Darkroom•Santa Ana, CA

Peter Neptune & DARKROOM - French Boutique Wines

7:00pm Thursday, October 24th "a destination-worthy restaurant"Brock Keeling, OC Register“Nobody else in Orange County is cooking like this.”Brad Johnson, OC Register When you talk about the history of wine in Orange County, there is one name that stands at the very top: Peter Neptune. Peter is a Master Sommelier and has trained more local sommeliers than anyone in the county. His knowledge of global wines is unmatched and he is equally peerless in his passion for introducing us to them. We are thrilled to launch the first of a series of dinners with him.Peter has chosen a selection from our small production wineries from around France (Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Beaujolais). At darkroom, we’ve focused on smaller, family owned wineries because we feel that the attention and care they give to the wines results in wines of much higher quality.The MenuGrilled Eggplant, Raw Tuna, "Tonnato", Juniper Oil, Lemon Guy Larmandier Vertus 1er Cru Rose ChampagnePoached Cod, "Chowder" of Sansho & Smoked Trout RoeChateau de la Grefiere Macon La Roche-Vineuse VVVenison Tartare, Salted Summer Berries, Fermented Jimmy Nardello, Umami CrispsDomaine du Vissoux Pierreux Brouilly 2022Slow Roasted & Smoked Duck, Amaro Jus, ChanterelleBelregard-Figeac Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, 2017Whipped Dark Chocolate, Salted Chocolate Crunch, Angostura & Orange Jellies, Creme FraicheMuse Maury L'Archiviste 1979

Our First Wine Dinner! Five “Neoclassical” American Wines 96-98 Points

We don’t call darkroom a wine bar for nothing. Over the past several years, our team has tasted hundreds of the best wines on the market to create a list that has wines that are interesting, adventurous and critically regarded. We’ve also gone a bit farther afield than most wine bars to find wines that are excellent values. Our first wine dinner will be five courses featuring 5 of our favorite wines (all scoring 96 points and above) for $165 (plus tax and tip).One of the main themes of our list is what we call Neoclassical American wines. These wines represent a return to the traditional, Old World techniques of winemaking. Moderate use of oak. Lower alcohol. Balance. For this first darkroom wine dinner, we have selected 5 wines from our list, made from 5 different grapes and all produced in the US in the Neoclassical style. We are thrilled to be able to offer a special dinner event featuring these wines. Drew and I have created a menu designed to pair with each wine that we are serving. Hamachi, Fermented Habanada Ice, Roasted Pluot Pit OilPaul Lato “Done & Done” Chardonnay, Talley Rincon Vyd. AGV 2021 97 pointsYellowtail Au PoivreA Tribute to Grace Grenache Hofer Vineyard 2022 98 pointsVenison Tartare, Fermented Jimmy Nardello, Smoked Onion, Nori Cracker Sequitur Pinot Noir, Estate, ‘Woodstock,’ 2019 96 pointsDry aged NY, Hojicha & Nori Potato, Amaro SauceBig Basin Vineyards Syrah, Coastview Vineyard ‘Terraces’, Gabilan Mountains 2018 96 pointsDark Chocolate, Roasted Banana & Allspice Mousse, Caviar, Gramercy Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 96 points

Blind Rabbit + Darkroom - Dead Mans Party Oct 31

A night of ghouls, and collaboration. Inspired by Oingo Boingo's 80s hit, dead man's party, we will be hosting a flashback night to remember.Jordan Fernandez, the mind behind the excellent cocktails at Blind Rabbit, joins us for a Halloween takeover, bringing his unique spin and skills to our vermouth and low abv cocktail program. All cocktails will be unique and offered this night only!In conjunction to these awesome cocktails Drew & Zach will be offering a menu full of 80s finger food classics, including chili crab devilled eggs and lobster stuffed mushrooms.Tickets are $85 per person + tax and tip. This gets you two drink tickets and a platter of 8 unique, high end finger foods per person.Event will start 6pm 10/31 and will run until 10pm. Tickets are redeemable any time between then. This event is 21+, please contact us if you have any questions at contact@wearedarkroom.com if you have any questions.

Chrysalis

“Nobody else in Orange County is cooking like this.”“This was easily one of my favorite meals of the past year.”OC Register's Award Winning Food Critic, Brad JohnsonChrysalis is our name for a 10 course price fixed meal located within darkroom and created by our team at darkroom led by Zachary Scherr and Drew Adams. The experience is designed to be similar to the price fixed meals served at the top restaurants in the world.Each course in our 10 course menu is plated in the dining room, and Drew or I will discuss every dish, the inspiration behind each concept, the ingredients and preparation. We have also selected specific artisanal wines to go with each course and will present and give background on each wine and the rationale for the pairing.Our goal with Chrysalis is to do whatever it takes to create one of the best dining experiences in the United States. While our food will, as always, incorporate local and seasonal produce from the top farms in Southern California, Chrysalis will include luxury ingredients including lobster, sashimi grade fish and wagyu beef. Tickets are $215 for a 10 course meal, a wine pairing selected by the chef to go with the food is an additional $85 per person.If you have dietary restrictions, concerns or allergies please reach out to contact@wearedarkroom.com .Zach SchererDrew Adams

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