Restaurant Review:

By John Reger

June 4, 2009 12 AM PT

The iconic restaurant building that has anchored a corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Old Newport Boulevard has been around since 1925, and the Arches has served Newport Beach area diners admirably for more than 70 years.

It would have been a shame when the Arches left for the property to get bulldozed or turned into a mini mall, and fortunately that won’t happen.

A group of 17 people, including movie producer McG and Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath are partners in the new venture, which, given the food and décor, should be around for a long time.

With a consortium of 17 people you wouldn’t think any consensus would ever get reached pertaining to the restaurant, but they have managed to put together a restaurant that is both stylish and serviceable.

The restaurant began with Liza and Tim Goodell, who have had several successful places in Southern California, including Red Pearl Kitchen, 25 Degrees and Dakota. Though the Goodells are no longer associated with the restaurant, they did build the foundation for A Restaurant’s success.

They brought down chef Vartan Abgaryan, who was at the Los Angeles Red Pearl, to run the kitchen. Abgaryan, one of Orange County’s brightest chefs, has transformed the menu from heavier dishes to a menu that is best described as classic American.

“We figured that people wanted simple food,” Abgaryan said. “They want light food. We have a minimal amount of ingredients, but all the food has at least three or four components.”

The little touches impressed me the most. Like the Caesar salad: The capers were fried before being put in with the romaine lettuce and the Parmesan slices and though it is not a big innovation, it was a nice twist to an ordinary salad.

This philosophy was also evident in the fish and chips he serves for lunch. Instead of the heavy beer batter, Abgaryan uses a tempura batter. Then he uses a much better fish, opting for halibut instead of the traditional cod. With the tartar sauce he used a mixture of malt vinegar, mayonnaise, capers and cardamom.

What comes out is a fish that is so light the batter doesn’t dominate the fish. It was the best fish and chips I have ever had.

Abgaryan is obsessed with quality and that is why he implements a seasonal menu, changing it four times a year so his ingredients are of the best quality.

I hope he keeps the salmon I had. It is a delicious piece of fish that is seared in a black steel pan that gives it a grilled taste. It comes on a bed of vegetables that include yellow and red peppers and eggplant.

The fish had a nice crust on top and the inside was tender. The butter glaze on the salmon made it slightly decadent.

While Abgaryan has worked on refining the menu, General Manager Barry Pierce has worked on the rest of the operation.

“The restaurant has always had a core group of people that come in,” Pierce said. “We are working on expanding from that. We have a bunch of promotions and ideas we want to implement.”

One of those is a wine and cheese pairing that brings together some great quality wines and fantastic cheeses picked by Shelly Register, who is in charge of the pastries and is the culinary director for A Market next door.

Another idea is guest bartender night.

The restaurant is hoping for local celebrities and stars in the community to work these nights.

Building a clientele always takes time, but it appears the restaurant is well on its way to replacing the icon that was there before it.

A Restaurant

ADDRESS: 3334 W. Coast Hwy.

PHONE: (949) 650-6505

WEBSITE: www.arestaurantnb.com

CUISINE: Classic American

SPECIALTY DISH: John Dory

ALCOHOL SERVED: Full bar

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $12 to $33

FAMILY FRIENDLY: No