Night Life

Rebecca Harris

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Where our summer’s WEEKEND WANDERER column explored

outdoor activities in the Newport-Mesa area, fall brings us inside the

places where locals spend their “off” time in NIGHT LIFE.

Done with work and looking for a cheap, no-frills draft beer? A hot place

to party with Orange County fraternity boys on a weeknight? Bistro 201 is

probably not your ideal destination.

Happy Hour at the quietly elegant Newport Beach bar and restaurant

attracts aging yuppies and middle-aged, upper-middle-class professionals.

From the valet parking stations outside to the interior’s shaded modern

decor, the place beckons those with money, time and an appreciation for

luxury.

Perched on the coast, the bar draws the setting sun through 14 panes of

full-length windows, bathing Happy Hour customers in a warm glow. From

most seats in the restaurant, the harbor’s moored sailboats are visible.

The scene is semiformal, reserved. Hushed conversations flourish amid

ringing cell phones muted by satin-lined suit pockets, and the soft

clinking of glasses.

On a recent evening, a saxophonist proffered a continuous stream of

soothing, Kenny G-type tunes and seemed to appreciate the loud applause

led by the bartender after each number. The reserved customers did their

best to ignore the hint.

Drinking is serious business at Bistro 201. None of that raucous, heady

neighborhood pub atmosphere for this place. During Happy Hour, from 4:30

to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, half-priced appetizers render a

barbecue chicken pizza, an affordable treat at $4. Well drinks are $2.

The drink menu includes seven varieties of white wines and 11 reds.

But the real draw is the martini list. Six varieties exist, with enough

description of each to warrant a separate menu. The push was obviously

working, as many at the bar sipped from conical glasses.

The staff is courteous and efficient, if not solicitous. Clothed in

dressy attire -- dress shirts, ties, dark slacks and starched aprons for

the busboys, the bartender a virtual copy, but without the apron -- the

staff moved quickly from refilling drinks to discreet table clearing.

Two distinct seating areas divide the interior. The L-shaped bar offers

immaculate seating and provides a view of the bar’s considerable liquor

selection. Only a few of the tall, iron-framed chairs were taken by 6

p.m. This area draws lone patrons and coupled work colleagues, none of

whom seemed interested in sharing in their neighbors’ conversations.

There was no line at the bar, despite the scant number of seats. It’s

more like a continuous line of upscale tables for one.

Several booths and tables accommodate the rest of the crowd.

The bar also makes a token effort to cater to sports viewers. One

television set is perched high in a corner and the volume is kept low.

Despite a hot baseball rivalry on-screen, there was no cheering.

Most of the patrons are white males, although some families were dining.

Loretta Jones, 27, and her Newport Beach colleague were the only two

women at the bar, and seated themselves snugly at the corner near the

saxophonist.

“We’ve never been here before, but we work close by and decided to check

it out,” Jones said.

Both said they felt comfortable and would probably come back.

Inclusion in random conversation of strangers is not likely to occur at

Bistro 201, where the upscale setting screams “personal space” and even

the chairs at the bar offer tall backs and sinkable cushions as

barricades against interruption.

But for the lone diner or drinker, the reserved setting is inviting, said

Matt Gotkowski, 37, a retail leasing broker at a Costa Mesa company.

“It’s relaxing to come in here after work and unwind,” Gotkowski said.

“With these floor-to-ceiling windows facing the water, what more could

you want?”

Proximity to work drew him to the bar about six months ago, Gotkowski

said. Since then, he’s made a biweekly habit of using the bar as a place

to relax after work with a chardonnay or as the location of meetings with

colleagues.

But the bar’s privacy and solitude keeps Gotkowski coming back.

“If you raise your voice, everyone turns around,” he said.

FYI

WHAT: Happy Hour at Bistro 201

WHERE: 3333 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach

WHEN: 4:30 to 7:30 Monday through Friday

PHONE: (949) 631-1551