Popping the lid on the Cannery

June Casagrande

It’s a piece of history that refuses to be forgotten -- partly because

of its charm and partly because of its role in helping to build and shape

Newport Beach.

And with Monday’s opening of the new Cannery Seafood of the Pacific,

history is repeating.

The new restaurant at the site of the former fish-processing plant is

a mix of the best of the past and the present, co-owner Steve Herbert

said.

“The outside looks almost identical to the way it did before, but once

people come inside, they’re in for quite a shock,” he said.

The completely redesigned interior radiates a soft but modern style

with decorative lighting that’s not too dark, Herbert explained. A

waterfall next to the indoor stairway leads guests to another modern

addition: Within the main restaurant serving traditional seafood dishes,

an upstairs sushi lounge offers a Japanese menu in a casual setting that

includes a built-in fire pit.

On Monday morning, Herbert and staff were scrambling to get their

doors open by 5 p.m. A last-minute dash to meet fire codes had workers

installing a sprinkler system in the restaurant’s backyard into the

afternoon. But at the end of the day, Herbert and the staff pulled off a

dream that has been several years in the making. They opened the new

restaurant for dinner Monday.

The Cannery Restaurant closed in August 1999 after the previous owner,

Bill Hamilton, sold the site. It has sat vacant since, a quiet reminder

of Newport Beach history.

Once the thriving center of Cannery Village fishing, the plant was a

site where more than 275 million cans of fish were processed each year.

But, a victim of its own success, waters in the cannery area soon became

too polluted for marine life. Fish moved to cleaner waters, and fishermen

followed, eventually causing the cannery to close. The original building

was torn down in 1966.

Five years later, a group of World War II veterans entered into a

business venture, building a replica of the original cannery on the site.

By 1973, they opened the Cannery Restaurant there. The popular dining

establishment was the center of some controversy in the 1990s, when live music drew neighbors’ ire. Ultimately, though, it was time that brought

its most recent demise, as co-owner Bill Hamilton decided it was time to

retire from the demanding business.

Two and a half years later, the Cannery has gotten its second second

wind. Herbert said the menu at the new cannery will feature seafood

entrees starting at about $16. The restaurant will not have live music.

“I think it’s exciting that they’re following tradition and keeping

the historic ambience of Cannery Village,” said Mayor Tod Ridgeway, whose

district includes the village. “I think it’s a wonderful revitalization

of the area.”

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .