Lark Creek Newport Beach

Walked to dinner with the BF and enjoyed #LarkCreek for the first time. We intended to dine at Fleming’s, but I’m happy that we tried a new place. Lark Creek is located at the old DG location. Its HH menu looks yummy as well. Deviled eggs, flat iron steak with double broccolini, and shrimp Louie were fabulous choices. Try the Bangarang: tangerine juice, lime, agave extract, nectar, muddled basil, and soda water.

What more can I say than $ 1 oysters during HH! I found my new go to spot for oysters. I always end up getting 16 ounce Hanger 24 Beer for 3 bucks a dozen oysters and their calamari. The other items on their HH menu isn’t all so great. There deviled eggs and tacos are over price for the amount you get. The ceviche goes really well with a beer.
Only giving 4 stars because I wasn’t a big fan of their dinner when I went for Newport Restaurant week. DIdn’t feel like the food was worth 50 bucks, but definitely go for their HH.

Both the Italian seafood soup and lobster spaghetti came in generous portion! Next time I might just share one dish with my hubby. The seafood soup was decadent and delicious. The lobster spaghetti, on the other hand, lacked flavor. We ordered the espresso crème brûlée as recommended by our server. It came in a cup and its texture was more like a mousse. My hubby enjoyed it but i found it a tad too sweet to my liking. I demolished it nonetheless though (I dont like to waste)
Ambience: Dim and there was a TV at the bar

Patio dinner on Valentine’s Day. Concept– Cali farm to table restaurant. Needs more originality in the menu and in execution.
Loved sitting on the patio. Oysters on the half shell were excellent. The artisan table bread was fresh and crusty. Ahi poke appetizer fresh and tasty. Service was good.
Rib eye and filet mignon, both were lackluster in presentation and cut but overall the flavor was okay. Cioppino needed more tomato broth/​sauce, I couldn’t find it because there was so little at the bottom of the bowl! The crab was very good though, fresh large chunks. The shrimp was plentiful but not much flavor. Clams and mussels tiny. And I couldn’t find a single scallop.
The bad — the Kennebec Fries were awful! Hard dried out fries that have been sitting under the heating lamp. Truffle Romano potatoes were just as bad, over cooked and super dry! Brussel sprouts were over cooked too — charred too much!

The food and cocktails are delightful, the ambience is classy and comfortable, and the manager, Kyle, is extremely friendly and good looking.

My Husband and had lunch here for the first time. Our waiter was Laurent, a very knowledgeable and charismatic French gentlemen. He made some great suggestions before we ordered. We started with Butternut Squash Soup, w/​sage custard. It was velvety and delicious. I ordered the Cowboy Burger, and it was done to medium rare perfection. It had a delicious caramelized char on the burger, and the meat was great quality. Fries cooked crispy and not greasy.
My husband ordered the Petaluma Farm Chicken Sandwich, with Burrata, hothouse tomato and herb aioli, accompanied with a julienned zucchini salad. He too enjoyed his sandwich. He did have one complaint, and that was that there could’ve been a tad more herb aioli.
I wished that we had both had room to share a dessert, but we were both full. Otherwise, I would’ve loved to try the Espresso Crème Brûlée.
THE SERVICE WAS EXCELLANT! I look forward to returning for dinner soon.

