menu for lunch for $42 or you could order a la carte. Originally, they set down a $39 menu from June and when our waiter asked if we wanted the vegetarian option or meat option, we were confused. Wrong menu, oops! Cat with with the prix fixe menu, choosing pork belly as her entrée, while I ordered a la carte off of the QR menu.
I had the butternut squash soup ($15), pasta ($28), and pumpkin tart ($15). Clearly, the prix fixe is the better deal but if you're heart is set on a certain dish, then well, indulge your heart out.
Our drinks arrived first and then shortly after our appetizers. The gem lettuce salad that Cat had consisted of gem lettuce, sliced pears, almonds, and diced blue cheese. It was tasty but my soup was the star. The butternut squash soup came out deconstructed with a shallow bowl with bits of celery, cooked butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, flavored oil, and a cream foam. The soup is poured at the table with a flourish. It was delicious! I really enjoyed my soup with all of the different textures and the creaminess of the soup itself. Bravo, Chef!
Our second entrees arrived after the first plates were cleared. My pasta was a really fancy grown up mac & cheese. They had another pasta special with white truffles but for the ($110) price point, it was too rich for my dining experience and I was perfectly happy with my pasta dish. Cat's pork belly came out with sautéed kale and it looked delightful. As we finished our entrees, our waters were consistently refilled. The cocktails we had went well with lunch.
When dessert arrived, I had room and the pumpkin tarte was a fanciful creation. It tasted fresh and not super sweet. Cat's éclair was far sweeter than I would have liked but she enjoyed it nonetheless.
Service at Knife Pleat was impeccable. They definitely deserve all the accolades and I highly recommend getting a reservation to dine here. I can't wait to come back for a special occasion.
Tepid
This French restaurant was recently awarded a Michelin star. We were in OC so we were excited to try it.
The first problem is finding it; if you’re not a local, good luck! It’s in the South Coast Plaza shopping center on the 4th floor. The setting and decor reek of shopping center, housed in a former retail space.
They apparently only have one prix fixe seating on Friday evening and it is quite expensive.
The first course was celeriac in an interesting preparation, apparently done sous vide to change the texture, which was interesting. It was garnished with celery and other preparations of celeriac. Interesting but not worth of this chef.
The second course was butternut squash soup, poured over several garnishes and a milk foam. The soup itself was good but the only star of this dish. Doesn’t take a chef to make squash soup!
The third course was a tepid preparation of various mushrooms; it was served with a very hard pastry featuring mushrooms.
We were so looking forward to the lobster course. Lobster was like rubber bands served with over cooked vegetables. When we inquired, we were told it was cooked properly. Umm, ok.
The last course was the most complex, filet of venison in a beet reduction with demi glacé.
The dessert was the best course, an apple soufflé; compliments to the pastry chef!
We found the meal to be tepid, clearly staged in advance for ease of service. Much of the food was monochromatic and tepid.
We left very u satisfied with about $1,000 less on the bank.
Clearly, an expensive mistake.
Disappointing & expensive cuisine even for Orange County, eat elsewhere
Given the recent Michelin star we were excited to enjoy the ambience, service and cuisine.
The ambience was unremarkable (a strip-mall remodel),
The service was attentive and timely but the repeated visits by the chef's wife were unpleasant and disruptive to the table,
The sommelier's knowledge of wines well below expectations,
The cuisine was medicore at best, not Michelin star quality:
Menu - course (descriptions condensed):
Celery
Notable for the celeriac preparation, but visually boring and the taste toward bland. Sadly off to a poor start.
Butternut squash
The soup was very good and the only warm course (waiter plating), temperature was a problem for all courses as everything was room temperature. Plating over done with infused milk froth etc.
Forrest Mushroom
Low in flavor and aroma, mushroom "feullete" not edible. the chef stopping by the table top with grated mushrooms of theater value only. The chef's wife followed with no value added to service or cuisine.
Lobster
Rubbery and low in flavor, one of our table didn't bother to finish. The vegetables lost in jus. After checking with the kitchen our waiter commented that the lobster was correctly prepared, the claw elements often tough.
Venison
Unremarkable, tepid in flavor, cold and visually uninspired. Well-over sauced, the vegetables awash in purple. Once again the chef's wife bothering the table to no value.
Apple
The dessert was the best course, notable the usage of granny smith apple several ways. Worth note, the pastry chef is talented.
For a Friday seating a prix fixe of $245.00 plus $23.00 service not only disappointing cuisine but expensive resulting in poor dining value even for Orange County.
Please eat elsewhere.
