Honestly its more like 4 or 4.5 stars but Noah the owner, who used to be a sales rep of mine years ago, is a super cool guy and hes really onto something here.
First of the decor is super chic. Dark and modern....I love it
If there is a wait they take your cell number and call you instead of giving you that stupid thing that lights up and vibrates when they signal you....extra points for that!
Minimalist menu that leaves much to the imagination. Â They give you a very simple description of what the menu item is and you prety much have to have a leap of faith.
Wine and beer list is very nice.....All the wines were 10 bucks a glass. Â Plus he had a Xerello on the menu, which is awesome and seldom seen as no one even knows what it is unless youre a total wine dork. Â Very interesting array of beers as well...
Meatballs.....were very good but tasted similar to the "Dip". Â Pork was very good, Slow-roasted Pork shoulder with citrus white beans. Â The bacon was good, nice and thick cut but a little overdone...but still its bacon.
I saw the cheeseburger that everyone has talked about.....Pretty impressive!
While i believe that they still need to iron out a few wrinkles, they are rally onto something.
The cons: Tiny place, not many tables. I could see it hard to get in late at night if people are camped out drinking...
The pros: No corkage.
At long last, I had my golden opportunity to try Arc. So with my friends Dawn C and Terry M, we got a nice snootfull of the good life with the beautiful people and them some, at the countercultural-wannabe wonder that is SoCo.
Cool place, laid-back vibe, blues piped in. First off, let me point out that obviously, nearly every establishment at SoCo is forced to pick a color theme: either brown, black, or white. Arc chose black with sly hints of brown. I don't know what that really has to do with anything in my review, but there's a subliminal racial message in there somewhere...I'll work on that on my own time. Meanwhile,
I am NOT buying the line that *everything* at Arc is cooked in that wood-fire oven. It would be absurd to expect beans to arrive at the proper texture and doneness if everything was placed into the skillet at once; you would have undercooked beans and/or overcooked meat, and your veg would be unrecognizeable..oh, wait...
Food breakdown:
Tart: Huh? a plain piece of flat bread shaped like a pizza but with a saltine cracker in its pedigree, sprinkled with cheese, parsley, and little diced pork pieces. The bottom and edges tended toward black. I felt it was a travesty, but our party of four consumed it quickly as an appetizer -- it's that primal instinct to "horde" food, triggered by the long wait for anything resembling food or service to make it to our table. 2 stars.
Pig: a nice skillet of tenderloin, served on top of a bed of black beans that could have stood more cooking time. I suppose if you had to sacrifice the integrity of one for the other, then it was okay to undercook the beans so as not to overcook the pork. Overall, great fork-tender texture and flavor on the pig. 4 stars.
Fish: Mahi Mahi skillet with roasted squash and slivers of white onions. Pretty good...3 stars.
Duck: I commented that I must have gotten the midget duck for my portion, then realized that was a politically incorrect term. There is no excuse for such insensitivity, and I apologize. I should have said my duck had to have been the bastard runt of his clutch. The brussel sprouts were okay if you overlook the coat of char completely covering all of them...in haute cuisine land, burnt-to-a-crisp may be considered a delicacy, but where I come from, it's a badge of the grillmaster's ineptitude. I was so hungry, I ate them anyway -- AND the charred lemon half that should have been a grilled heirloom tomato :P. Â 2 stars.
Libations: Ah, now we arrive at the real strength of this place and probably the more worthy portion of our meal. I am not much of a drinker, but upon entering I sensed right away that it was necessary to try one of their concoctions; I had the Jack Rose and the man chose a very potent red ale. I would go so far as to say that these drinks did a lot to ease our impatience with how long everything took to accomplish at Arc. If ever I return, I wouldn't attempt a meal without libations *and* the conversation of great friends.
We arrived during a quiet Sunday evening, we were seated right away, and from that point on, the wait for every blessed thing was excruciating. That would have been excusable had the food been consistently excellent, but it was hit-and-miss, 50/50. Judging by the number of reviews lauding the casserole, I would have been happier with that, and the calimari instead of the "tart". Ah well, we chose what we chose, and it wasn't enough to tempt us into a repeat vist anytime soon. But if you're buying...;).
Mazeltov!
My husband said it was the best burger he has ever had in his life....We came for lunch, I had the duck. The only negative thing, was that my husband got his meal 20 mins after I had mine, they need to time better, so everyone has their meal at the same time. Otherwise, love the place
Review Source:This review is dedicated to my favorite hamburger in Orange County. Sure it is $20 and needs to be shared by two people - but when you have your hamburger served on what looked like a oak tree trunk serving platter - that feels like a real burger. The taste was also unique - not drowning in mayo, mustard or ketch up - you could barely taste the little spread against the fresh vegetables. Also the beef patty was insanely good - everyone I know swears by Slaters 50/50 lately - but in my humble opinion Slaters patties are a nice silver medal compared to ARC's gold medal patty.
Also have to make a quick mention for the sizzling pan-fried calamari - also a memorable dish here and I rarely ever eat calamari.
Hosts and servers are great. But do not let the limited menu turn you away - they have 'off-the-menu' options. Always worth asking you server and discovering something new.
Only minor request - please add a dessert menu - even only 1 or 2 items. When I was done with my burger, my sweet tooth was craving a sugar rush like there was no tomorrow.
I can not wait to go back to ARC and bringing down the calorie house with another one of their burgers.
I came here last night but didn't actually eat anything, so I'm only reviewing for the bar service. Â I don't recall the name of the bartender who helped us, but he had curly-ish hair in a ponytail. Â He greeted us and was very nice. Â He recommended the Jack Rose for me to drink, but I went with Da Bunny, which I really enjoyed. It was like orange juice in a fancy cup. Â My second drink was the Jack Rose, but I didn't really like it as much, but it was refreshing and light as he described. Â My friend had a whiskey-type drink with coffee and that actually tasted a lot better than I expected. Â I'll have to order that next time. Â
The service was prompt, and the bartender was very chill. Â We had a good view of the brick oven grill, and it was cool to see them cook their meals using just that. Â I really liked the ambiance and lighting at the bar and wouldn't mind coming in again, especially since it's 5 minutes from where I live. Â No complaints here!
