The Monseiur at Marcel’s is owner Stephane Strouk, who proudly displays his private label cabernet sauvignon and award-winning rosé wines available at his restaurants and gourmet grocery store. (photo by Jill Weinlein)

Strolling through the original Farmers Market, I always enjoy walking past the Monsieur Marcel bistro and gourmet store. There are always a few patrons sitting together speaking French, while sipping a glass of wine and sharing a plate of cheese or enjoying a croque monsieur.

The Monsieur at Marcel is Stephane Strouk, a charming Frenchman, passionate about cheese, wine and gourmet food. I sat down with him last week to learn more about this European hot-spot.

“My first solid food as a baby was cheese,” he shared with a smile. “I eat one pound of cheese a day. It’s what keeps me fit and healthy,” winked Strouk. “When you love cheese, life is good.”

Strouk arrived in the United States in the early 1990s and shortly opened a French crepe shop in the Farmers Market. When a nearby deli closed, he leased the space and opened a cheese shop. “I searched all over Los Angeles for cheese and wine that I liked from my home country,” Strouk said. “I found Italian cheese, but not French.”

In 1995, Strouk first learned of plans to build The Grove. He realized that it would change the Farmers Market for the better, so he immediately started planning his gourmet grocry store. When the former Farmers Market grocery store space became available, Strouk renovated the space into a gourmet grocery store filled with a variety of European cheese, mustards, olive oils, wines, tapenades, chocolate and gourmet items. He offers at least 20 different varieties of vinegars and mustards.

While building the restaurant and patio, his crew found a round safe buried in the ground. “I thought it might be filled with enough gold coins to become a millionaire,” he said with a chuckle. Strouk called a locksmith to open his treasure. It took the locksmith over one hour to finally open the safe and recover a 4” x 6” piece of paper. It was the original recipe for a one-of-a-kind specialty item, caviar cheese. This was not just any cheese recipe. It was a hand written recipe passed down through generations. To Strouk. it was a treasure.

“We are the only manufacturer in the United States that makes caviar cheese. It is shipped to Dallas, Boston and New York City,” Strouk explained. “We have one customer who always calls us to deliver a container of caviar cheese to his home when he is ill. He believes our cheese makes him feel better.”

The bright colors on the salade nicoise make this dish as enjoyable to view as it is to eat. The deep-red, rare-seared ahi is served atop crisp greens, with yellow cherry tomatoes, purple onion, and lemon-colored, hard-boiled eggs. The anchovies provide the finishing touch. (photo by Jill Weinlein)

All this talk made me hungry so I ordered the salade nicoise and sandwich au jambon d’espagne for lunch. The deep red, pepper-crusted ahi tuna was served on a bed of mixed greens with sliced hard boiled eggs, long green beans, sliced potatoes, anchovies, red onions, deep purple olives and cucumbers bathed lightly in a mild tarragon dressing. It’s large enough to enjoy with another person.

The sandwich arrived on a French baguette with slices of imported Serrano ham, roasted peppers and embellished with shavings of Manchego cheese. The flavor of the cheese intensified the addictive quality of this sandwich.

Strouk passed by the table and shared with me that he always enjoys half a glass of wine with his lunch. “A nice Bordeaux is my favorite to sip,” he said.

At Monsieur Marcel, Bordeaux wines range from $14 to $5,000 for a magnum.

“Recently, I became a big fan of Rosé wine,” Strouk said. His Monsieur Marcel labeled Rosé is from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. It received a gold medal at the French National IGP Wine Awards and a silver medal at a worldwide Rosé contest. “I have a secret of how to drink a Rosé all day long and stay standing and not fall asleep…drink it with ice,” he whispered with a twinkle in his eye.

His bistro and market are a labor of quality and love. He brings smaller artisian foods that one finds in Europe to Los Angeles. “Less industrial and more quality. I don’t import from big corporations,” Strouk said. “At least fifty percent of my guests are European. They come here to enjoy tastes from their homeland.”

For dessert, I ordered a plate of colorful macarons. These delightful confectionary bites arrived as an assortment of blueberry lavender, coffee, lemon, raspberry, almond and salted caramel. Since these meringue cookies are so light and airy, the luscious jam filling inside gives each one a burst of flavor.

As I said goodbye to Strouk, he told me some exciting news; he is scheduled to open a third Monsieur Marcel at LAX in the Delta terminal by April 2012. (His second location is on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica). At LAX, he will have a petite bistro and gift area for travelers to purchase a meal for their flight and gourmet items as gifts for loved ones. For those looking to enjoy a taste of France at home, Monsieur Marcel is offering a special promotion on their award-winning private label of Rosé through the end of September. Customers who buy one bottle will receive a second bottle at 50% off. $$ 6333 W Third St # 150, (323)939-7792. Hours 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday they close at 7 p.m. 1260 Third St. Promenade (310)587-1166.