Pascal

Went to Pascal today for lunch. I ordered their mozzarella, tomato, pesto panini, It was delicious! It is not greasy like other places paninis. Everything is a la carte here. So I ordered some pesto pasta salad too. It was good but, I would not say the best. For dessert I had their chocolate chip cookie bar and chocolate macaroon. OMG! So good. Just melts in your mouth. I like the place but, it is quite small and they don’t give you plates with your sandwiches. It comes in a paper bag. You would think for the price and upscale dishes they have it would at least come on a plate. Since it is right by my work and the panini was so good. I probably will go back.

Excellent food for under 10 bucks. I would say this place is around the price point of Corner Bakery, but it soo much better. It is such a nice upgrade to fast corporate plaza eateries.
I recommend the Ratatouille. The Four Cheese Crêpe is a delight.
To save time call your order in before you arrive.

Gone, gone, gone! Empty store. Frankly, it won’t be missed much and there’s already plenty of other cat chow chow chow available at this location.

This location is not as good as the original spot on Bristol, but it serves its purpose. It has a smaller selection (though they do have some paninis that the original location doesn’t serve). Fewer salads and pastries (as if the main location rations about 20% of their daily products to this spot). The service is much faster here due to it being less popular. The smoked chicken panini and croissants are the same and just as tasty as at the main location. Parking lot sucks because it’s small, but they had parking directors to help with that. If you want atmosphere and a better variety, go to the main location on Bristol. If you want the basic good paninis and shorter/​no lines, go to this location.

small cappuccino, crêpe au sucre, and one vanilla macron for all under $ 5…YAY!!! but got the sugar shakes… UGH!!!
fyi: the lady who rang me up said you can order goodies like foie gras from pascal epicerie in newport beach and have them delivered at this location… convenient!!!

Went here at 530 PM. This is a bad time. The parking lot is full. The lady was mopping the floor. She had the doors open to let the ammonia smell out. I left my jacket at my office and was freezing. I had the triple order of salads. These were actually good. I had the Ratatouile, Beet Salad, and String bean salad. I moved to sit in the back to avoid the cold drafts and got to enjoy the ammonia and grime odors as she made her way to the rear where the bathroom and sink is. Terrible experience at 530 PM which must be closing time. The woman had no regard at all for the eating conditions, so steer clear of this place at 5:30 PM. However, cleanliness is next to Godliness… :-)

Lupe takes great care of us when we go to Pascal; she always has a sweet smile and plenty of good suggestions when we want to mix it up a bit. We’ve always received great service at Pascal, and so it is little things that need work:
1) Crumbly, stale macarons. I tried every flavor over a period of a couple months, thinking the next flavor would blow my mind. These just do not measure up to the scrumptious, diet-​busting macarons at Portola Coffee Lab or even at OC Wine Mart.
2) Not-​exciting dessert crêpes. These crêpes remind me of the ones in Paris Las Vegas, which is a shame, because Pascal is authentic French. Crepes de Paris (Diamond Jamboree) offers more variety and the taste is better, surprisingly. My friends laugh, but some of the crêpes at Crepes de Paris are better than the ones I had in Paris a few years ago. Maybe it was because of all the cigarette smoke or attitude, I dunno.
3) Espresso drinks not as good as Starbucks. Nope, I don’t think of Starbucks as an excellent coffee purveyor, but they are a solid «decent» when it comes to sweet espresso drinks. Pascal’s taste bland and a little off. The chocolate used in the mocha just isn’t… good.
Suggestions for improvement aside, here are a couple things Pascal is doing consistently well:
1) High-​quality, pre-​fab lunch plates and pre-​fab salads. They have a tasty Salade Niçoise and a velvety, delicious veal blanquette. I feel horrible when ordering veal, but I have to say, it’s quite a good midday sin — on occasion!
2) Tasty deli-​salad trios for $ 5.95. I’m a fan of the couscous, brown rice, carrot and coleslaw. These salads are well-​prepared and should hold you for the remainder of your workday. Recommended.
If they’d just fix the macaron issue… well, I don’t need any more excuses to eat macarons!

Mediocre. I ordered the smoked chicken panini, and I saw them simply take a pre-​made sandwich from the fridge and slap it on the grill press machine. The bread tasted stale, and there was barely any chicken inside. The entire panini was bland. The chicken desperately needed more seasoning and I did not taste any smoked flavors.
What made it worse was that the cheese hadn’t even completely melted yet, so it still had that cloudy and slightly translucent look and hard texture on the outside. For almost $ 8, this panini didn’t include any side salad, chips, or drinks. Highway robbery.
I also tried a few of their macarons, which were some of the most pathetic looking and horrible tasting macarons I have ever experienced in my life. They were obviously not fresh, because it tasted extremely stale. The macarons looked all deformed and out of whack too. I suppose there is a reason why the place is dead in the middle of lunch hours on a weekday.

