Darkroom Exposes the Negative Space in OC Dining

DARKROOM – photo by Greg Nagel

As a teenage camera nerd, I grew up in darkrooms. Nothing was cooler than hanging out with old-school stinky chemicals, a red light, and a budget enlarger and then coming out with crazy experimental art photos. My love for all things analog lives on to this day, where there’s tangible romance behind drinking a local beer while listening to a crackly vinyl record you bought when you were thirteen.

Walking into Darkoom, Santa Ana’s newest restaurant that opens September 12th, many of those same vibes came rushing back.

Darkroom’s chef partner Drew Adams and executive chef/owner Zack Sherer – photo by Greg Nagel

“It was just a code name for a while, and it just stuck,” notes executive chef/owner Zach Sherer, talking about the restaurant’s name “Darkroom.” The space quickly gives off Euro-Brooklyn vibes, having dined at places in Williamsburg or Copenhagen, where records are spinning next to a small lounge, and the bar is serving up obscure wines, vermouths, and bitter liqueurs some of which are mixed into stunning lower-ABV vin-tails.

Inner thought: It’s all quite cozy and shocking at the same time…it’s nice to step into a place and not feel like you’re in another try-hard OC spot where everything has an egg on it and the menu feels like an adult kid’s menu. Did I say that out loud?

Journeyman chef Drew Adams, who worked with Zack at Bello in Newport, joins in the Darkroom fun, adding his own personal artwork to the walls and the plates. “We’re bringing a new concept to Orange County: everyday fine dining…with a side of vinyl,” says Drew.

As their Numark CC-1 record needle drops on a neon-yellow record, a trout drops and sizzles on the grill and later plated with farm-fresh cucumber, chowder, and lovage oil, which adds a slight celery note and is super good for digestion. Am I in Denmark by the Øresund? Everything is so delicate, fermented, textured, and thought out. I don’t even miss that there’s no burger on the menu.

I’m totally in for whatever this everyday fine dining schtick is.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love going to fine dining restaurants – I’m a chef, I love to eat that kind of food,” said Chef Zach. “The problem is that I don’t always want to sit in a formal setting and have to whisper to my wife all night.”

DARK CHOCOLATE, maple, soy, caviar. I’m not sure how chocolate works with caviar, but it does. Photo – Greg Nagel

The menu is broken down into shareable small plates and large dinner items. Since Darkroom is considered a wine bar, the wine list features small-production artisanal wines and a few local beers from Everywhere Beer Co. and Radiant in nearby Orange County. “We’re basically trying to do with the wine what we’re trying to do with the food,” said Chef Drew. “We want to feature incredibly talented artisanal winemakers and brewers who are just as committed to their work as we are to making great food,” he continued.

No.5 sbagliato, negroni insorti, prosecco. Photo by Greg Nagel

“Music is an incredibly important part of my life,” said Scherer. “I wanted to have a large collection of vinyl and to have incredibly cool music playing. We’ve got a terrific sound system, with two turntables and will have a live DJ on weekends.” On my visit, the playlist swayed from Run the Jewels to crunchy metal to the Stones, and everything in between.

photo by Greg Nagel

“We’re really lucky to live in one of the most abundantly diverse states. Our farmer’s markets have any produce you could ask for from a season, and that is truly special. Being a Californian chef is being able to celebrate those things, but understanding when they are best. It is our job to turn those jewels of bounty into something truly memorable,” Scherer says

Darkroom opens September 12th. Sort of by IKEA/Observatory. // wearedarkroom.com