Lark Creek brings another farm to table/​locally sourced concept to Newport Beach with downright remarkable service.
Lark Creek hails from Marin County but looking at the façade and interior you would never know it. Highly polished, immaculate silverware juts out between the white linen tablecloths along with the wood and stone décor. One would think this has been a coastal OC stawart, not a relative new comer to Fashion Island by looks alone… It just seems to fit in with that South County vibe.
Our server was Trevor, a bartender I first met (and was very impressed with) at SideDoor last summer. He picked up off right where he left off; Genuine, kind and the epitome of professionalism in table and bar service. It is important to mention that Trevor held the table down like a field general throughout the meal, it is rare I recall a servers name.
What about the cuisine?
Okay, to be brutally honest, the menu bored me. It isn’t that it was abbreviated, all over the place or not diverse enough. It just didn’t have any «POP» factor to it, so I went to my old standby and at Lark Creek that would be their «Hand Pressed Natural Burger». This Burger consists of a thick wood fire grilled patty topped with cheddar, lettuce, a large tomato slice, pickle chips (on the side) and caramelized onion between a pillowy and airy seed topped bun.
She looks sexy.
She tastes sexy too, but there were issues to be addressed. The grind was tight and the patty cooked to medium rare perfection but the onions needed a bit more time on the range as they started unraveling the lot of it bite for bite (too stringy), so I was forced to jettison them for the greater good of the Burger. The Tomato Slice also threatened the harmony (this time it was the skin being fussy), so that also got the heave-​ho. Once I dumped the rogue ingredients and ate the balance open faced, all was well. Quite well even. One of the better seasoned patties I have had in a while. The Fries served purpose, not much more to report there, folks.
Lark Creek has some serious service clout, in that there is no doubt. The quality of the ingredients are also superlative. The Menu isn’t inspiring (at least to me) and the Burger was a borderline mediocre affair for the price point. I think that is a justified 3 stars and warrants a revisit in the future.
Thanks for reading!

I enjoyed a nice lunch here with coworkers. I had the Bbq Chicken Tamale Pancake with avocado salsa, tortilla strips. This was a great hearty dish. I think I ate only half. The tamale pancake had a beautiful and rich corn taste to it the chicken was stacked on top with a delectable BBQ sauce and a dollop of avocado salsa on top of the chicken all topped off with the tortilla strips. It was a tower of deliciousness.
As an appetizer we had the Crispy Calamari with grilled tomato marinara this was good. And for drinks I had a few of the Moscow Mule. Delish!
We shared two desserts: the Signature Butterscotch Pudding with chantilly cream, wedding cookie and the Creame Brulee Duo of vanilla & chocolate, chocolate shortbread. Both of these were great. Very rich though. Would come back again and try some of their other dishes but next time maybe go for dinner where menu selection seems greater and more varied.

Ok. Just ok. Looking at the dinner menu, there weren’t many choices unless you want a full on steak dinner. Not many salad choices, a must at Fashion Island! I decided on ordering a bunch of sides. The ahi poke was amazing! The calamari, ok, but I didn’t love the marinara dipping sauce. The brussel sprouts were pretty good. I did not like the chickpea fries… at all. For dessert, I ordered the butterscotch pudding, which came with a Mexican wedding cookie. Super good! Server was really nice and brought us extra when we said how delicious they were. It’s an ok place for dinner, but can’t really see myself coming again soon.

Everything that was ordered at our table was delicious! (Cowboy Burger, BBQ Chicken Tamale Pancake, Petaluma Farm Chicken Sandwich, Cioppino and Fish of the Day). Great lunch menu… there’s something to satisfy all taste buds!

12.12.14 — Dinner
Booked a reservation thru OpenTable a couple nights before and wondered why they had so many open spots… After having dinner, I realize why…
Promptly sat for a 645pm reservation. There was a Holiday party in the back. Without them, the place would have been over half empty. Waiter was nice, but not the best. They were out of the initial beer we wanted, so went with alternate. I ordered a half bottle of wine.
When drinks came, he brought the beer and one glass of wine. Bread was on the table, and tried to use the salt and pepper for my butter… both were out!
When he came back and I asked him about the wine order, he apologized and brought a second glass, on the house.
We ordered the whole cauliflower, butternut squash soup, & Ribeye steak. I wanted Filet, but they were out of that, too! How are you out of Filet, on a Friday night, at Fashion Island, especially being in Newport Beach??? When the waiter brought the second glass of wine back, he just wanted to make sure I wanted my burger done MR. I said no, I ordered the Ribeye…
Anyhow, the sides/​soup were the only good things. The steak was overdone and chewy, as I had ordered MR, but it came out M-​MW. Told the waiter, he took it off check.
I cannot see how this place will last much longer. I never complain about my food, but this place does not belong in Fashion Island. The quality of food I experienced, can be likened to a TGIFridays.
I’m sorry, Lark Creek. I’m just just keeping it real. After Lark Creek, went over to have a drink at R&D, and the couple next to us, their first words about Lark Creek: «not good.» It might be a great place to have a drink and a small plate in the bar, but full-​on dinner is not a good idea.

