Restaurant Marin, an extension of Arc Restaurant next door, same owner, same chef. However the creative side of the menu is a bit different as well as the atmosphere. Restaurant Marin is very bright, chic, and fresh. They offer breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert all day, seven days a week. Diner food with a new American modern twist to your typical fried chicken, or hash; here they dress is up with even lobster.

We opted to sit on the patio as I brought my dog with me, they had a few tables outside, cute little blue booths. Sadly it did start to drizzle while we were there, my friend got a little wet as I was fine. Service with the host was a bit slow until we were finally seated, and I would note to make reservations cause they do get busy. Today we started off with a biscuit which was accompanied by butter and a mixed berry jam. The biscuit was good, however the texture was more bready, rather than being soft and fluffy, and portion very generous; I love that they make their own jam, but the flavor in my opinion needed a lot of help as it was too subtle, they can take notes from Mesa on this one.

Fries were served with a house made catsup; looks like it was also sprinkled with parsley and shaved pink peppercorns? Not too sure on the topping but a great additive. If the fries were double fried  the crisp texture would’ve held up better, nonetheless very fresh. Mini pot pie was my favorite dish here, very flavorful and generous, the pastry was flakey but still moist, and the filling was very flavorful. Filled with generous amounts of chicken, mushrooms, veggies, and herbs. But no worries if you want more, they also have an entree sized serving. Everything was shared and as our large entree we shared the fried chicken.

The came with a large biscuit topped with their sausage gravy, and a fried egg. The chicken was cooked perfect, not on a bone but breaded and fried. The meat itself was extremely juicy, unfortunately the flavor was lacking. But I felt this with the majority of their dishes just needed some more flavor and salt. This entree could’ve alone fed two people so be aware and I can eat a lot, more than most men I know.

Last but not least we tried just a single blueberry pancake rather than a stack. Keep in mind the portion is extremely small, personally for me if this were a stack of three I could’ve easily had two orders. Served with a warm maple syrup, topped with braised blueberries, and a Chantilly cream. Overall Restaurant Marin has a lot of potential, the restaurant is beautiful, the concept is great, and the staff is very attentive.  I will give their dinner menu a try before I make a full decision on the restaurant. If you have any recommendations please let me know :).
Restaurant – Restaurant Marin
Cuisine – American New, Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Dessert, Diner.
Location – 3321 Hyland Ave, Suite G, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Contact – 949-402-3974