This was our fist spot to hit from our Top 50 Restaurant Experience. The space is small but quaint, decor I was a bit disappointed but just because I read the article and they spun the Chief's name Noah and Arc the name of the restaurant as if the space was to resemble and look like Noah's Arc, so the actual decor was far from that.lol I guess I took it to literal. Nonetheless the actual decor was smart because the fact that it was dark it draw your attention to the focal point of it all the Kitchen & the Chef.. G & I asked to be sat at the bar, best seat in the house!!! We got to see Chef Noah do his thing, where else do you actually see Chef's & Kitchen staff prepare food in-front of you?? So I really loved this concept it was like dinner & a "Show". THE WAIT.. OMG!!! Was long and painful, due to the fact that this place is small grabbing a cocktail and wait is really not an option, I do wish the hostess was a bit more realistic with the estimated wait time, we arrived at 7:15 pm and were seated at 8:50 almost 9:00pm so her 45 minute wait became 1:30-1:45 minutes, way Off Right???? If we would've known this we could have gone to a nearby wine bar and had a drink while waiting but because she said 45 minutes we figured let's grab a cocktail here, standing by the door, remember there is not waiting area so we just stood there with our drinks...   Well I must say after the long wait I was this place better keep up to it's reputation!!!! Well it did, The bet way G & I Found out is sharing dishes, this way you try a few items and experience the overall cuisine. So we started first with the VEG Skillet (Tomato Compote with fresh zucchini & Ricotta Cheese, cooked on a wood fire oven) Amazing!! then we ordered the meatballs, also amazing! next we ordered the house salad, was good nothing spectacular but nonetheless good, Lastly we ordered the PIG, this was delish!!! Then we made some friends at the bar and they had ordered the Bacon which according to the house it's a Must, so they shared a slice with us, OMG!!! It was to die for! Also sitting at the bar we found out there is this very cool gadget used to form blocks of ice into a sphere!!!   The Bartender James gave us a demo & everything pretty cool, now I am on the hunt for one for G's House Bar. lol  Finally to top it all out, James our Bartender/Server made us a pallet cleanser drink, Rose' Wine, with fresh Lime Juice, it was refreshing and ended our meal experience on a high note!!!! So this is my review for this spot!!! Would I go again, yes but either with Party of 6 so we can make reservations, or a bit earlier and this time I would go hit the Wine Bar first while we wait the food journey, I think that will enhance the overall experience. Definitely worth the wait!!! Â
This is My Review: Ana Maria
Let me break this review down into 3 parts:
Service:
First we came with a stroller...I have a baby and they don't even have high chairs. That already sends a clear message...the bartender/host kid wants to seat us at the bar..I"m like? "I don't think so"..there was a big table available were you could sit two parties
easy...so he said the wait is 20min and he'll take our number and call us.
45 min later no call and we come in...still no room for us but people who came after us are already eating. WTH?
The same kid with gum in his mouth (Seriously?!!) says.."Oh sorry, no table."...What about the big one...he takes off and says he will check and come right back..NOT SO..he's making drinks for people at the bar. I don't know why we just didn't leave...we should have but a new very nice waitress hears our ordeal and promptly seats us. (She gets 5 stars for her entire service to us)
Food:
I think the food is a bit overpriced for what you get.
3 meatballs (not to big) $15.-..with 2 small slices of bread? I thought the sauce was definitely over-salted.
Steak Sandwich: Unfortunately our flank steak was well done...I didn't hear any of us ordering it like a rubber sole but at this point we're hungry and don't care. The sandwich was great (3-4 stars). If the meat would have been medium rare it would have been awesome.
Air quality: Bring a mask...at one point the entire space was filled with so much smoke that even the ceiling looked like the LA/O.C. haze when you fly in...
Ready for take-off....
4.5 stars total
Alcoholic Mixed Drinks: Â 5 Stars. Â The drinks are innovative and creative. Â The drinks provide a refreshing taste in combination with a summer feel. Â This is a definitely an extra plus. Â The taste is not too sweet and allows you to taste the alcohol. Â This is what my friends and I look for in a a mixed drink.
The food: Â Tasty and fresh. Â Our group tried the calamari, pig, casserole, duck, tart, meatball, calamari and bacon. Â We also had 80% of the mixed drinks on the menu. Â All were very tasty. Â I enjoyed the mixed drinks more than anything. Â I would recommend the drinks over the food but I would really recommend a combination of food and the drink. Â
Overall, I would come back, eat and drink here again. Â I urge you all to try it too.
Went on a Saturday afternoon for lunch around 3p. Had the Veg, Dip and bf had the Casserole. The Veg was a mix of seasonal veggies of zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes and ricotta cheese. Dip was a mix of roasted peppers, tomatoes and ricotta cheese. Casserole was a mix of chicken, asparagus and ricotta cheese. See a theme here? Everything was cooked in the wood fire oven. Anything w/ cheese of course is quite tasty! Â Things were prepared in a simple way-which was good. Not overly seasoned.
Service on the other hand needed some help. There looked to be quite a few workers around w/ not that many pple eating, yet we hardly received water refills or check-ins. Service seemed to be more of an afterthought.
Overall, food was tasty due to the use of the wood ovens and of course cheese. But prices were quite hefty for what you end up with. Also, we ate at the bar and found some ants moseying in front of us. One was excusable, but after 3 they became a focal point. Would we return? probably not which is too bad because the concept is good but not executed well.
