San Diego celebrity chef Brian Malarkey is ready to unveil his nearly $4 million Le Coq French-inspired fusion restaurant & bar in the space that last housed his former Herringbone restaurant in La Jolla.
In late 2022, Brian Malarkey and his business partner Christopher Puffer took back the 7,500 square-foot Herringbone restaurant in La Jolla. Malarkey opened the original Herringbone in spring 2012 before selling his entire fabric-named brand of restaurants to Hakkasan LTD in 2014. It was quickly announced that Malarkey would be rebranding Herringbone to become Le Coq, a French bistro & steakhouse concept expected to open this summer.
The olive trees have been removed from the former Herringbone space and the interior of the 1930s-era warehouse space has been completely redesigned to resemble a modernized French bistro with a late-night Paris feel. James Beard Award Finalist Tara Monsod, who is also the head chef at Malarkey's Downtown San Diego Animae Asian steakhouse, has been tasked with leading the kitchen at Le Coq.
For Le Coq, expect Chef Tara to explore classic and modern takes on French cuisine, while also adding her Filipino and California touch whenever possible.The new wave French steakhouse will launch with a concise menu of globally-influenced dishes, including items like local yellowtail crudo, chicken liver mousse, halibut en croute, steak frites with peppercorn sauce, duck breast l'orange, and an air-dried roasted chicken. There will also be a full bar and desserts from corporate pastry chef Laura Warren.
Chef Tara Monsod has been leading the kitchen at Chef Brian Malarkey's downtown San Diego Asian steakhouse Animae for the past few years. Prior to taking on her first Executive Chef role at Animae, Monsod had previously cooked in the kitchens at such San Diego restaurants as Herringbone, Tender Greens, and Juniper and Ivy. This past January, it was announced that Monsod was named as a semifinalist in the Best Chef, California category for the 32nd annual James Beard Foundation Awards. She ended up making it as a finalist for the prestigious award, becoming the first San Diego chef to make it that far.
Le Coq soft opens tonight with a grand opening planned for June 22 at 7837 Herschel Avenue in San Diego's La Jolla neighborhood. For more information, visit lecoq.com and check out the launch menu below.
