Excitement builds over new Village restaurants

By Mary-Justine Lanyon

 

Thirteen years ago, Marina and Rich Goodwin came up to Lake Arrowhead on a whim.

“Rich had always wanted to live somewhere different,” Marina said. At the time, the couple lived in Orange County. “We looked at Big Bear and ended up in Lake Arrowhead. We fell in love with it.”

Rich was “obsessed,” Marina said. Before they took the plunge and moved to the mountain in 2012, he would look at the webcams every day. “He would update me on snow or fog; webcams were his world.”

After they made the move, the couple got married on the mountain. Then Rich was driving around, got lost and ended up at the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa in the event planning office. He found out they were hiring.

Marina had worked in a number of different restaurants through college and beyond. “I did everything in the front of the house,” she said. “Hosting, serving, bartending, bussing.” She got the job at the Resort, where she worked for seven years, becoming the catering sales manager.

“I started to develop a network,” she said. “The people I met there are like family.”

Rich’s background is in event planning to which, Marina noted, there is always a food component. He operated bars, worked with food booths and food trucks. “He’s a business guy, an entrepreneur,” she said.

And so, with their backgrounds, it was not a huge leap for the couple to have recently opened two adjoining restaurants – Sunsets Island Bar & Grill and Tiki Republik – in Lake Arrowhead Village. 

But, prior to that, Rich had taken over running first Oktoberfest and then the Summer Concert Series in the Village, operating as Lake Arrowhead Events. He had heard the Village wasn’t going to produce the summer concerts anymore so he said he would take them on, Marina said.

As for Oktoberfest, Marina said he brought in Oktoberfest beer. “He tried to make it more authentic with imported German beer, German bands and games. It’s been growing since we took it over.”

In September, Rich will be working with other members of the Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber of Commerce to put on the Brewfest, which will take place in the Village this year.

Had they always dreamed of opening a restaurant? “No,” said Marina. “We wanted to create a music venue. It morphed into a restaurant. Food and beverage keeps pulling me back!”

She credits their chef, Roxie Bennen, with the rave reviews they have been getting. “A lot of the hype around this place is the food. It’s all Roxie,” Marina said. 

As for how they came up with the tropical theme, Marina said when they walked into the former Thai restaurant, they immediately noticed the island ceiling. “We had just been to Hawaii. This was a mai tai bar wanting to come out. We took our inspiration from Waikiki.”

On the bar side – Tiki Republik – guests will notice a number of artifacts. A QR code on the menu takes diners to a website page describing them and their origins.

“We had a lot of fun shopping and finding everything in there,” Marina said. There are a couple of pieces from Papua New Guinea including a 24-foot wooden canoe carved out of a single palm tree; it hangs above the bar. There are hand-carved shields and handmade lamps by well-known tiki people. “We went everywhere sourcing these things,” Marina said.

Moving paintings by artist Steve Matson play on the TVs above the bars in both locations.

Guests who would like to sit and enjoy a drink and perhaps an appetizer are invited to sit in the lounge area at the front of Sunsets. That is also where the live music takes place on weekends.

The two restaurants have similar menus although Sunsets does offer some premium items. There is a big focus on seafood. Shrimp, Marina noted, is one of the #1 sellers.

“We’ve been getting a lot of support from locals,” Marina said. “We can feel the buzz of excitement about the new restaurants.”

Hours have been fluctuating as the Goodwins settle in to being local restaurateurs. Check their website, www.sunsetsislandbarandgrill.com, where menus are also available.