A gourmand's delight
Tucked into cavernous South Coast Plaza in a small space, this haute cuisine restaurant is one of the best French style restaurants we have eaten at in a long time. A limited seasonal menu, served with panache and beautifully presented on the plate makes for a exquisite palette experience. We had the duck and the mushroom entrees. The duck, which can be tough if not properly prepared was fork tender, served with a duck hash, figs and mashed potatoes and what seemed to be a pomegranate sauce, knocked me out with flavor. The mushroom entrée was a complete surprise for my wife. Several different types, each prepared in a different way and served atop a barley base seasoned with herbs was a flavor sensation. I would not have thought of mushrooms being an entrée, but this was even better than my duck. I also had the seasonal butternut squash soup which was a revelation. we grow this squash in our garden and have had it many different ways including as a soup, but nothing like the taste of this soup. Wow! This place is not cheap but is worth every dollar spent on superb food served well and in a moderately quiet setting. Go here for a special occasion or just when you want to eat and have a lot to talk about to your gourmand friends after.
Be the first to ReplyBring your own bottle
Though extravagantly priced (as in: $12 for a loaf of bread), the food in this place is adequate. The wine is a different story. We ordered red, and the first bottle came cold. I complained, but apparently to no avail because the second bottle was cold, too. When I complained again, the wine waiter (I guess he would call himself a sommelier) told me that he puts all wine at the "right" temperature of 56 degrees. I told him that I drink red wine at 60 to 63 degrees, but he would not budge. What could I do? I am just someone who has been drinking wine for half a century, and has tasted some of the best in the world; he was a young man who had learned about wine in some school, so he was absolutely certain of what was right. Perhaps one explanation is that the wine there (predominantly French) was, despite costing $100plus a bottle, uniformly mediocre. And mediocre wine is best served cold. At any rate, I don't know what the corkage fee is in this place, but I would suggest to bring your own bottle.
Be the first to ReplyWonderful addition to the Orange County Dining Scene
I visited with a group of friends and we all went with the five course tasting menu. That night, we had the Maine Scallop Crudo, the Forest Mushroom Risotto, the Wild Alaskan Halibut, the Crescent Farm Duck and the Pear dessert. There were so many tasty choices that we could not come up with a consensus favorite. For me, I would happily order the Scallop Crudo, the Mushroom Risotto, the Halibut and the Duck many times. For those who visited this location when it was a different restaurant, please know that they have successfully redesigned the space and it now has an inviting cocktail sitting area where one can enjoy a drink and small bites. Our server was professional and his knowledge of the menu matched the high quality of each of our dishes.
Be the first to ReplyA special treat!
We didn't see many reviews online for this restaurant because it is fairly new. We decided to take a chance and we were not disappointed. There were 4 of us, all adults, ordered a bottle of wine and each had an appetitzer, an entre and shared 2 desserts. The presentations and tastes/textures of all dishes were very thoughtfully done, portions just right. It is fine dining with awesome service and price to match The dinner costed us $322. It was worth it for special occasions.
Be the first to ReplyAnniversary clebration
We recently celebrated our 53rd anniversary at Knife Pleat (KP). We made an Open Table reservation and arrived 15 minutes early. We were greeted warmly and the hostess acknowledged our anniversary celebration., The table was ready and we were seated immediately. the service staff arrived promptly and we were greeted warmly. We brought a very expensive wine and the wine steward came by promptly to ask us about serving, we started with a half bottle of sparkling wine and our bottle was decanted at our request. The waiter suggested the tasting menu as it was our first visit to the restaurant; we accepted.
The food was excellent and the flavor outstanding. The service was cordial, friendly and efficient. Our water was kept full, no plates were removed until we were both finished and the silverware was replaced after each course. The expediters explained each dish knowledgeably.
KP is expensive, we spent almost $250 per person even though we brought a bottle of wine. We were charged $2 each for a small baguette,
for a restaurant of this caliber, this is insulting. Forty dollars for corkage is acceptable for this place.,
What is not acceptable and will keep us from returning until it is corrected is the ambiance/atmosphere. The decor is stark white, the ceilings are high, there are no dividers between seating areas and the restaurant is open to the mall traffic with bright red cafe tables lined up outside turning there entire place into a cafe of lunch proportions. When we finished we walked right out through the open front into the mall. In addition, the kitchen is open to the dining areas from behind the bar, this just adds to the noise level. Also...no linens on the tables, whats up with this???
It's very unfortunate that the points in the last paragraph upended a fine dining experience which would have been 5 star if conducted in the former Marche Moderne space.
We will continue to see if changes are made, until then Best of Luck.