Came here for lunch with a friend! After reading the yelp reviews I was a little hesitant to come here tbh lol. But the restaurant interested me and I wanted to try somewhere new~ The servers were very nice. Â No complaints :) we initially sat the bar which was a bad idea because oh my goodness it was HOT!! I mean the oven is seriously right there behind the bar (granted is not in your face but it's close enough to be hot! Lol) We moved to a both ASAP and it was much better. It smelled nice and smokey in there :) but dang, if possible they should get some better ventilation and/or air conditioning because I was sweating at the bar! Anyway my friend for the fish and I got the pork sandwich. Â The fish came or first. Â It was a white fish (mahi? I dunno im bad with fish) that was cooked in tomato sauce with corn and bell peppers on top (as well as cherry tomatos, I believe) . The fish was delicious: crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Â It also had a nice smokey flavor... especially the corn!! Omg. So good.
I got the pork sandwich, which was basically pulled pork with a pickle between bread. The pork was so soft and juicy! And the flavor was great :) it would've been nice with some bbq sauce though.. but it was delicious nonetheless. Â Btw, that came out on a slab of woods, not a skillet FYI.
The restaurant was not very crowded (we came on Wednesday afternoon) and it had a nice atmosphere (but the decor had more of a nighttime vibe in my opinion). I didn't try any drinks but is love to try some the next time I go! Overall a great place to eat, I wish the menu was a bit more expansive and more descriptive... the only other thing is that the portions are not very big. I think that I could've finished the whole skillet of the fish.... and I'm not a very big eater (think small asian girl). As such, the prices (which are about $15ish per entree are a bit high given that the portions are small and there aren't any side dishes that come with it (you have to purchase those separately). Despite those setbacks they do serve good food and I would encourage you to try it out :)
I had been wanting to go to Arc ever since it was written up in the newspaper when it first opened.  Can't believe I waited so long to get there.  Absolutely excellent food!  It's crowded so go early, or be prepared to wait.  We opted to wait in the wine bar around the corner--they'll call you when your table is ready.  It's the Twitter of menus:  3 or 4 words describe each entrée and it is food that is meant to be shared.  We got the TART, MEATBALLS, and CASSEROLE.  The tart is a cheesy, tasty flatbread.  The meatballs are served with bread and tomato sauce.  Both were really good.  But you MUST get the casserole.  It is chicken, cheese and broccoli.  It is the best thing I have ever put in my mouth!!!  Seriously!  I will get it every time I go there--and that is going to be often!  As far as the décor--it's nice, dark and upscale.  They only seem to have 4-seat tables, so a large group might have to split up.  if you sit at the bar, you can watch the cooks in the open kitchen.  The wine list is easy:  a selection of $10 wines, or $20 wines.  I know they are famous for their specialty drinks, but I'm a wine girl, so I didn't try any.  Our waitress was a sweetheart, super nice and put up with us with a smile!  (Which is saying something since we think we are funnier than we probably actually are in reality, especially after a few glasses of vino!)  I cannot wait to go to ARC again!
Review Source:My wife and I went to ARC after seeing Chris Burroughs on the channel 5 Sunday morning news go there and rave about it.
Firstly, love the music! All classic R&B from Ray Charles to Otis Redding. I asked the Manager if the music was Pandora Radio we were listening to? Yes, Otis Redding Pandora radio station which I promptly added to my own personal Pandora radio station list.
My wife ordered the baked egg dish which came served in a iron skillet still bubbling fresh out of the oven. Amazing flavors and herbs that jump out at you with the first bite.
She pointed out later that the tables didn't have salt and pepper shakers. I still believe they don't need to provide them since the food is so full of flavor!
I had the cheeseburger. ARC's $20 burger made it on my top ten list of best burgers ever! We had skipped breakfast for this late lunch so we were both starving. It took awhile to finish because I wanted to savor each smoky bite that had bacon pieces thoughout, this burger is a beast.
We wlll return to work our way through the entire menu and will definitely recommend ARC to our friends and family!
Loved the food, thought the service was excellent but I just can't get myself to go beyond three stars due to the fact their prices are outrageous. Â All food is cooked in their wood fired oven on cast iron skillets. Â Portions are tiny tapas sized and meant to be shared. Â These entree priced dishes are tiny and you'll need about two per person to feel full. Â They seem to be perfecting their cooking techniques since our food wasn't charred or cold like others have complained about.
