Le Coq is James Beard Best Chef finalist Tara Monsod’s French Asian steakhouse. Inspired by the modern Parisian culinary landscape, Chef Tara reimagines classic French dishes through an Asian American lens—layering brightness, umami, and spice into every plate. The menu is grounded in fresh ingredients from local waters and farmers markets, with unexpected riffs that celebrate Tara’s upbringing.
Tara Monsod
Tara Monsod brings over a decade of kitchen experience, a lifetime of passion, and a culinary perspective shaped by her upbringing as a Filipino-American to her role as Executive Chef of Puffer Malarkey Collective’s Le Coq and ANIMAE in San Diego. Monsod’s culinary journey includes positions at acclaimed San Diego restaurants, including Juniper & Ivy, Herringbone, Burlap, and Mozza.
In summer 2021, Monsod assumed the role of executive chef at ANIMAE, immediately garnering a loyal following and accolades for her reinterpretation of the restaurant’s culinary origins through dishes revelatory of her Southeast Asian heritage. Monsod was named San Diego’s first-ever James Beard Foundation Best Chef California Finalist in April 2024, recognition that reflects her commitment to her craft, and the supportive and positive environment she’s established at the restaurant to nurture the growth of her team.
Brian Malarkey & Christopher Puffer
Restaurateurs and longtime partners, Chris Puffer and Brian Malarkey reclaimed one of their old projects and reinvented it to create Chef Tara’s Le Coq. It is in downtown La Jolla in a 1930’s historic building with exposed brick walls, steel trusses, and a barrel-vaulted ceiling. Into this storied shell is inserted a posh 1970’s diner club. Working side-by-side for over a decade, the duo launched the original Searsucker and Herringbone venues, building the Fabric of Social Dining restaurant group, which they sold to Hakkasan in 2012. Proven fine-dining operators, they founded Puffer Malarkey Collective and, to date, have opened 10 different concepts in 5 years, including the nationally acclaimed Herb & Wood, Herb & Sea, and ANIMAE.