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Rare Society Steakhouse — helmed by Chef Brad Wise — will open another outpost at 226 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente, CA 92672, according to the company website. This will be the concept’s fifth location, with its four others hailing from University Heights, Solano Beach, Santa Barbara, and Mill Creek.
Regarding Rare Society, Wise, who heads up the San Diego-based hospitality collective Trust Restaurant Group, calls back to “infamous retro steakhouses that once laid claim to the Las Vegas Strip,” keeping alive the echoes of vintage upscale dining with wood-fired log boilers, a progressive cocktail program, and sustainably-sourced seafood.
When asked how Rare Society will differ from the multitudes of steakhouses in Orange County, San Diego, and Los Angeles, he tells WNLA, “We fit into our own category of steakhouse. We’re approachable – you can come in on a budget, casually, and eat really well, or you can dress up and go all out. Either way, you’re going to have a great experience.”
What’s more, Wise’s collection of restaurant concepts — Trust, Fort Oak, Rare Society, Cardellino, Mr. Trustee, and The Wise Ox — all lean into the idea of communal dining.
“My first restaurant and all of our subsequent ones revolve around this idea of shared plates and of coming together,” explains Wise. “This means that everything is meant to be shared — including the steaks.”
Acclaimed for his bold, smoky, wood-fired flavors, Wise has an affinity for Santa Maria-style cooking, the ancient method of using an open flame — partially tamed — to imbue meats with natural piquancy.
“The other thing that really makes Rare Society different is how we actually cook the steaks. I am a huge fan of live fire grilling, and all of our restaurants incorporate it in some way. Rare Society is no exception — we have a grill in our kitchen that burns American Red Oak harvested in the Central Coast. The char and the smokiness and the aromas from the wood lend themselves to the dishes and they take on these bold flavors that we’re known for.”
