Flame, flavor and finesse are the watchwords at ARC, new at the South Coast Collection in Costa Mesa from Marin Howarth and chef Noah Blum, as every item is crafted over open fire in a kitchen where there is nowhere to hide.
ARC is an American restaurant where everything is made in house or sourced from local artisan producers. Dishes including savory meatballs with garlic and whiskey and chicken casserole with broccoli and cheddar are served up amid rustic-comfort-apothecary décor and on a pair of perimeter patios. Minimally described dishes such as pig with black beans, maple and herbs—the menu doesn’t specify what part of the pig is used—allow the chef greater freedom and flexibility.
The cocktails at new ARC are at once sophisticated and intense—intended for cocktail connoisseurs without apologies to those who might shy from liberal use of, say, the house-made bitters. Most ingredients are house-made; the line between kitchen and bar is, well, not there.
The libation most likely to be a conversation starter is hands-down the Cigarettes and Coffee. Redolent of leather and spice, it uses rye whiskey, Italian amarro cloves, black pepper and two types of bitters: an aromatic bitter and a smoked bitter that uses toasted grains and a touch of tobacco. “We finish the drink with a micro-planed coffee bean on top, a really dark roast from Portola Coffee Lab that really plays into the aroma,” says its creator, Koire Rogers. Dubbed “Ice Man” by the staff, Rogers hand-cuts its rustic trapezoid of ice. Other drinks get different shapes: Drinks in tall glasses, for instance, get 5-inch spears. His new “secret” list includes barrel-aged cocktails.Open daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m. 3321 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa, 949.500.5561. arcrestaurant.com