Showing posts with label arc restaurant. Show all posts

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Restaurant Review: ARC Restaurant Food & Libations Lunch Review!

I finally got to go back to ARC to have lunch there. I have been wanting to go back specifically for lunch to try their awesome looking burger! Would it meet my expectations? Well, let's find out!

One of my favorite things to see is the cords of wood stacked up around the restaurant. They cook everything over an open fire. It's a modern take on what caveman did!

The best place to sit is at the bar! You can watch all the action in the kitchen while you talk and drink!

Check out the lunch menu! The full dinner menu is also available to you!

They also make great handcrafted cocktails! I wasn't driving so I felt "obligated" to try one!

I ordered their cigarettes & coffee, one of their most popular drinks. It was an awesome mix of rye whiskey, smoky bitters and Portola Coffee Lab beans.A good stiff drink to enjoy in the afternoon or after a long day at work! I think I found my new favorite drink!

Check out this massive burger! The bun is dusted with cornmeal bun and smeared with garlic aioli and a huge pile of fresh vegetables including bright yellow heirloom tomatoes, Fresno chilies and red oak lettuce. The lettuce has been tossed in a roasted garlic vinaigrette. There was a choice between bleu cheese or aged cheddar cheese. I went with the aged cheddar! The patty is made up of rib-eye short rib that has been ground up with bacon lardons, herbs, caramelized onions and duck fat.

This gorgeous burger is almost too pretty to eat. I said almost! I did my best to pick it up with two hands and try to eat it like a regular burger but this was a bad idea from the start! I couldn't even get my mouth to take a bite out of it! So, I decided to treat the veggie part of the burger as a salad. This was a much better idea.

One of the best burgers I have ever had! And I pride myself on trying to find the best burger in Southern California! The veggies are all fantastic! The heirloom tomatoes are juicy and sweet! The Fresno chilies have a great amount of kick! The lettuce tossed in the garlic vinaigrette makes the salad of veggies complete! The massive burger is more like a meatloaf! The flavors are unparalleled! The beef, bacon and duck fat combine perfectly for a taste unlike any other!

Using Lil Oishi as a size comparison! This burger is almost twice his height!

Another great time at ARC and so worth the wait to come back to try to the burger! Now I want another burger right now!

Arc Restaurant Food & Libations

3321 Hyland Ave
Ste F
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(949) 500-5561

arcrestaurant.com

Monday, May 13, 2013

Restaurant Review: ARC Restaurant!

Finally got to check out ARC, a great new restaurant in Costa Mesa in the OC Mart Mix that is also the home to Portola Coffee Lab and Seventh Tea Bar!

This non-descript building is the home to ARC!

ARC cooks everything over fire and you can see that by the cords of wood at the entrance that you are going to be in for something entirely different. This a throw back to the time when cooks used only fire as their fuel.

There is not a lot of seating and because of this they do not take reservations. So, we ordered some beer and waited for a table or three seats at the bar. They also offer wine and make some great looking cocktails. I will order one of their cocktails next time for sure.

The bar is a great way to watch the chefs at work. Because the place is fairly tiny, it makes for a much more intimate setting.

We ordered a few items to start. Everything is cooked over the open flame so everything comes in an iron pan! Careful these pans are going to be hot! We each ordered an appetizer. The meatballs came out first. There are three large meatballs in a fresh marina sauce. The meatball was perfectly cooked. It had a slight crust on the outside but was nice and light pink on the inside. The meat literally melted in my mouth! Great start! You also get a couple slices of wonderful garlic bread!

We also ordered the dip, a delicious concoction of tomatoes, peppers and ricotta with more of that amazing garlic bread to scoop it up with!

We also ordered the calamari which was a perfect blend of calamari, onions, shishito peppers and potatoes mixed with vinegar and citrus.

ARC also cuts all of its own meat and has special aged cuts that are off menu. One of my friends is a huge meat fan and asked if he could see the choices. The presentation was fantastic and they recommended that since this was our first time here to order off the menu and see if we liked their style of cooking and when we come back and if we would like a different cut of meat then we can order from there special selection.

There was another tray that was brought out with some expensive cuts. Perhaps next time.

One of my friends went with the tart which was a flatbread with onions, parsley and their hand cut bacon.

My other friend and I both went with the steak! This dish was amazing! The potatoes were great and dare I say the portion was too much! The steak was cooked to perfection! There is a slight crust on the steak seasoned with salt and the meat was still pink on the inside. It was moist and tender and if I had room I would have ordered another one.

Great service, a fun environment that seems to have quite a few regulars, plus great food makes this a new favorite of mine! I can't wait to come back!

Oh and they do not offer desserts on the menu. This may change in time! Keeping my fingers crossed!

ARC Restaurant Food & Libations