New restaurant goes nautical

NEWPORT BEACH — Dan Marcheano started a new era this summer in the 85-year history of the Arches Restaurant, complementing the popular Marine hangout on West Coast Highway with a cozy new location on the Balboa Peninsula.

Now, with the American flags barely settled on the walls, the veteran restaurant owner has advanced his business yet again.

Marcheano, who signed a 15-year lease for the new Arches on 29th Street, recently opened a companion location less than a minute’s walk away.

The Arches on the Water features a menu almost identical to its counterpart, and its dark-red color scheme is a mirror image of the location two blocks down. Marcheano even had a business card printed with the two restaurants on different sides.

The difference, then? Well, the regular Arches is accessible only by land.

The new restaurant features a slip behind its outdoor patio, big enough to accommodate four small vessels, where crews can park their boats or stop by for takeout orders. Arches on the Water opened Sept. 26 and has served dinner five nights a week since.

“It was there, and it was on the water,” Marcheano said Wednesday as he prepared for the first rush of dinner guests. “It’s very accessible to the boating community, especially the Duffy community, and I felt, business-wise, it was a good move.”

Marcheano got the idea for Arches on the Water shortly after moving into his new digs, when he stopped in for a glass of wine at the French restaurant Le Quai, located on Lafayette Road overlooking the ocean.

As he watched the lights on the water and the diners on the outdoor patio, Marcheano began sketching plans in his head.

Soon after, he bought the restaurant license from Le Quai and began renovating it, transferring staff from the Arches down the street and covering patio tables with his traditional red cloths. There’s no Marine memorabilia up yet, but Marcheano said he has an American flag from Iraq that he plans to drape by the front desk.

Wayne Gilbert, the manager of Arches on the Water, said the restaurant had only gotten sit-down diners so far, but he encouraged people to call in to place their orders from sea.

“The ones who come by boat, we’re encouraging them to call in advance,” he said. “If someone comes in a big boat, there won’t be room for any other boats.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Arches on the Water

WHERE: 2816 Lafayette Road, Newport Beach

OPEN: Wednesday through Sunday, 5 to 11 p.m.

SPECIALTIES: Steak and seafood

CONTACT: Call (949) 673-1204 or visit www.thearchesrestaurant.com

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].