Wilhelm paints town red with Rouge

Greer Wylder

David Wilhelm, a local master of restaurant concepts, has returned to

his first love -- French bistros.

As president of David Wilhelm’s Culinary Adventures, which

operates six upscale restaurants in Orange County, Wilhelm says the

group’s future string of restaurants will focus solely on the “flavor

and feel of French bistros.” Multiple bistros are scheduled to open

in San Diego, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Wilhelm, 55, has spent 20 years creating and developing more than

a dozen restaurants, focusing on a range of cuisines, from

Southwestern at El Torito Grill and Chimaya Grill to

California-Mediterranean dishes at Sorrento Grill.

“From a business standpoint,” Wilhelm said, “the French bistro

concept is an unexploited niche in the marketplace.”

Whereas Southwestern and Italian chains have been copied to death,

French chains appear as a novel idea.

“The beauty of it is that it’s a timeless, classic concept,”

Wilhelm said.

One of Wilhelm’s restaurants, French 75 in Laguna Beach, was an

immediate success when it opened in 1998.

“And on a personal level, I enjoy cooking, working and revisiting

French restaurants,” Wilhelm said.

The group’s most recent French-themed restaurants include Chat

Noir, a French bistro and jazz lounge that opened last year in Costa

Mesa’s South Coast Metro theater district, and Rouge Bistro & Bar,

which opened in July at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

Wilhelm says Rouge, an everyday bistro, will be the prototype for

further locations.

“They won’t be cookie-cutter restaurants, but essentially the menu

and theme will be similar,” Wilhelm said.

Chat Noir, its glamorous sister restaurant, was “a tweak on the

everyday bistro concept,” according to Wilhelm. The location, on

Anton Boulevard in Costa Mesa, demanded an upscale lounge-style

restaurant that could cater to theatergoers.

“We went for a Paris after dark jazz theme,” Wilhelm said.

With Chat Noir’s proximity to the Orange County Performing Arts

Center -- and the current construction of the Renee and Henry

Segerstrom Concert Hall, Samueli Theater and an education center --

the venue called for a late-night, live-entertainment restaurant.

Chat Noir is one of the few restaurants in that area that serves a

late-night menu until midnight, Thursday through Saturday. The bar

closes at 1 a.m.

In contrast, Rouge Bistro & Bar glows in red hues. Color experts

say that red increases appetites more than any other color -- it

makes food visually appealing and inspires people to eat more.

“At Rouge, the decor obviously ended up as a play on the name,”

Wilhelm said. “And at the same time, we want it to be casual enough

for the daytime, and warm and sexy in the evening.”

Rouge’s bar is backlit in red, with beautiful red-light fixtures

from France and Italy, making the dining room’s most dramatic

statement, and even the booths are covered in red leather.

Wilhelm, a self-taught chef, chooses 75% of the dishes on menus.

And as an added bonus, Chef Yvon Goetz joined Wilhelm’s Culinary

Adventures as the group’s corporate chef two weeks ago. Goetz is an

award-winning chef, formerly the chef de cuisine at the Ritz-Carlton

Laguna Niguel.

For Rouge’s menu selections, including lunch, dinner and Sunday

brunch, Wilhelm stayed away from fussy food.

“This is not fine dining in terms of haute cuisine,” Wilhelm said.

He admitted the decor and cuisine is not 100% authentic. He

borrowed ideas from other restaurants and said the food is “not

terribly sophisticated, not magical.”

Rouge offers a simple combination of timeless French bistro and

American classic dishes, including basil-fed escargot with smoked

ham, crevette gris (North Sea prawns) and garlic ($13); French onion

soup gratinee ($8); Dungeness crab cakes ($16); gratin Dauphinois

($8); shrimp en cassoulet ($12); braised short ribs ($22); Halibut

meuniere ($26); and roast rack of lamb ($34).

There’s also a choice of grilled sandwiches, crepes, entree salads

and steaks served with a choice of Bearnaise, peppercorn or Roquefort

sauce on request ($28 to $36). Rouge serves signature martinis,

champagne cocktails and specialty desserts, including hot Callebaut

chocolate souffle with Cointreau cream ($12), Scharfenn Berger

chocolate mousse with almond tuile ($8) and raspberry-lemon tartlette

with cornmeal crust and raspberry coulis ($8).

Sunday brunch dishes include a traditional eggs benedict with

hollandaise ($14); quiche with Roquefort, leek, bacon and mesclun

greens ($13); and chocolate creme brulee French toast served with

Applewood bacon ($15). Brunch also includes sweet crepes with a

choice of citrus cream, Grand Marniere chocolate, bananas, Cognac

ricotta, and strawberries and rhubarb in an appetizer crepe ($5) or

entree crepe ($13).

“I’m a student of restaurants. I’ve spent a lot of time in bistros

and brasseries in Paris, San Francisco and New York,” Wilhelm said.

“Rouge is an amalgamation of things.”

David Wilhelm’s Culinary Adventures includes Savannah Steak and

Chop House in Laguna Niguel, French 75 in Laguna Beach, Sorrento

Grille in Laguna Beach, Chimayo at the Beach in Huntington Beach, as

well as Culinary Adventures Catering, a full-service catering and

event company.

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at

[email protected]; at 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626;

or by fax at (714) 966-4679.