My girls and I went here during happy hour for appetizers and drinks. We sat in the lounge area next to the fireplace. It was very cozy, lights above us and pillows on the seat behind us. $ 1 OYSTERS $ 3 beers and $ 5 glasses of wine!!! The oysters are different every day (which I’m excited about) because I love trying different oysters from around the country. Overall a good experience there.
Happy Hour from 3−6pm.

Lark Creek’s manager, Chad, invited my boyfriend and me back after my previous lukewarm experience at the restaurant, which was unexpected and appreciated. The mark of a good manager, one who keeps close tabs on his social media reputation.
From minute one the service experience was completely different. We were greeted promptly by a hostess upon entering the restaurant and once seated, Chad greeted us and brought us our first round of drinks.
On his suggestion we ordered their famed roasted cauliflower appetizer from our server — I feel awful I can’t remember his name because he went out of his way to make sure everything was perfect.
The cauliflower was just okay. It came with three different sauces (tahini, harissa and an olive tapenade), which we agreed were good, but none seemed to add creaminess to the stark, roasted vegetable.
Our waiter promptly brought us a couple different aiolis to try with it, which we liked better. Maybe that’s the Midwest-​girl in me I wanted to make it a little less healthy, lol.
Chad brought out another of their signature appetizers the BBQ Chicken Tamale Pancake, which we both agreed was delicious. Completely outshines the cauliflower if you’re shopping the menu for a starter.
Boyfriend, who had enjoyed his ribeye on our previous visit, ordered it again. He wasn’t as pleased with it this time around as it was more well done than ordered.
I ordered their seasonal fish (Mahi on this evening) over heirloom tomato coulis. The fish portion was bigger than my salmon last time and was cooked well, however I wanted the heirloom coulis to be more dynamic somehow.
Perhaps I’m looking for something out of Lark Creek that they’re just not? Cream, butter, salt, fat!
Either way, I truly appreciate the effort to have us back in to provide a different experience. I have respect for any restaurant that goes the extra mile to provide seasonal food on an ever changing menu.

I had higher expectations for this place but oh well.
I had the truffle burger (protein style), it was good but not great. The fries that came with it were blah.
Deviled Eggs I thought was okay. The whole roasted cauliflower was interesting but I was just hungry.
The desserts were pretty good. The butter scotch pudding was delicious, like a airy pot de crème.
I should have ordered the ahi plate or a ceviche.

Came here last night for dinner with some of our friends we haven’t seen in a long time. They brought along their 1 yr old and the restaurant was pretty accommodating.
The inside décor was pretty simple and modern with a dark oak tone color throughout the restaurant. It definitely was not busy on a weekday evening and I would say it was only about 50% full at the peak hours. Despite it not being busy, the server took a long time in taking our drink orders and I noticed we waited almost 10 minutes for our drinks with no updates. Other than the lag, service was decent but nothing to write home about.
As far as the food, I think the best tasting dish of the night was actually an appetizer that we ordered — the deviled eggs. It was very tasty and it had a slight kick to it which was very delicious. For my main entrée, I ordered the halibut which was pretty underwhelming at a steep $ 30. The fish was overcooked and the greens were very chewy and inedible. The sides I ordered were so so as well — the whipped potatoes and broccolini. However, the butterscotch pudding was very good but who messes up on that kind of dessert?!
This place lives up to its overall 3.5 star rating and I probably won’t be coming back here again unless it’s for HH which seems like its a better deal.

