When the Puffer Malarkey Collective opened its modern French steakhouse, Le Coq, in La Jolla on June 20, it wasn’t quite finished.

The custom-made tables, some of the cushy chairs, the lush wall draperies and more than 70 pieces of French artwork had yet to arrive. But business partners Christopher Puffer and chef Brian Malarkey were eager to get the doors open after nearly two years of planning for what they’ve described as the final addition to their company of restaurants, which includes Animae, Herb & Wood, Herb & Sea and Herb & Ranch.

But Tara Monsod, Le Coq’s executive chef, was ready.

Monsod has served as executive chef at Puffer Malarkey’s Michelin-recommended Asian fusion restaurant Animae since 2021, and this spring she became the first San Diego chef in 34 years to be named a finalist for the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef: California. When Puffer and Malarkey asked her to consider overseeing the kitchens of both Animae and Le Coq, she hopped on a plane to France and spent several weeks dining and staging (interning) in restaurants in Paris and Lyon.

While she was eating and cooking her way through France, Monsod realized that the formal regimentation of French cuisine she studied in culinary school has undergone an evolution as younger chefs from different cultural backgrounds have brought their own experiences to the plate. That was the linchpin moment when Monsod realized that she could make Le Coq’s menu her own.

Monsod is a California-born Filipino American chef, who has brought many of the flavors and dishes of her childhood into Animae’s acclaimed menu. Now she’s bringing that same flair to Le Coq.

Le Coq means “the rooster” in French, but it could also describe the cocky boldness of the menu. This isn’t Julia Child’s version of French food. Instead, it  represents Monsod’s culinary history, her tastes and her perspective on contemporary French cuisine that both celebrates California ingredients and brings modern and often-surprising twists to the classics.

Monsod loves incorporating acidic elements into all her cooking, which offers some balance to rich, butter- and cream-heavy French cuisine. An example is the pickled grapes she serves in her boldly favored lamb loin entrée. Another is the section of fresh lemon served on the side of her steak frites. A squeeze of the sunny fruit cuts across the fatty mouthfeel of the meat and fried potatoes.

Her steamed mussels à la Paris arrive at the table in a traditional wine and garlic broth, but the dish is topped with the tasty surprise of a rich blue cheese foam. Her duck breast dish has an Asian flair with tamarind puree, local kumquat and chicory, and her best-selling roast half-chicken dish is playfully served with the claw on.

The menu is broken into six sections, beginning with the fresh-baked baguette, served with choice of flavored butters (seaweed and chicken skin are two options). There are cold and hot hors d’ouevres (don’t miss the onion tart), shareable vegetable sides, plated entrées and steaks. Priced from $69 to $195, the beef options include a Denver cut, a dry-aged rib eye and a hefty porterhouse, with choice of sauce.

Puffer Malarkey Collective’s executive pastry chef Laura Warren has created a petite menu of four desserts including a chocolate gateau (cake), a mille-feuille pastry, a Basque cheesecake and the pistachio Paris-Brest pastry, the last of which Puffer enthusiastically recommends.

The sweets are a bit on the pricey side, ranging from $16 to $18. Dining at Le Coq has some high-budget items on the menu, but most of its menu prices aren’t that different from La Jolla’s other fine-dining spots, and service is excellent.

Le Coq took over the 7,500-square-foot Herschel Street space formerly occupied by Herringbone, one of Puffer and Malarkey’s first restaurant projects that they opened in 2012, then sold two years later to a national restaurant group. When Herringbone closed on Dec. 30, 2022, Puffer and Malarkey decided to lease the property once again for their final collaboration.

Former Herringbone diners will remember the restaurant’s central design feature — six large and living olive trees planted beneath the floor of its wood plank-floored dining room. The trees, bare bulb lights and rustic cowboy décor have been replaced with a far more upscale, chandelier-lit dining room. On the wall between the bathrooms, there’s a glass display case containing two taxidermied roosters. The dining room will soon be enhanced with several  dozen pieces of French artwork that will be hung salon-style all the way up the brick walls. There will also be elements of draped fabric that will reduce noise and complete the look.

The restaurant’s casual long bar, which once faced the dining room, has been replaced with a luxurious half-moon shaped 10-seat cocktail bar that now faces the street and has become a popular watering hole among La Jolla locals. For now, the restaurant is only open three nights a week, but the bar is open every night.

Le Coq’s wine menu offers an international mix of labels, including French Burgundys and Bordeauxs as well as some California options. There are eight French-inspired cocktails, including the Charles de Gaulle with vodka and creme de violette, and the Boulevardier Noisette, with brown butter fat-washed bourbon, Amaro, dry vermouth and tobacco bitters. There are also three alcohol-free cocktails.

In the coming months, Le Coq will continue to physically transform as new decorative elements are installed. The menu will also adjust to what ingredients are in season and whatever new dishes Monsod creates with her sous chef team of Derek Feldman, Justin Castillo and Juan Garcia.

One thing you can count on with Monsod is that she will be present. A consummate hostess, she is well-known for leaving the kitchen each night to circulate among the tables to greet guests, answer questions about the food and listen to diner suggestions. She says she’s excited to share her nouveau French cuisine with San Diegans and hopes local diners are ready to join her on the journey.

Le Coq

Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 5 to 9 p.m. Sundays. Bar is open 5 p.m. to midnight Sundays-Thursdays; 5 to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Where: 7837 Herschel Ave., La Jolla

Phone: (858) 427-1500

Online: lecoq.com