Drink: "Fighting Chance" - $12.00 Â bourbon, calisaya, creole bitters, worlds largest ice cubes. Â Strong yet smooth and tasty drink but was 90% ice.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/arc-restaurant-food-and-libations-costa-mesa?userid=PvSzDcag7vo1e5Zz7SkzMA#8S24VJNIYvXWkj-bk5bXgA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Food:
"Meatballs" - $13.00. Â This dish is what prevents me from giving this place 4 stars. Â It's a nice sized iron skillet filled with tomato sauce, a giant chunk of bread that takes up half the skillet and three TINY meatballs. Â That's $4.33 per ping pong sized meatball. Â That's 1.5 meatballs for each of us, $6.50 a person. Â The pork, veal, garlic, and whiskey meatballs were perfectly cooked and tasted fantastic.... but three? Â Can you at least give me four so we can each have two??? Â Sauce was tasty and the roll that was provided was great to sop up the sauce. Â Also came with some roasted garlic. Â Flavor awesome... price insulting.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/arc-restaurant-food-and-libations-costa-mesa?userid=PvSzDcag7vo1e5Zz7SkzMA#hEUZ38ayPHQqJwOgag6Owg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
"Pig" - $14.00. Â Small chunk of pork butt that was slow cooked for 10 hours per the waitress and served on top of white beans. Â Pork was fork tender. Â My wife said her piece was dry but I thought mine was cooked perfectly. Â Dish was infused with maple and had a nice flavor. Â But like the meatballs over priced. Â Had maybe 4oz of pork on top of a large amount of beans. Â Least favorite of what we had but still had a unique and enjoyable flavor.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/arc-restaurant-food-and-libations-costa-mesa?userid=PvSzDcag7vo1e5Zz7SkzMA#1lOK_gK6hHAgFcP7yX42_w">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
"Casserole" - $12.00. Â I had no interest in this dish but my wife really wanted to try it. Â Ended up being not only fantastic but I feel fairly priced. Â This chicken, broccoli, cheddar casserole had so much flavor infused into it I couldn't believe it. Â I loved it. Â I read another review saying it was all broccoli but in our case it was tons of chicken. Â Was crusted over in the wood fire oven perfectly with just the right amount of char and was a five star perfect dish. Â I could see ordering this as an entree just for myself.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/arc-restaurant-food-and-libations-costa-mesa?userid=PvSzDcag7vo1e5Zz7SkzMA#HXRXfC6u6K25SAdDHojtdQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
"Side of bacon" = $10.00. Â Ok.... Â this was orgasmic. Â We saw people getting it and had to try it... we were almost done with our meal but I figured what's another 10 bucks for two slices of bacon when I just paid $13 for 3 meatballs. Â Two giant slabs of about 1/4th inch thick pork belly cooked to perfection. Â Oh my god was this bacon amazing. Â Best bacon I've ever had. Â The euphoria my taste buds felt consuming my $5 piece was worth the price. Â They make a frickin' BLT with it too but I think eating it all by itself is the true experience.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/arc-restaurant-food-and-libations-costa-mesa?userid=PvSzDcag7vo1e5Zz7SkzMA#Fr7lAX_hOEf-MJKMliDa5w">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
I saw somebody order a hamburger which looked good but it was $20 a la carte, didn't even come with a pickle wedge. Â Better have frickin' black truffles, fois grois, and caviar for that price.
Even though the price was high I did enjoy my food and liked the atmosphere. Â My wife and I both agreed we'd probably come back but visits would be few.
Although the wood smoke will draw you into this place the wait is a little long so put your name in and leave your cell phone number and go next door to Uni to shop and they will call when your table is ready. Â The food here will make you feel like you have joined the wagon train and just stopped for the evening while "Slappey" the chuck wagon cook serves you up some wood smoked fixins of a slab of bacon, a side of pork and beans and wash it down with a good stiff drink! Â The place is decorated in black walls / black booths so that your focus is on watching them cook on the pit and serve up the food.
If the food is tasty, then why the 3 stars? Â The food is terribly over priced as are the "libations"!
Arc is pretty cool.  The décor is awesome and hell if the music is too loud you're too old.  This isn't the kind of place to go and sit down and romance sweet nothings at your significant other or talk TPS reports to your coworkers.  Its a chic, loud, dark place to go, enjoy drinks, order everything and just enjoy random conversation, oogling the food, and taking in everything and everyone.  The bacon here is amazing.  I've never described bacon in that way before but that's what it is.  I still hunger for it.  The meatballs are so good.  They were hot, moist, and you could taste all the flavors.  Had some kind of a cheese and onion thing too that was to die from with all kinds of fresh herbs on the top and just was in heaven.  The burger is a MUST.  It's enough for at least 2 people and just wow...
Try all the drinks too... their hand crafted cocktails are a little daunting when you see them on paper but give them a shot they're something that crawls in your mouth and plays there. Â
Great beer selection too.
I had been looking forward to this place for awhile and it did not disappoint.  Everything we had was on point.  The Onion Bacon Tart was fabulous.  wonderfully carmelized onions and the bacon pieces were thick and chewy and full of flavor.  Next we tried the meatballs.  Absolutely delicious, full of texture and flavor, they were incredibly tender, and the tomato sauce it was served in was delicious and a  perfect accompaniment.  We also had the potatoes...deliciously crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside they were perfect. Â
I went with a friend and we really enjoy ourselves. Â Be ready for a social experience, there are a few booths , but most of the seating is around the large cooking area and bar that gives you a perfect view of all the food being prepared. Â Great atmosphere.
The Burger? Â Don't get it.
3 1/2 hours later and it's still coming up.
It must have been partly the LARGE chunks of fat they mix into the meat and all the salt packed in. Â I flooded my stomach with water and I still feel woosey. Â They charge $20 for this? Â I might as well had saved $15 bucks and filled up on Tijuana street tacos.
After a lot of anticipation, I finally tried Arc. I have to admit that I went to the restaurant expecting the worst so my expectations were really low. Here is a breakdown of my visit in detail:
Ambiance: The décor looked stuffy and aged mingled with the smell of smoke in the air. If I did not know any better, the place looked like it has been open for several years. The foot railing at the bar had a lot of scuff marks, it really needed cleaning. I sat in one of the booths and the glass covering the wooden table smelled really bad, I guess from all the grease.
Service: The waitress warned us, before we started ordering, that since all the food is cooked in a wood fired oven we should expect parts of the food to be burned and charred. She added that it was only natural to have unevenly cooked plates!! I asked the waitress how the meatballs were made; she gave me a blank look then, said that it was made with pork and beef. I asked the waitress whether they add veal to the mix, and she told me that they did, exclaiming that veal is beef!!!
Food: I tried to order as much as I can so I can give this place an objective and well-rounded review:
Calamari: The calamari is comprised of strips and tentacles but it was cooked nicely in a lemon broth. The calamari lacked smokiness and was kind of bland; it was more like calamari scampi if you will. You get a couple of pieces of charred roasted potatoes on the plate. The potatoes tasted like they were cooked twice as they were extremely dry, probably reheated in the wood burning oven. The best part of the plate was the charred shishito peppers.
Note: I asked the waitress if the potatoes were reheated and she denied the practice. She said that the potatoes were only blanched and then cooked in the wood fired oven to order. As I was walking out of the restaurant I saw a mound of cooked slightly charred potatoes on a tray waiting to be reheated to order.