I’ve been craving crepes lately, and was really excited to learn that this place was so close to me. I ordered the banana chocolate crêpe, which cost about $ 7.56 – expensive for a crêpe, yes, but Pascal’s is located near a business center, so inflated prices should be expected.
I’m not a crêpe connoisseur by any means. I’ve actually never had an authentic French crêpe; the only ones I’ve ever eaten came from malls or small cafes like Pascal’s.
I do know, however, whether food tastes good – and this crêpe didn’t. The presentation was quite attractive: a nice, folded crêpe full of chocolate and bananas resting next to a dollop of whipped cream and strawberry slices. It looked delicious. The flavors? Not so much.
The crêpe itself tasted like it had been dipped in a vat of «Pam.» I tried to cut the overwhelming imitation-​butter flavor by spreading the whipped cream over the crêpe, but it didn’t help much. The chocolate sauce was extremely bitter – I’m guessing they used unsweetened chocolate because they assumed the whipped cream and bananas would balance out the bitterness… but they didn’t. The strawberry slivers were the only things that made the crêpe edible, but there were just a few of them. I ended up saving them for last, using them as a sort of chaser to cleanse my mouth.
Pascal’s sells other items like sandwiches and salads, but I’m too traumatized by that crêpe to ever eat there again.

The smoked chicken panini was good, olives made it a little salty though. Also tried the mushroom quiche, which I thought was ok. I am looking forward to trying some of the crepes and sandwiches.
The quality of the food is ok and I think the quiche could’ve had more flavor. Some of the sandwiches are a bit overpriced, but its speculation at this point. The place is kind of hidden, but parking shouldn’t be a problem.
Try it, but I wouldn’t push it on anybody.

This review is for desserts /​pastry only.
After a disappointing lunch in the same plaza, I stumbled upon Pascal. I had been to the restaurant and the bakery /​café in Newport but didn’t even know they had another location here.
I was very excited… and wanted to make up for the mediocre lunch with delicious carbs that neithe I nor the baby need. I bought two Palmiers (I had them put it in two separate bags) with the intetion of giving one to my husband tonight and one of each of the French macroons — pistacio, lemon, strawberry, chocolate, and mango.
Before I got back to the office, I devoured two of the macaroons. Less than half hour after returning to the office, I ate one of the palmiers («elephant ears»).
I have always dreamed of making palmiers myself but why would I do so when I can come down the street and buy one for (I think) $ 1.50
As I am typing my review, I am eating the second palmier that I had every intention of bringing home to my husband. shhhhh…
I am coming back here with my friend to try the pâté sandwich next week… more to come.

I could tell this place had bad macarons by looking at the pictures provided on Unilocal.Unfortunately, S insisted on trying it out.
The macarons were too sugary. Very floral in scent/​flavor. too sweet. Well not all of them; the chocolate tasted like cardboard.
Egg & cheese crêpe lacked flavor. Salt and pepper could not save you my little friend…
Chai tea latte. When we asked if the worker if she put expresso in our chai tea latte, she replied in a condescending tone, «Yes you ordered chai tea latte, latte has expresso». Latte does not generally imply the presence of coffee in the beverage.
If you know me, I DO NOT and CANNOT drink coffee. It left me paralyzed for 12 hours.
— Angry B

While spending my entire Thursday in the South Coast area, I was in search for a mid-​day sugar fix. What better way to satisfy that craving than with a dozen macarons?
I loved the cozy café atmosphere of Pascal. Just an overall warm touch. There was a pleasant aroma of grilling paninis as I entered.
Passing by the display cases, I noticed the tiny macarons. They were so cute and varied in size. Pascal’s macarons appear to be handcrafted. I ordered a dozen, a bottle of Republic of Tea Pomegranate Green Tea and a bottle of water. The total damage was $ 15! I didn’t find out how much Pascal’s macarons are individually, but $ 15 for all I purchased was an outstanding value!
Here are the macaron flavors I chose:
Raspberry
Piscachio
Chocolate
Coffee
Mango
(and unfortunately, I don’t recall the two others)
All the macarons were super brittle and messy. Upon biting, the domed shell crumbles revealing open air pockets within the somewhat stale meringue discs. Each filling was not so flavorful. I only cared for the chocolate macaron which sported more of a ganache filling and was truly distinct. These macarons are a far cry from ‘Lette Macarons!
The girl working the counter seemed a bit irritated by my presence. There were no customers here except for some dude from a neighboring business whom was her present company.
I don’t think I’ll be back any time soon, or if ever even though I did want to try some of their food.
Poor customer service + bad macarons = no future visit!