I was here for a business event which was held in the reserve room in the back.
Service was very attentive. I was immediately asked what I wanted to drink. I chose a light-​bodied Pinot Noir which wasn’t bad. They kept asking if I wanted a refill, which I had to decline under the circumstances. Bread basket was fresh and tasty.
I had never had anything like the Delta Asparagus Soup before. They first ladle out the truffle cream with the pistachios into your bowl, then they pour the soup in. It wound up being creamy and smooth but with a thin consistency. Try it if you like asparagus.
The Wild Alaskan Halibut was cooked just right, and the English pea pesto complimented it rather nicely. Recommended.
Dessert was a brownie served piping hot [warning!] out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I don’t know how some of the other diners didn’t finish it. Really good!
If I had any complaint, it would be that it was very noisy right outside of the room, and there was no door that we could close. I sat near the back and, at times, it was difficult to hear the speakers.
I may return someday for the happy hour (if I can get there by 6 pm). They have a good selection of draft and bottled beers for only $ 4, and they have some larger bottles (I’m assuming 750 ml?) for $ 10. The happy hour also features tapas-​sized dishes, a beef burger, and a vegan burger that from the ingredients list looks like it would be homemade. Oh, almost forgot the interesting cocktails list.
The dinner menu is quite pricey, and I considered docking them a star because of it, but that would have been wrong of me. Besides, I didn’t pay!
Tip: The restaurant is right next to the parking garage. For those who remember, this location used to be The Daily Grill.

My parents wanted to try the new restaurant at Fashion Island so we all came here for dinner on a Saturday evening. Lark Creek prides itself on using the freshest ingredients and supporting organic small family farms whenever possible. We had reservations but came a little early. The hostess was super friendly tho and had us wait for a few minutes in the patio area as they got our table ready. This would be a great place to grab happy hour and some drinks. The patio area was beautiful and had comfy couch-​like chairs that made it look like the perfect place to chill with friends or a date.
My parents ordered a bottle of wine that they loved, and I got a Moscow Mule that was delicious and refreshing. The drinks were served with some amazing, warm bread and butter. The service was top notch. Our water glasses were never empty and our waiter always asked for our opinions on the food. Even the manager came to check up on us and ask our thoughts about the restaurant.
I ordered the Truffle burger and we all LOVED it! My parents each took a bite and both wanted more haha. It was cooked perfectly and melt in your mouth good. Probably the BEST burger I’ve ever had!
My mother ordered the Saturday night special of whole roasted suckling pig with mac and cheese. It’s not a whole pig but you get a mound of juicy roasted pork with crispy skin. It was so succulent with the perfect amount of crisp in the skin! The mac and cheese was made with orzo pasta and asparagus. Delicious and one of the best mac and cheese I’ve tasted!
My stepfather had the garganelli pasta and definitely enjoyed it! I didn’t get to try this one but he inhaled it so obviously it was good. We all were so happy and satisfied with our meals. When the dessert menu came, there were so many options that looked delicious but we just couldn’t make any more room in our full stomachs.
Needless to say, we will definitely be back!

Lark Creek created quite a bit of buzz when it was announced that a restaurant would indeed be joining the property at Fashion Island. I was really interested because I love most things from NorCal, especially if it is food related. The restaurant prides itself from sourcing local ingredients that are seasonal and sustainable. I persuaded my friend Grace C. to eat here before our venture to the Newport Film Festival screening of Beside Still Waters. We had reservations that are easily obtained on Open Table. The service was top notch. Our water glasses did not go empty once. I ordered the Newport Breeze which was strawberry, cucumber and mint, while Grace had the ginger ale. The drinks were served promptly along with warm bread with butter.
I tried the Saturday night special of whole roasted suckling pig with mac and cheese. No, they don’t give you a whole pig. It’s roasted whole and then pulled. You get a mound of juicy pork topped with crispy skin. YUM! It’s so easy to dry out pork and this was quite juicy and succulent. The skin was nice and crispy. The mac and cheese was made with orzo pasta with slightly tender asparagus mixed in. It was the perfect marriage of cheese, pasta, and vegetable. I loved it. Grace gravitated towards the chicken tamale pancake which was also a hit. The tamale pancake was made with masa and the flavor was spot on. The chicken was tender and the dish was fantastic. We debated on having dessert but ended up going elsewhere. Next time, I’ll try a dessert. Bravo, Chef Ledbetter!