Casserole: On the menu it says, "Chicken, broccoli, cheddar". What you get is a broccoli casserole. In fact you get a lot of broccoli in there. Nonetheless, the casserole was well executed, had a mild smoky flavor, and was delicious. Â
    Â
Duck: This was a huge disappointment. The duck was actually a confit that seemed stale. It appeared to have been reheated in the infamous wood fired oven and served with a table spoon of lousy jam on top of the dry duck. Under the jam was a piece of fatty soft duck skin that really added to the disappointment of the dish. In contrast, I enjoyed the burned/charred Brussels sprouts served with it. Â
Note: I informed the waitress that the duck was actually a duck confit as opposed to what I expected, which was a duck cooked in a wood fired oven. The menu does not mention anything about duck confit. The waitress confirmed that it was a duck confit that they cook in batches, heat in the oven, reheat and serve.
Steak: The steak was nicely cooked but a bit chewy and gamey. The steak was served with twice reheated dry and charred potatoes with a hint of rancidity from the iron skillet.
Note: The waitress informed me that the steak was a sirloin cut. However, when I saw the plate I immediately told her that it was not a sirloin, she ran to the chef, came back and informed me that the steak was actually a skirt steak. Well, upon a closer visual examination and biting into the steak I have doubts, it looked and tasted more like a cut of flank or flap steak, but I could be wrong.
Fish: Again, the menu states, "corn, pepper, lime", I had an amazing, cooked to perfection, piece of mahi mahi in tomato purée, baby tomatoes, and half a lemon on the side. Corn, pepper and lime were nowhere to be found. The dish was definitely lacking the starch.
Note: I asked the waitress as to the whereabouts of the corn, pepper and lime. The waitress told me that she had asked the chef the same thing and he told her that they simply ran out of corn. Yet, no one bothered to inform me with the fact that they were substituting the corn with a lot of tomatoes.
I wanted to give Arc 2 or 3 stars but the clumsy food preparation and mediocre service forces me to give the place just 1 star.
Ate here for lunch on a Thursday. It looks like a business associates foodie place around 12ish :) it's got a nice downtown look to it, which is very refreshing compared to 96% of orange county's chains.
We ordered the meatball (based on what people were saying off yelp) and the steak. Â Both were good, traditional seasoning that let the flavor of the meat come through.
In our opinion the steak dish was better then the meatballs. It had a nice char to it with a rare chewy inside. Â They made the skirt steak sing, and that's hard to do if it's not in a burrito :) The potatoes served with it were really good. They had a great crispiness to them.
We were surprised the meatballs were kinda bland. Needed a little more seasoning for our taste. In all, the dish tasted good but we don't think it had enough going to make it worth the 14 or 15 dollars for the 3 meatballs.
Also got to watch the main chef in action. Â At the time we were sitting down there was a photo shoot going on so he was plating all the food very nicely.
Really great food, and a great atmosphere. I took my mother and girlfriend here for a night out and I have to say the food was the exclamation point!
We shared 2 orders of the PIG, duck, potatoes, BEETS, and a GREEN.
Each dish has its own style and is perfect for sharing Chinese style. Each main course was amazing, sorry not to much detail because you have to experience them yourself.
The BEETS were served with a champagne vinaigrette, one of the best goat cheese Bries that I have tried sprinkled with parsley. Really amazing and I have to mention this, please try it!
There is a secret menu, I do not know what the heck it is but find it and tell me!
P.S. Icelandic beer...yum...
Friday night and after discovering the SOCO shopping district and reading about the ARC restaurant on a OC Magazine, we wanted to give it a shot.
The decoration is great, the menu is simple but I've loved the new approach they took with it.
Everything is cooked on a fire burning oven and grill, what brings an extra smokey flavor to it. We enjoyed that!
The wine we selected was amazing compare to glasses you get anywhere else and the food was really tasty. We've tried the meatballs, pork, steak. All great but steak was completely raw (one less star for that).
Overall nice experience, have in mind that it is a place to have a drink and eat appetizers, not full course meal.
For a Friday night the place was a little small, we had a 45+mins wait time.
How would I define ARC ? Hipster haute cuisine where comfort foods with an attitude are served up simply on wood planks or in cast iron skillets .The food is the star of the plate, their is no mistaking that at ARC. Â All of the food is cooked via a wood burning oven or grill. They have only been open about 3 months which has likely led to the varies rifts from some previous yelpers reviews. Â My experience was a good time and great food.
We sat at the gorgeous dark wood bar that runs the length of the open kitchen.
They have a very clever and rotating special libations menu that includes some concoctions that are unique to ARC. We were treated to a couple including an unlikely combo of a smoke and coffee infused cocktail. Â
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/arc-restaurant-food-and-libations-costa-mesa?select=xAhiK5jWZg3Yid6YAvY1vw#I_tqAnmk1ZlwLLMk706ELw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
The calamari was a hit, perfectly tender and accompanied by sauted onions and a trio of shisito peppers and potatoes. A nice kick of spicy goodness enveloped the broth and the dish. This was a standout and the bar was full with other clientele partaking as well. The portion was satisfying too.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/arc-restaurant-food-and-libations-costa-mesa?select=xAhiK5jWZg3Yid6YAvY1vw#izn0t0pvHqGY9IRihXWYnw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
The thick cut, in house smoked bacon was served sizzling hot and oh so smokey. It was equally satisfying and perfectly prepared. A nice char without being burnt.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/arc-restaurant-food-and-libations-costa-mesa?select=xAhiK5jWZg3Yid6YAvY1vw#fqHr2EYYhcUWwETe6AWYAg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
As we were there for small bites it is hard to give more than 4 stars. I will say the food,ambiance and feel are worthy of a return visit and a go at the full menu and their daily off menu "secret" delights.( a monstrous burger is one of them) Â They do not take reservations and the place is on the cozy side. My understanding is that Thurs to Saturday they get pretty packed.