Was surprised by the wonderful lamb panini — delish! The prices are quite good for the quality.
Really glad to have a higher end lunch place within walking distance of my office.

Yummmm… I’m all about macarons, so I was so excited to learn that there was a small French bakery/​café within close walking distance of my hotel.
Thanks to the Unilocal iPhone app, I was able to see the business hours. And unfortunately, I missed their evening closing… so I anxiously awaited their morning opening to purchase some macarons.
I’m not gonna lie — I devoured them ALL right away!
I bought all six different flavors:
Coffee
Chocolate
Lemon
Vanilla
Strawberry
Mango
Of all, the Lemon was my favorite. Vibrant and bold lemon flavors — i loved it!
Pascal’s macarons are the traditional smaller French size. So basically it’s like a 2-​bite treat.
They don’t compare to Laduree — but at only .85c per macaron, I was happy.

After a mad dash hour of running errands during the workday, my buddy (and coworker) Jolene and I founds ourselves driving somewhat aimlessly (i.e. hungrily) back towards The Job… we decided to try Pascal on a complete whim and I’m glad we did!
Come to find out this is the same Pascal who owns Tradition by Pascal in Newport Beach as well as Épicerie Pascal, and Café Jardin, the first of which is probably his most revered establishment.
I wanted something light, which is not what I think when I think French ANYTHING, (oh comment j’adore les Français et leur nourriture!!)
however, upon walking in I was met with a glass display case filled with varying salads… yeeeesss., er ouuuiiiiii!
I laid my eyes on one that looked absolutely delicious — salmon, chopped tomatoes, capers, and asparagus on top of a bed of field greens with a light vinaigrette. Oui, merci.
SUCH a great salad. My only complaint? For almost $ 10 it would be great if it came with a small baguette or croissant… I know I probably don’t NEED it… but a ten spot salad isn’t recession friendly and well, I’m just saying…
The girls behind the counter were friendly and overall, I was very pleased. I’d definitely eat here again!

Mixed.
Apricot «tart» — this is really top-​notch. Somewhere between cake and cookie, almond flavored, perfect texture. Love it.
Beet salad/​carrot salad — I really like these.
Soup was mediocre, tasted like it had a bouillon base rather than real stock.
Sandwiches are good, nothing special.
Friendly service, friendly prices. Definitely the best of the options in this center, but not really worth going out of your way for.

When you are working for 10 – 11 hours a a stretch with an hour long break, you wanna spend some good time. having GOOD Food! Well. I keep coming back to Pascal for that feeling! I like the way they have these nice tables to sit, have a relaxed time, and airy, sunny atmosphere! The girls who run the place are always nice and friendly. I love their crepes! I have tried both their chicken and veggie crepes. I am a fan! Their Goat cheese and smoked chicken sandwich is also very yummy!
But what I love Best is their pastries and desserts! They have these awesome small yummy treats, right from raspberry short cake and lemon tarts to apple/​pear tarts etc! I love this place! :) :)

I’m in love! Walked in here once and thought it seemed gross (I frequent the adjacent Starbucks) but one day I was starved and the sushi place wasn’t open so I landed here!
Ratatouille Crêpe: Marvelous! My fave for suuure. I think the batter is whole wheat and the veggies are so yummy and so is whatever cheese they put in it.
Brie and Roasted Tomato Crêpe: Ehh… not so good. Sounds better… kinda slimy. Go with ratatouille one.
Tomato Tart: YUM! So delish… almost like a french pizza. Roasted tomatoes and kalamata olives on a buttery dough. What more could I ask for?
And the mexican lady who works here is quite sweet.

BIG SHOUT OUT TO MY GIRLS, LUPE & SASHA OF PASCAL’S ON HUTTON. Ladies, you make the most flavorful lamb paninis, smoked chicken panini with avocado and whole grain mustard. I am in savory heaven each time I take a bite into that warm, crisp panini. The melted feta & herb spread on the chicken stands out. Thank you!
Lupe and Sasha… ambassadors of Pascal’s… you R-​E-​P-​R-​E-​S-​E-​N-​T. These girls love their jobs and greet me with a big hello every time I’m here. l am a regular like Norm of Cheers. I come here, because I know I will always receive a molti caldo cappuccino, a great panini, and be in the company of warm, friendly, outgoing Sasha & Lupe. My girl Lupe is one fine panini, crêpe and cappuccino maker! She puts a lot of heart in what she makes. And my girl Sasha, coquettish and endearing, makes great sweet crepes.
I could go to the Pascal’s on Bristol, which has a larger selection on desserts and lunch items, but I would miss the good company of the Hutton Pascal.