d iamond ca ke

IARLIPPARELL

Betting On Vegas

tHmtbropy

l

A FRENCH v X : » i - I,

While it may be true the Valley's most famous of French restau-rants are ensconced on the Strip, straying away from the neonlights does not sentence you to an evening of uninspired Frenchfood. Exhibit A: I give you Marche Bacchus, nestled inside theDesert Shores community in the northwestern Valley.

While Marche has always been renowned for its ample wine selec-tion and lakeside ambiance, its food hadn't always achieved thesame standard. The transition to a culinary destination has beencarefully cultivated by owners Rhonda and Jeff Wyatt since theytook over the reins in 2007. This ascension has recently culmi-nated with a partnership with Michelin-star chef Alex Stratta andthe hiring of ALEX alum David Middleton as executive chef.

Middleton agrees with the assessment. "The wine and the atmo-sphere (at Marche) have always been good. You ask anybody inthe world who's been to this place and they'll tell you the samething. The food had never met the same standard of the wine,the atmosphere, the concept. I think my flavor profile is a littlemore delicate, a little bit more subtle, a little bit lighter and itpairs really well with wine."

The restaurant was originally founded in February 2000. At thetime, Wyatt remembers the French bistro was a "wine shop/con-venience store—selling anything that would make money. Theydidn't even have a kitchen until July 2003, so prior to that any-thing prepared was done in a microwave. Even after that, untilwe took over no lunches were EVER prepared in the kitchen."

The partnership with Stratta has been essential to the evolution,as he sets direction for the menu, assists in restaurant manage-ment and is involved in special events. Examples of classicalFrench culinary training are apparent throughout the menu.

"Obviously I got most of my bones under ALEX," Middle-ton states, reinforcing Stratta's influence on Marche's menu. "Iwould definitely say most of my cooking is fashioned after AL-EX's style of cooking. Predominantly everything I do is Frenchtechnique. I'm essentially using techniques learned from ALEXand then simplifying them." Pretty commendable for an off-Strip bistro.

DIAMONDCAKE_

C U I S I N E

An example of the classical French influence is the foie graspreparation. Marche's torchon of foie gras, served with duckfat-infused country toast, crumbled pistachios and an addictivestrawberry-jalapeno gelee, is an off-Strip rarity. The torchonpreparation—using cheesecloth and poaching the foie over aseveral day period of time—mutes the dish's richness withoutsacrificing its flavor, while the gelee offers a sweetness to con-trast the foie's mellowness.

Ever the oenophile, Wyatt suggests a sweet Riesling to balancethe foie gras in a manner similar to the gelee. He favors eitherthe 2004 Gunderloch Nackenheimer Rothenberg Riesling—"it's not even golden, it's almost brown. It's got great apricot,pear, peach, and tropical fruit notes that are just incredible."—orthe 2005 Joh. Jos. Priim Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese. Eitherprovides ample sweetness to complement the foie's fattiness.

Another is the Crispy Maple Leaf Duck Breast, which is a play onthe traditional French presentation of duck a 1'orange. The dishconsists of duck breast served with orange-braised fennel, port-candied pearl onions, fennel cream, pernod, black pepper duckjus, and coriander. The citric acidity and sweetness provides a foilto the duck breast's heaviness, resulting in ample balance.

Wyatt advises pinot noirs as a pairing for the duck. "Our duck issuch an incredible dish and is a classic pinot noir pairing. It justdepends on the style of the person. If they want to pick up the

gamy notes in the duck breast itself, we'll certainly recommenda pinot from Burgundy. That'll pick up more of the savory orearthy side of things. If somebody wants a little more fruit intheir wine, we'll either go to Oregon with a 2007 DomaineSerene Evenstad Reserve or a 2009 Kistler Russian River. Itjust depends on the diner."

While Marche's chefs are classically trained—with fine diningbackground from such renowned restaurants as Gary Danko,the aforementioned ALEX, Scarpetta and RM Seafood—theystill strive to maintain a casual feel. "We think of ourselvesas more bistro style—higher end bistro-style," reflects Wyatt."We don't ever want to tag ourselves with a fine dining moni-ker because I think that carries with it a thought that £Oh, that'sonly a special occasion restaurant.' We want people to under-stand that yes, we have individuals with the caliber to techni-cally prepare a meal that rivals those on the Strip. We do it allthe time as a tasting menu option."

"Some people will get confused," Wyatt says (chuckling), "be-cause you'll have one table having some of the most lavishlyprepared dishes next to another having steak frites. But that'sokay. We want to be schizophrenic because we have both kindsof clientele." ^

.SEPTEMBER 2012