Making His Stand

The Quiet Woman is a restaurant and supper club notorious, in part, for a logo consisting of the figure of a headless woman clad in a farmhouse-style dress. That hasn’t prevented the place from being a local institution since 1965.

Some women won’t set foot in the place because they find the logo offensive. That is just as well. To paraphrase Yogi Berra, “Nobody goes there any more . . . it’s too crowded.”

Early in the week, the draw is simply the good food and drink. But Thursday to Sunday evenings, when the restaurant features music from funk band Kaos, it is standing-room only until well past midnight.

Consider checking out Kaos on a night other than Thursday. “We already have too many people on Thursday nights,” owner Lynne Campbell said, fretting. “The lines are clear ‘round the block, and the police are getting impatient with the crowds.”

My patience actually wore thin during the 45 minutes I spent scouring nearby streets for a parking space. After I finally did secure one, I encountered a second hurdle at the front podium. I arrived about 9:45 p.m., and when the hostess spotted me, she merely shook her head solemnly. All tables and booths are booked until midnight, she told me, motioning for me to go stand in the bar area.

So that’s exactly what I do. I’m not a local, but it soon becomes painfully obvious that this place, a boxy establishment decorated simply with dark wood paneling and ersatz Olde English lithographs, is as about clubby as your neighborhood Elks Lodge.

Still, in short order I am schmoozing with a lawyer, a tennis pro, a neurologist and a woman with enough jewelry to pack a store window at Fashion Island. Soon after that, a drink arrives, courtesy of the tennis pro and brought by Terry, a cocktail waitress who has been working here for the past 17 years.

Kaos, it should be noted, starts off mellow at 10 p.m. and gradually works its way to funk. During the band’s first set, when a more staid crowd is noshing on steaks and build-it-yourself salads, the group does bluesy stuff from Eric Clapton and Anita Baker.

Later, when a younger crowd drinks beer and chows down on massive cheeseburgers, the band performs music from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Cocker and even a jarring take on Hendrix.

You can salve your own spirits by choosing a wine from the restaurant’s 3,800-bottle list, bottles that are kept precisely at 56 degrees and 62% humidity.

When I finally walk out of here, much later, my humidity--and temperature--are considerably too elevated for a wine cellar.

BE THERE

The Quiet Woman, 3224 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. (714) 640-7440. Kaos plays starting at 10 p.m. Thursday-Sunday evenings. No cover.