I for one am looking forward to my next meal at ARC.
Well, I think the people who left less than average reviews here aren't real foodies so I wouldn't trust their opinion. I mean a complaint about calamari not being in rings? come on! As a matter of fact the calamari was by far my favorite dish of the night. It was perfectly seasoned, came out piping hot and tender. I applauded the fact that it wasn't shaped into rings.
First I have to say that the menu isn't very extensive. But they have put all their focus into the few items that they do offer and made them exceptional . The food is simple, rustic, but packed with great flavor. We also had the roasted beets which is a generous portion served in a big oval wood bowl. They were firm with the perfect hint of lemon and paired perfectly with the slices of cheese on top. We also had the meatballs which were amazing too. The only dish that I wasn't crazy about was the flatbread with bacon. It would have been ten times better if they made the crust thinner and crispier but it still had amazing flavor.
The crafted cocktails are almost reason to go there alone. I have yet to visit a place in Orange County other than this place with such detail put into the cocktails. I had the Number 1 and loved it. My friend had a bourbon cocktail and the block of ice alone showed the attention to detail. It was the perfect size block of ice for that kind of cocktail. All in all, the meal was one of the best I've had in Orange County. We will definitely go back.
After a recommendation, I went to ARC for a client lunch. While the Yelp reviews are mixed, I loved it! The decor is very cool and the calamari, which is not your typical breaded and fried calamari, was real treat for me, someone who cannot normally eat calamar due to the gluten. My client ordered the duck salad which was a very generous portion.
We sat at the bar so were served by the bartender who was very attentive and knowledgable about the menu. Perhaps the waitresses are not as great? I noticed that ARC creates their own liquors, which definitely piqued my curiosity. I will have to go again for happy hour!
My husband and I have eaten at this restaurant at least six times and thought we had found a cozy spot with wholesome food and creative cocktail menu. Â What a surprise we had last week when we settled in for an early dinner there! Â We sat at a booth and it didn't take five minutes for us to realize that the cozy hearth atmosphere that they give homage to in there menu was obliterated by loud heavy rock music; Â so loud that we could not converse at all and nearly walked out to go someplace else. Â My husband asked if the music could be turned down a bit and they complied. Â But within ten minutes someone had cranked it up again.
Our waitress was super intense and the food was formulaic and lacked imagination.
This restaurant is totally out of keeping with the little poem quoted on their menu by Shel Silverstein about coming in to sit by the hearth. Â Ridiculous!
Came here with my cooking group for lunch. We all sat at the counter and had a awesome lunch. Definitely 5 star...
So! naturally I was bragging to my friends about this new find. We went on a Saturday night... okay I told them expect to wait they don't take reservations. No problem the wait wasn't that bad. Asking our waitress to explain the menu seemed to be more than she was capable of. Off menu specials??? If the owner would of heard her description of their "special burger" he would of just died... So we were on our own. I did my best to help everyone at the table to order. Heck, we pretty much tried everything. The consistency from dish to dish was sporadic. Quit a different quantity & quality on a busy Saturday. Not sure I will be able to talk my friends into returning. Sad , because I know it can be so good.
Decent restaurant with an old school American vibe.
Wow, there's a lot of wood here. Â Stacked up front, stacked inside, stacked everywhere. ARC is definitely going for the old school, rustic American look - whatever that means *cough* hipster*. Â The aromas of the burning wood and cooking food get the stomach going. Â
The simplicity of their menu makes choices easier. Â Fish, Pork, Duck, Potato (skins), and Tart (flatbread) were had - shared of course. Â All served on an iron skillet, save for the Tart. Â While other Yelpers experienced severely overcooked or under cooked meals, that was not the case here - the food came out fine. Â Flavors were simple and easily identifiable. Â Order at least 3 plates for 2 persons. Â
Overall, this place is OK. Â It's a bit overpriced, but one needs to pay for the large kitchen and fancy skillets some how.
Initially I was put off by the menu because the description of the dishes are a bit too simplistic. For example: cow, fire, potato. Or squid, lemon, spice. Ok those are not real examples, but the reality is not far from what I wrote.
The heat from the wood fired oven can be felt a good 30 feet away and everything is cooked on cast iron skillets. Service was good but expect to wait at the peak of lunch hour.
I had the meatball which you would think I would have to be crazy to shell out well over 10 bucks for 3 meatballs, some sauce and bread, but they were so good I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Tried the burger. Pretty gigantic. Real solid bun. Blend of meat was short rib, bacon lardons, and something else. Tons of flavor. Greens tossed in vinaigrette, tomato onion. Pretty solid burger but I do have some complaints.....
- meat was very loosely packed - burger patty fell apart upon delivery to our table. no cheese and no fancy toppings is fine, but $20 a la carte w no sides? Excessive considering nothing else on the menu exceeds $15.
That being said, I will try it again. Flavor of the meat was too good to not give it another go.
Also had shishitos and brussels sprouts which would order again. Sprouts are plain but real tender.
I guess I just prefer my food to be cooked with more precision and finesse, especially at the prices you are paying here. Â The open-fire cooking method may sound intriguing, but the end result is all gimmick and no substance. Â What I got was:
-cold Brussels sprouts on a sizzling cast iron skillet (how??)
-vastly overcooked duck without a crispy skin
-charred and ruined bacon (if I'm complaining that something is too burnt, it's gotta be bad, really bad)
-mushy instead of flaky fish
-most disappointingly, what appeared to be roasted garlic that I could spread on toasted baguette but was really just barely charred garlic that was still quite raw
In addition, nothing jumped out at me flavor-wise, and the portions were truly a joke for the price you are paying. Â
The only reason why I did not give ARC one star is because of the service, which was friendly and attentive. Â I also liked the general vibe of the restaurant -- it's casual yet hip, and there's a lot of kitchen excitement yet it's relaxed.
