At this diner: 11 types of bacon, 30 craft beers and cocktails in red Solo cups

When Jay Bogsinske and Thomas “Mac” McFarland Gregory III were children, they used to love eating comfort foods in the middle of their kitchens with their families.

The two men fondly remember the simmering bacon and cut-up cheeses their mothers and grandmothers would prepare.

Paying tribute to that concept, the pair, along with Frank Belosic and Kent Bearden, opened Saint Marc Pub - Cafe, Bakery & Cheese Affinage at the new Pacific City center in Huntington Beach in December.

The eatery features a bacon bar with 11 types of bacon — including garlic Parmesan, coffee-rubbed, apple pie and habanero — as well as a variety of hors d’oeuvres, sandwiches and salads.

“It’s all Americana,” said Gregory, the CEO. “It’s the food that you eat while you’re standing up in your kitchen at home or in the backyard at a house party. It’s easy to go, easy to eat and food that we prefer as Americans.”

As guests enter the 7,000-square-foot establishment, they are greeted by an ambassador — Saint Marc’s term for any of its employees, whether server, busser or dishwasher — who shows them to a table, where they have access to an iPad and a digitalized version of the menu.

A paper version of the menu is also on the table for people who would rather order the traditional way, through a server.

Ambassador Noelle Bay said customers can add food items to their cart on the iPad, as they would do if they were online shopping, and press a button to place their order.

The tablet also has a button that will buzz an ambassador to alert him or her if a guest needs a napkin, refill, to-go container or other service.

“It’s free-flow ordering,” Bay said.

Gregory said the tablets don’t replace the ambassadors but instead enhance the eating experience.

“You can enjoy yourself and not have to worry about what people want you to order or how you order,” he said. “The culinarian who makes your dish brings it to your table right after he’s done making it. There’s no waiting for your food if your friend’s dish isn’t ready yet. Our goal is to provide now, not necessarily together.”

The food is served on ceramic plates that look like paper plates with ruffled edges, and the only utensil at the table is a silver spork.

“The spork is perfect,” said Bogsinske, director of culinary operations. “It can cut our ahi tuna. You can scoop food up because it’s like a spoon and you can stab at food with it like a fork.”

Along with the food, Saint Marc also offers more than 30 types of craft beer in a can and 32 varieties of wine on tap from a keg.

Gregory said that by serving the wine this way, there is an environmental benefit.

“Every time a bottle of wine is consumed versus my wine on draft, I save ... the Earth’s carbon footprint,” he said. “That’s the gravy on top of the fact that it’s better wine. The dynamic of the wine changes the moment it’s bottled. A keg is consistent all the way through. My first glass and my 300th glass are identical.”

Wine is sold by the glass at varying prices or for $5 per ounce if customers just want a sample.

Staying true to its Americana theme, cocktails, otherwise known as “classically twisted libations,” like mai tais and mojitos, are served in plastic, red Solo cups.

Gregory and Bogsinske, who both previously worked at the five-star Phoenician hotel in Arizona, said they were aiming to deliver fine dining with a homey, comfort feel. They say this without a touch of irony, explaining that despite the diner-style offerings and casual utensils, the upscale wines and cheeses qualify the place as fine dining.

“No matter what kind of money you have or don’t have, if you can afford $5, you can enjoy an experience that a billionaire likes to enjoy,” Bogsinske said about the wine tasting.

“We’re all classically trained in luxury-style service, but we want to provide it in an unpretentious atmosphere, which allows for everybody to enjoy,” Gregory said. “We’re trying to take the bowties out of the situation and the noses out of the air.”

He said that since opening in December, the owners have had many repeat customers.

“We want to take you on a culinary journey that gives you an end-game experience similar to Disneyland, where you want to come back because you didn’t get on every ride,” Gregory said.

Saint Marc is at the Pacific City center, 21058 Pacific Coast Hwy. in Huntington Beach. It is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.