Opening of Costa Mesa private dining club nears

They are only a few weeks from the December opening of a private dining club, The Guild, and adjacent modern diner, Restaurant Marin, at the tony South Coast Collection in Costa Mesa.

The space is still a construction site — one of concrete floors and metal framing — and the couple is still running their bustling, award-winning restaurant, ARC, next door.

Nevertheless, chef Noah von Blom and his wife, Marin Howarth von Blom, the managing partner, seem unflappable.

“The idea is to be like dining at someone’s swanky house,” Noah said of the new concept. “It’s supposed to ostentatious, not pretentious, but theatrical.”

Restaurant Marin, a modern-day seafood diner, will serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert from morning to midnight. There will be homemade sodas and fresh, seasonal, craft juice blends.

The 30-seat space will be designed with vintage windows, marble tables, dark-blue leather booths and Gilded Age accents. Marin’s first name was chosen for its seafaring references.

Though Restaurant Marin will be open to all, guests who walk down the hallway will be stopped before reaching a private door. That’s the entry to The Guild, which is members-only. Non-members can make a reservation, but they will have to call a month in advance to book space on the waiting list.

The Guild, described by Noah as a fine-dining experience in the style of an original gentleman’s club or Winston Churchill’s den, will be replete with classic butler service until 2 a.m. daily.

The host will also serve the drinks and dinner, as in a private home. European beers, a crafted wine list and cocktails focusing on classics made from scratch are planned.

Members can sit at card tables or sip a brandy in dark-green, $2,000 wingback chairs custom-made in North Carolina. The patio faces the plaza’s atrium but iron gates will provide privacy.

The 1,000-square-foot space aims to offer a theatrical glimpse into late 19th century fine dining. The dress code does not permit flip-flops, and tank-tops are discouraged.

Six memberships are available at $15,000. An annual $1,000 fee will entitle members to ownership of a table, name on the table and access to reserve the table.

The ambience was conceived when the husband-wife duo, who own DirtySexyHappiness Hospitality Group, talked about creating a gathering space for the urban elite.

After founding

Arc in 2013, they decided to expand with two more-intimate restaurants so guests could find a different experience than at ARC, which serves contemporary American dishes.

“I have always loved working in hospitality and making food come with style,” said Noah, who grew up in Newport Beach and has appeared on the Food Network’s “Chopped.”

Noah started working at age 14 for Hans Pager at The Ritz in Newport Beach. He trained at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and, after completing his education, worked at Daniel, a New York French restaurant with two Michelin stars.

During his training years, Noah gradually grew disenchanted with the industry’s focus on technological advances.

“It got so modern, and I had to retreat from it,” he said. “I didn’t get into food to be a chemist. I got into to simply make and serve food.”

He decided to return to basics. Indeed, ARC heats its fare in a wood-burning oven.

“I think the industry has to progress and change,” he said. “We lost the idea of hospitality that is so essential in a restaurant. There has to be a grace with the service, and everybody wants to feel comfortable.”

The Guild will not have a tasting or prix fixe menu. Shrimp cocktail, fillets, Waldorf salad and a club sandwich are among the planned offerings.

Remember the disenchantment with technology’s influence on the industry? That’s at play in the service as well.

“I love the restaurant business because it’s the last human interaction,” Marin said. “We want to give a good experience and by setting a different theme, it can make it really special,” Noah said.

The three restaurants are at South Coast Collection, 3321 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa.

For more information, visit restaurantmarin.com or theguildclub.com