Oh how I've wanted to stop by here everyday on my drive home. Â When the sign went up, I wanted to come. Â But finally I made it in..YAY!!!!
If you are into a SMALL Menu to help you narrow down your choices, you have come to the RIGHT place. Â I recommend you ask your waiter for the "LOW DOWN" on the food vs. just reading off the menu or you will be disappointed. Â Just reading the menu, we wanted to run out of there. Â But then our friendly waitress came and hyped up the dishes and we knew exactly what to get. Â Remember the idea of this place is that everything is cooked and served in cast iron skillets. Â You want cast irons...they have one for each of you! Â I love cooking with cast irons so I had high expectations that the food would be AMAZING! Â
Items we tested out:
01. Â SOUP $10 - 2 Stars
Onions, Cheese & Toast
- If you ask me, this was their version of the French Onion Soup but minus the flavors. Â It had the look of the French Onion Soup but didn't taste a darn thing like it. Â We added so much salt to get it up to some flavor but it was just not good. Â Looked great on the outside but totally a failure in the inside. Â So disappointed. Â :(
02. Â TART $14 - 4.5 Stars
Onions, Parsley & Bacon
- By far, my FAVE FAVE dish of tonight. Â The Tart had big chunky pieces of bacon that all Bacon LOVERS must order. Â The tart was so good, we were rushing to finish each bite. Â I can easily pack away 2 orders of this next time. Â I'm a fan of tarts and flatbreads and this one was really good. Â You can taste the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the saltiness of the bacon. Â TO DIE for. Â Women...I highly suggest you visit this place and order this on your cycle! Â Lol...(Sorry guys, women will know what I mean).
03. Â MEATBALLS $13 - 3.5 Stars
Garlic, Whiskey & Toast
- I was not too impress with this dish but it was decent.  I make something like this  when I'm entertaining my friends.  Still a good choice for the experience.  I think you should order this if you are visiting for the 1st time. Â
DECOR - I loved the Woodsy feel of the place. Â The lighting of the place is more of a romantic setting. Â Highly recommend you folks dating to come here. Â The Bar seats were a little high we thought but nice. Â Very cozy feel to this place.
PARKING - Tons of parking, so don't worry. Â
BIGGEST BUMMER - NO DESSERTS. Â With the whole theme of "cast irons", you would think one dessert of any kind of "Cobbler" would be fitting right! Â
PLEAD TO ARC - Please add a cobbler to your menu...it would make the entire experience COMPLETE!!!
ARC...yum. The only food I don't like seared/charred is bread, so you know that ARC is a go-to place for me. That wood burning oven does some amazing things.
I had the meatballs, which were excellent: charred, but tender, in a delicious sauce. Next, I had the steak that was cooked perfectly! It came with some potatoes, which I only nibbled at because I wanted to try another dish...and I did :) I had the duck, which was slightly sweet and didn't seem very fatty for some reason - which I really enjoyed! Actually, it's probably my favorite thing at ARC.
For cocktails, I had the Number One (twice,haha), which is AWESOME. I also tried the Market Cocktail, which is some funky fancy concoction in which you don't use a straw so your lips can get a touch of the flavor on the rim of the glass. These bartenders are the real deal.
The decor is lovely, and everyone is really friendly. I can't wait to try that pork sandwich for lunch!! Â And, just a note, I never give out 5 stars - i'm stingy like that!
Simple rustic food cooked in cast iron skillets. Â You have a choice of entrees labeled: STEAK, FISH, VEG, DUCK, PORK, etc. Â The food is cooked with seasonal vegetables and are presented in cast iron cookware on trivets. Â They serve craft cocktails in addition to wine. Â I met up with friends Ryan M., John L., and Grace C. to check out ARC Restaurant & Libations. Â Although we didn't try the libations, we basically ordered the entire menu. Â
My favorites were the duck, steak and the tart. Â The duck was delicious, not gamey at all and tender. Â It was served with roasted Brussels sprouts which were perfect. Â The steak you will need to order RARE because it comes out in a hot skillet, you have the option of cooking it longer per your discretion. Â This is better than it coming out medium and it end up being overcooked. Â The tart we had neglected to order until Grace saw them making it. Â We immediately asked what it was and ordered it. Â The bacon lardon is super crispy on this flatbread of a tart. Â The onions provide a nice contrast to the fatty bacon. Â For the 4 of us, it ended up being about $30 each not including tax and tip. Â There is a secret menu that includes a burger but varies from day to day. Â If you ask your waiter, he'll pretend it doesn't exist unless you happen to say something that's on said menu. Â
It's a shame they don't serve dessert here though. Â Peach cobbler or apple crisp works well in little skillets. Â For what it is, it's a bit pricey. Â But the plates are made to share and I wouldn't come here with just one other person. Â You'll want a group of 4 at least. Â They have one table that will seat 6 which they keep empty everyday for large parties, so if you snooze you lose. Â They do not accept reservations. Â Restaurant capacity is 57, so it's pretty small.
Had lunch here and was quite impressed. Â If you dont know by now the entire menu is cooked either in a wood fired oven or grill with not stoves or burners. Â A gutsy move by Noah but a bold one at the same time. Â
The room is small and nicely decorated with a cool feel and vibe. Â Ther service left a little to be desired but not at all uncommon from a Chef / Owner driven place.
Clearly lunch is not a big draw yet at SoCo and maybe never will be without a large population of people working in the general area but still a great place to go.
I ordered a glass of lemonade after being assured it was freshly made and it was good. Â However, the sweetener seemed a little odd, other than that it was clearly fresh lemon juice. Â A nice touch since so many places dont use fresh squeezed juice.
