Sean Brock Opens Darling, a Hi-Fi Restaurant and Lounge in California

Sean Brock is headed to the Golden State.

The James Beard Award-winning chef, known for his Southern cuisine, is making his debut on the West Coast with Darling, an homage to California ingredients and live-fire cooking. And, in a fun twist, Brock will also be opening a hi-fi listening lounge alongside the restaurant.

The 90-seat Darling will offer up 12 dishes to its patrons, rotating each month depending on what produce, seafood, and meats are the freshest. Brock and chef de cuisine Ben Norton have an array of dishes to start, from Shigoku oysters on ice with bonny melon juice and borage to red oak grilled bone in strip streak with Swiss chard and black truffle. Other options include citrus wood-grilled Wolfe Ranch quail with huckleberries and nasturtium-avocado purée and venison tartare. Another star in the kitchen is also the custom, hand-forged wood-burning grill.

As for cocktails, bar director Jason Lee will also be shaking up the menu each month, in tune with the food menu. For its kick-off, Darling will serve drinks such as the Bonny Melon, with pisco, strawberry gin, hazelnut-miso orgeat, and bonny melon, and Eggplant, made up of rum, allspice, roasted eggplant, toasted coconut cream, pineapple and lime. The bar will also offer a core menu, featuring classics like a martini, negroni, margarita, and a piña colada.

Of course, that’s not all you can expect at Darling. That hi-fi listening lounge, which seats 45, is also on the table for your enjoyment. Here, vinyl reign supreme, the musical selection dreamed up by a series of DJs rolling; the space includes seven custom loudspeakers, built by DJ MAXV, and Brock’s own massive collection of 45s.

Reservations at Darling up for grabs now, with the restaurant opening its doors on August 31.

Brock has been quite busy as of late. He opened his first pizzeria, Sho Pizza Bar, in Nashville earlier this year, after an extraordinary experience at a Tokyo pizza place left him clamoring to make his own creations. And he’ll be headed back to Music City in late September as a part of Robb Report’s Culinary Masters where he’ll show off his pizza prowess.

Click here to see more of Darling in photos.