Knife Pleat
Coming off of a couple of weeks in Japan, during which we did not have a chance to check out any Michelin starred restaurants, I had the good fortune of heading out to SoCal for a few days on a company paid trip. Since my wife couldn’t take additional time off due to having just come back from 2.5 weeks away, this ended up being a solo journey for me. The hotel we were staying in was a bit out of the way from LA or San Diego, but I did manage to find a few interesting spots to check out while I was in town.
Shortly after landing at John Wayne airport, I picked up a rental car and headed over to Knife Pleat for lunch. Located within a very ritzy shopping center filled with luxury shops, Knife Pleat is a 1 Michelin starred contemporary French restaurant. While I would’ve loved to enjoy the full dinner menu, my schedule only allowed for me to visit for their more truncated lunch experience.
Here is what I had for my visit on November 14, 2024:
Amuse Bouche: Champagne, stone fruit, oat milk, cashews
Shima aji crudo, belly tartare, pickled daikon, trout roe, miso vinaigrette
Crescent Farm duck confit, persimmon, “pain perdu”, tokyo turnip, beet gel, duck jus
Black truffle brie, frisée, watercress, chive, truffle vinaigrette, toasted sourdough baguette
Pear, pecan, walnut biscuit, caramel crunch, parsnip ice cream
Mignardises: Pate de fruit, “Michelin star”, tartlet
This was not the only truffle brie that I ran in to during this trip, so perhaps that dish is a trend here in SoCal?
A couple of minor nitpicks I had during the meal were with the amuse and the dessert. The amuse sounded like it would make sense combining champagne and grapes, but for me it came off a little bit disjointed in flavor. The pear dessert, while featuring a tasty and atypical parsnip ice cream, was largely one note in both flavor and color.
Overall, my lunch at Knife Pleat was enjoyable from start to finish. Service was warm and inviting, with my server taking a genuine interest in my thoughts on the meal. I find this to be fairly common when I’ve dined solo. The shima aji crudo and duck dishes were both excellent. In the duck dish, the vegetables were actually my favorite parts of the plate as they were delicious and definitely not a “throwaway” or filler element.
While I had a couple of critiques, I found Knife Pleat to be appropriately rated as a 1-star Michelin restaurant as it compared favorably to other French restaurants I’ve been to from the Michelin guide. If I were ever in town again, I’d be back to try the longer format dinner menu.
Knife Pleat
3333 S Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
www.knifepleat.com