We started with the tart which had an incredible flavor. Â The menu reads with onions, parsley and bacon but of course there is cheese as well. Â It is more like a flat bread or even a pizza but with a very soft crust. Â My friend had a problem with the crust but I reminded her that it was a tart and not a flatbread. Â The flavor was great.
After that we shared the special pulled pork sandwich which was fantastic. Â It had some sort of citrus or preserved lemon dressing on the pork and freshly made pickles which gave it a great crunch and flavor. Â I dont remember what else was on the sandwich but it was really good and I was impressed.
My only gripe was the lack of salt and pepper on the table. Â I have learned a long long time ago that we all have different palates. Â While the chef may feel confident in his food and seasoning, he is not the one cooking every dish that comes out of the kitchen. Â When one of the cooks does not properly season the food what is the customer left when you do not put salt and pepper on the table.
That said, Arc is a fun place and one I cant wait to come back to and try more of the menu.
I came here on a Friday evening the place was not packed which I was a little surprised. The restaurant itself is beautiful and I love the cocktails, but the food is WAY overpriced. Everything is tapas style which is fine just all of it adds up pretty quickly and compared to other restaurants in LA this just isn't as good.
My favorite cocktail is the Gloom - gin, maraschino, cava, lavender. If you are into egg whites the Grappa Sour is pretty decent however, others I was with do not enjoy as much as I did.
We ordered 3 dishes:
CALAMARI - potato, lemon, pepper. This was good I always enjoy calamari nothing special. It could have used more salt.
CASSEROLE - chicken, broccoli, Cheddar. This one was my favorite which I was surprised but it had the most flavor and seasoning.
DUCK - Â lemon, jam, honey. - This was my least favorite it was gamey and sweet. Not my cup of tea and I normally love duck.
Would I come back??? Sure but just for cocktails.
5 stars: food quality
5 stars: service
0 stars: portion size
10/3=3.3 stars.
We had the casserole & the steak, 2 glasses of wine & the bill came to $50. Not unexpected being that it's an upscale place, but the plates were so dinky that we went to Wendy's for a burger after.
I mean I used to live in Japan & portions here are small by Japan's standards!
It's always a gamble checking out a place when it just opens, luckily that gamble paid off for me this weekend. Let me step back a second though to tell you how sick I am of goddamn brussels sprouts and sweet potato fries. Every "New American" or gastropubby sorta place has the same stupid menu that makes me want to scream every time I see the phrase "tossed in a bacon vinaigrette."
...okay, with that said, Arc *does* offer brussels sprouts, but it just happened to be their seasonal veggie at the time, I have faith that they'll mix up their veggies and not just stick to that trendy sprout. Back to the matter at hand though, it's super refreshing to be able to go to a place offering new american fare and see a different menu.
It can be a little tough to order since their menu is written like they took out a personal ad that they had to pay for by the word: "Pig - Beans. Herb." Cool, dude, but this is a menu not a haiku contest. Once you get descriptions of the meals for the server you'll get decidedly more excited.
The schtick here is that everything is cooked and served in cast iron skillets.
Highlights for me were the Casserole the Duck and the Meatballs. I'm usually not even a fan of duck, but this was so tender and moist and perfectly seasoned and just all around quacktastic. Â The casserole was just scrumptious though so much stick-to-your-ribs goodness, well, not SO much, it's a rather small casserole, but still so so cheesy and good.
This may be the first time I've written these words, but the steak didn't do it for me. Since it's cooked in a pizza oven sorta high open flame they don't offer the in-betweens just rare, medium or well.... we shoulda got rare, because medium definitely ended up on the well side.
The whole setup of the place is nice, while there isn't much seating and I wouldn't recommend it for groups, it most definitely would make for a stupendous date spot. I love the big open kitchen and how great the whole place smells. Plus, I didn't even mention the bar! There may be a wait (who am I kidding? there WILL be a wait) when you get there, but fret not my thirsty friend, head straight to the bar for some expertly crafted cocktails including a special Market Cocktail that changes often (this last time it had some delish combo of tequila, chartreuse, and black pepper).
Not sure if they'll add it later, but they oddly don't offer dessert right now with the rationale that you can just go into the OC Mart Mix for dessert or coffee... which would be a splendid idea if everything there wasn't closed by 8 or 9. It was sad time because with the whole cast iron thing I had visions of apple cobbler dancing in my head, but sadly they were not fulfilled. Perhaps in time.
All in all, it's a more than welcome take on what has become pretty tired fare for me - highly recommended.
Ekk..I really didn't want to do this but the food was just awful. I was actually here with Laurie N. and some friends on Friday night.The service was good but the food was horrible. It's a really nice looking place. They did a good job on making it look good. Let's get on to the food. Everything we had was either burnt, cold, and flavorless.
Almost everything is served on a cast iron skillet. Oh I forgot to mention the warm water they served us. -_- Â We ordered EVERYTHING on this menu except the Veg and Fish.
Beets - you get a large serving of beets.
Meatballs - They served us BURNT meatballs. You've got to be kidding me. Someone is not checking the food they bring out to us. It was as black as the cast iron skillet. It tasted just like it too.
Onion tart - this was probably the best dish and that's not saying much. It fed our whole group and the dough was good but the sauce they put on it overpowered the thing.
Calamari - COLD.... and served on a hot skillet
French onion soup - Not hot.. only thing enjoyable was the ooey gooey cheese.
Dip - The look on everyones faces as they tried this dip was not pretty. I couldn't taste much. It was very bland.
Steak - I'm glad this was cooked right. It was pretty tender. Not a bad dish.
Casserole - Again cold at some parts of the dish.
Duck - Ouch my friend was a huge fan of the duck and this was no good. warm.
This is just my opinion on the food. I left unhappy with the food. The food needs to be worked on here. One of my most unenjoyable food experiences.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
