Zach Scherer, co-chef and co-founder at Darkroom and Chrysalis in Santa Ana, has a lot on his plate.
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The noted chef is preparing to open four new concepts in Orange County, including an Italian restaurant in Irvine, an Orange County-inspired eatery and bar in Costa Mesa and two spots headed to OCVibe in Anaheim.
First up is Three Eye Tiger, which Scherer said he hopes to open in early December or at least before year’s end, coming to The LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa.
While the restaurant was initially conceived as a Southeast Asian concept, Scherer said it evolved into something more personal: an “Orange County heritage restaurant and bar” built around the region’s food, art, music and assorted subcultures.
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“We have a bunch of music, like Avenged Sevenfold and Offspring, we have an awesome lowrider culture, surf culture,” he said. “These things that you don’t necessarily automatically associate with Orange County.”
The fare will follow suit with what Scherer described as a diverse, multicultural menu paired with a serious cocktail program. The goal, he noted, is to reflect the county as it actually exists rather than the more limited version outsiders sometimes imagine.
“We’re not just seafood restaurants by the ocean,” he said. “We’re a lot more than that.”
Scherer is also taking over the former Monaco space at Eighteen Main in Irvine for Tifosi, an Italian concept centered on comfort food with a California point of view. He said the name refers to “passionate fans” in Italian, a nod to the relationship he wants the restaurant to have with its customers.
“We understand that the guests are a big part of what we do,” he said. “We want to make food we’re a fan of and have people that are fans of us hanging out.”
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Rather than hew to one narrow version of Italian fare, Tisofi will pull from several, from red-sauce joints to authentic Italian cuisine.
“You have Italian Italian, you have New York Italian and then you have whatever else,” said Scherer. “We want to be a homage to true Italian, have some New York Italian comfort that we love, and then put our very California perspective on the food as well.”
Expect New York-style pizza, including slices during lunch along with rotating lunch and dinner offerings. An opening date has not yet been announced.
Meanwhile, Scherer has two more concepts planned for OCVibe in Anaheim: OC Pizza Cult and Wonder Fowl.
OC Pizza Cult will operate as a slice shop during peak hours, with whole pies available during slower periods.
And Wonder Fowl, a play on “wonderful,” will revolve around fried chicken inspired by preparations from around the globe. Sandwiches will be named for countries, cultures or regions, with toppings and flavors to match. For example, an Italian version will riff on chicken parmesan and vodka sauce, while a Thai-inspired sandwich will feature chicken with fish sauce-lemongrass glaze and green papaya salad.
The projects fall under Scher LLC, Scherer’s restaurant group, its name taken from his surname minus the final “er” and pronounced “share.” The name also fits his larger ambition for his projects, which is to get Orange County’s restaurant community to think highly of itself and not second fiddle to our metropolises to the north and south.
“I just want us to take ourselves seriously, too,” he said. “We have some really cool produce, talent and heritage here.”
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