Stripped down
Darkroom (Santa Ana)
RESTAURANTS • First Person
The best restaurant in Orange County opened almost three years ago in an unassuming strip mall. Vinyl records and colorful multimedia art line dark walls, and high ceilings with skylights allow the lights to dim as the sun sets. It’s the work of chefs Zach Scherer and Drew Adams, homegrown Southern California talents who continue marching to the beat of their own drum at Darkroom, inspired by a bounty of world-class local ingredients to add new dishes to the menu weekly.
On a recent visit, a charred cabbage salad camouflaged as popcorn with sesame and furikake seasoning was everyone’s favorite dish of the night. I never thought I’d be eating salad with a spoon, never mind fighting over the last spoonful, but prepare for the unexpected here. That includes a deceptively simple smoked yogurt semifreddo with bright strawberry granita and pandan magic shell, an alt-rock reinvention of demure strawberries and cream.
Scherer has a penchant for sprouted buckwheat as a garnish, and it especially shines as a crunchy layer atop meaty smoked and confit maitake mushrooms, accented with bright “kind of chimichurri” (as described on the menu).
The team’s next project is Three Eyed Tiger at The LAB Anti-Mall in nearby Costa Mesa for more cocktail magic, slated to open in October. And at Chrysalis next door, Scherer and Adams are serving a tasting menu as delicious and original as anything you’ll find in Los Angeles. –Amber Gibson
→ Darkroom (Santa Ana) • 3751 S Harbor Blvd, suite C • Tue-Sat 5-10p • Reserve.