New restaurant concept Verde is aiming for a fall opening in The Ranch at Newport Bay at 2675 Irvine Ave, Suite D1.
Antony Laborin and Koire Rogers came together to craft the concept. Both have experience working in the restaurant industry. In fact, they worked together at Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens, where Rogers worked as a general manager and Laborin worked as a bartender and as the head of Cocktail R&D.
Verde will place a strong emphasis on its beverage program, offering a main restaurant space on the second level of the two-story building and a bar-centered lounge on the lower level. The main restaurant will seat about 70 — including 10 at the bar — and will feature exposed wooden beams, wood flooring and natural light, according to reporting by OCfoodies. The bar level will feature 40 seats and an extensive beverage program, as well as cheese and charcuterie offerings.
The beverage program will highlight a large collection of wines and seasonal cocktails. Both Laborin and Rogers have strong backgrounds in crafting beverage programs, with Laborin’s bartending background and Rogers’s experience as a wine director.
“Verde will be a dream come true for the true wine and cocktail enthusiast,” Laborin told OCfoodies. “The main restaurant will feature expertly crafted classics while the lower level bar will offer its own menu of ever-changing, well-balanced cocktails and interesting wines.“
The main restaurant area will feature both a lunch and dinner menu designed by executive chef Paula Balderrama. The food menu will focus on California cuisine that is ingredients-based and centered around local produce and sustainability.
As of now, the Verde team has not set an exact opening date.
