Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/689634
6 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t The restaurant's "anything goes" philosophy is on full display with the hors d'oeuvres and lagniappes: You can choose between a plate of Cheez-It crackers or top-quality ahi poke; sea-salted caramels or chocolate fondue; blue celery and walnuts or bread and butter pudding. "It's been fun putting this menu together," Bearden admits. "We thought a lot about the foods we crave at different times and when we're in different moods, and then we put them on the menu." Aiming for a Thousand Gregory was approached in late 2013 by a group of Japanese investors who want- ed to introduce a new concept to American dining. At the time, he was Corporate Director of Food and Beverage for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, overseeing 1,200 bars and restaurants in 465 hotels and resorts around the world. Gregory was granted almost complete control over the cuisine and bar. "They wanted a steak on the menu and a burger, and they wanted the first Saint Marc to be located in Orange County. Those were the only three directives," he recalls. The risks are huge for Gregory's team and the investors. If the unproven concept works, you'll be seeing it all over the country. "They eventually want to open 1,000 locations across the U.S.," Gregory explains. "They decided to gamble. Either go big or get smacked in the chops." Gregory was also given free rein to choose his executive team, and he went with what he knew would work best: experienced managers and creative talent from some of the nation's most prominent restaurants and the hotel/resort world. Bearden's involvement sets the bar for the quality talent Saint Marc is attracting: He started at Carmine's in New York then went to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where he was Assistant Director of Beverages and Master Mixologist. "I have tremendous entrepreneurial spirit," says Bearden. "I worked at the Grand when MGM was re-inventing itself, so I had a big hand in delivering the new model. That's why this idea was irresistible to me." Bearden has brought offbeat class and some popular cocktails to the bar at Saint Marc. You'll find classics such as the Margarita, Daiquiri and Bloody Mary, made with the finest-quality ingredients and spirits, but usually served frat party style in a Solo cup (Bearden assured me they've figured out a way to make sugar and salt stick to the plastic rims). A glass of wine, on the other hand, gets the royal treatment: Riedel stemware. You'll find more than 32 canned beer choices, many of them from respected craft breweries. The round bar encourages camara- derie and people-watching—two of the most important reasons bars exist in the first place. Underneath the laid-back surface, smart high-tech details are everywhere in the restaurant. You can recharge your smart phone via electric outlet or USB cable from the bar stools. And you can order everything electronically. An iPad at each table lays out menu items in detail. You choose a selection whenever the Culinarian Tony Benson packages up sizzling bacon in the open, guest-facing kitchen.