592424 Sat Jan 31 12:43:06 -0800 2009 0 2 Los Angeles Area 0 4375788 Macy's Home Store at South Coast Plaza has an upscale "food court" in its Signature Kitchen area, offering food from La Brea Bakery, Marc Samuelsson's Marc's Burgers, and Cat Cora's new CCQ. All three places share a common ordering counter and a common kitchen. I stopped by the other night for dinner about 7 (they are open until 8) and the place was mostly empty--the counterman said they are jammed at lunch and early evening. Cat Cora's offerings include pulled pork, brisket or shrimp served as bbq platters, salads or wraps; I ordered the pulled pork platter (which comes with a small skillet of 3 bean "bbq" beans, an apple slaw and a choice of corn madeleines) for about $12. The counterman warned me that the portion of meat was rather small so I also ordered a 6 oz [also available in 10 oz] Marc's Classic burger (about $8), medium rare. The counterman was correct. When the CCQ platter came out, it was disappointingly small--the meat was about the size of a pork belly appetizer at a regular restaurant. The pulled pork had a good flavor and the slaw was interesting (if a bit one note), the madeleine (blue corn and jalapeno) was good but the beans were disappointing both as bbq and as beans. CCQ offers a condiment bar of about a dozen housemade sauces that you can try to add to the 'que. I tried half of them and found most to be a bit on the sweet side; the best was a green gaucho with chiles and herbs, the worst a thin apple vinegar. Other options included a hoisin, a mustard, a fruit-spiked, a few mops and some tomato-based styles. The bottom line is CCQ will not make you switch your loyalty from _________ (fill in your favorite 'que spot) but is a nice alternative if you are already at South Coast. The Marc's Classic burger came out as ordered and was very good (on a par with "Hole In The Wall" in WLA). It was served with decent fries (lightly herbed) on a "classic" style burger bun (sans sesame seeds). It also came with a tiny ramekin of good cole slaw and, at the condiment bar, there were both regular and housemade ketchups. The latter was a somewhat chunky but tasty tomato-based "salsa" more than a traditional American ketchup. I liked it better as a dip for the fries than as a topping on the burger. I would like to see more locations of this place. Sat Jan 31 12:43:06 -0800 2009 10728 New Trial