I was looking for a new restaurant to try in Newport Beach and thought I couldn’t go wrong with a selection at Fashion Island. Decided to go with Lark Creek and placed my reservation through Open Table. Apparently, there was a mixer event the same night and it looked like a packed house, but luckily it was just on the patio. There were open tables inside so it could have been fine without a reservation on a Thursday, but doesn’t hurt to have one, right?
Our server Tatiana was a total pleasure to dine with. We came in with a group of 3 and got started on drinks. Thirsty Thursday! Not really, but it ended up that way by night’s end. We started off with the Unfashionable and the Boulevardier. Both are great choices by the way. So great that I had a second Unfashionable! The cherry garnishes were a bit unique, as if they were charred or torched. They had a smoky flavor to them and I was on the fence about them.
For starters, we went with a dozen of the Miyagi oysters and the Rockfish Ceviche. I found the oysters to be rather small and of mediocre quality. About half of them seemed like scraps of oyster, but at least they tasted fine. It was the first time one of my friends was having oysters, so I had hoped it would be better, but she didn’t have any complaints so they were okay.
The ceviche was quite tasty! The plantain chips… I don’t know… it seemed like they were straight from a store bought bag of banana chips. Didn’t really give me that wow effect I was hoping for.
For entrees, our table got the Flat Iron Steak, Lamb Shank and Citrus Brined Pork Chop. I can’t speak on behalf of the first two, but both friends cleaned their plates. However, the pork chop was phenomenal. So moist and flavorful. I loved the jicama salad on the side and the sweet potato purée was a nice touch. The portion was rather filling and I had to take some home, but it could have been because I filled up on the appetizers.
And since they were running a special for the month of March, half off on wine bottles, we decided to split a Pinot Rose. I know, we went a little cray on a Thursday.
This was already so much food, but we felt like we couldn’t leave without dessert. We decided to split the signature butterscotch pudding and it was the best decision ever! So silky, light and not overwhelmingly sweet, we left on a sweet note. Would love to come back and try the bread pudding, other specialty cocktails and nightly classics!

3.5 stars.
Came here with my mom today for lunch and had an overall positive experience, although I’m not sure the food was good enough to draw me back.
FOOD:
** I ordered the mahi mahi ($ 19), which came on a bed of garbanzo beans, olives, cauliflower, golden raisins, and more. Not sure if it was worth the $ 19, but it was still good. The mahi mahi came out hot and moist, and although it was on the blander side, it went nicely with the very flavorful medley of ingredients underneath.
** Tried my mom’s kale and quinoa salad… Meh. Not much to say. Rather boring. But she enjoyed it (she’s been here before and this was her second time ordering the salad)
** Shared a bowl of roasted fall squash soup. It was really fun to watch them serve this — they bring out the bowl with dry ingredients and then pour the soup at your table. The flavors were subtle but good — however, wouldn’t order again.
** Complementary bread at the beginning was great. The sourdough was delicious and super soft. Also very fast to bring out more if you finish.
SERVICE:
**Great but spotty. When we first got to the restaurant, we were left outside for a while because the hostess was somewhere inside. Our waiter was fantastic when he was tending to us, but once the restaurant got busy, he stopped by a lot less and we had to wait a long time before we could get our check.