Dropping in on the newest nightclub

Newport nightlife is undergoing a metamorphosis.

The social bar scene on the California Riviera formerly consisted

of polar opposites. If you wanted to socialize over a drink at the

bar and you were feeling flush, the Ritz or perhaps 21 Oceanfront

beckoned. Old-world leather booths and a martini atmosphere defined

the price of admission and the status of the clientele.

On the other end of the spectrum, guys in Reyn Spooner shirts and

blond beach babes in cotton shifts and sandals made their

acquaintance at the American Legion Bar on the Peninsula or in

hangouts like Malarky’s or Corona del Mar’s Quiet Woman.

Regardless of the formality of the spot, or lack thereof, and

equally regardless of the price of admission, the social rules for

meeting someone at a bar remained pretty simple: Man likes woman.

Woman likes man. May I buy you a drink?

Although the human equation (the rules of attraction) remain about

as constant and as hormonal as they were for Adam and Eve, the scene

-- in case you weren’t looking (or going) -- has changed. You might

say they (whoever they are) have turned up the volume -- a lot.

The metamorphosis began about a decade ago in Newport. Doug Patie

of D.P.’s Pub and Billy Craig of Billy’s at the Beach were two

nightlife entrepreneurs who understood the cultural shift. With an

emphasis on youth, the club scene became a spot not just to meet

someone (although that remains a primary motivation) but rather a

place to go “hang” or “chill,” to forget the pressures of an insane

world, a demanding job, a personal life off track -- in essence, an

escape valve.

More importantly, the club scene, much like the new world of

electronic communication, became a place to connect on a superficial

level. Would the connection grow into something more meaningful? Or

would it just be another “delete” on the road of life?

Then, not too many years ago, came Bandera’s on Coast Highway. The

bar was designed to bisect the entire restaurant. It was not an

architectural accident. Many establishments followed, most

overflowing with people wanting to connect.

The current evolution involves the term “lounge.” These watering

holes are more than bars and more than dining rooms.

If you are past the half-century mark in age, the term “lounge”

conjures up images of ‘70s Las Vegas. Cheap drinks, worn tufted

velvet chairs on wheels and rock groups you’ve never heard of, or

perhaps a solo act with a distant record release you have heard of,

center stage.

In O.C. today, the lounge is the hippest of hangouts. The twenty-

to thirty-something crowd is out in force, checking out the scene

practically every night of the week. It’s a social phenomenon worthy

of anthropological investigation.

The new in-spots have names like Ultra Lounge, Ten, 333, and

Landmark, which is the latest kid on the block.

Landmark, also identified by the chic LM logo, opened this month

in Corona del Mar in what was formerly the Italian bistro of the

late, legendary Carmelo Manto.

Mario Marovic, a USC grad with a degree in entrepreneurship and a

family background in the restaurant and bar business, previously ran

a “lounge” in Fullerton, and then opened the District Lounge in Old

Towne Orange in December 2004. It was the coolest hang, with dancing

and live entertainment in the sleepy antique district right down the

street from Chapman University, attracting an enormous audience of

young people seeking a place to connect.

It’s a short distance from Orange to Newport, but it was a large

financial commitment for Marovic to transform Carmello’s into

Landmark. Marovic joined with two local partners, Brent Ranek and

Brian Pezzolla, and together they have created a lounge that is

already drawing the crowd.

Open less than a few weeks, the lounge is body-to-body inside and

flowing out on the front patio on weekends. The success is spilling

over onto weekday nights as well.

“We wanted to create a place where people felt comfortable, a

place that was an extension of their home,” said Ranek, a resident of

Newport Shores and a 25-year veteran lifeguard in Newport Beach.

Ranek, who saves people by day and serves them by night, added,

“This location is ideal for a lounge. People can walk here from every

direction.”

Marovic quickly added, “If they want to drive, we have the biggest

parking lot in Corona del Mar.”

The triad of partners brought in chef Sabre Kennedy, previously of

Fleming’s Steakhouse, to create their menu. Kennedy was raised in

Hawaii, so his cuisine is infused with the tastes of the island.

His steaks are superb. On the night I checked out Landmark, I

sampled the rib eye, and it was the best I’ve eaten lately.

“We are fine tuning our concept,” Marovic said. “The steakhouse

lounge, perfect for the low-carb-diet craze, with nightlife and

entertainment, was fueled by a lack of such offerings in” Corona del

Mar.

Marovic has a rare permit for live entertainment and dancing.

I finished dinner around 9 p.m. on a Monday night. Leaving the

lounge required the skill of Moses parting the Red Sea. Perhaps I was

not meant to leave after all. The night was only beginning to present

its possibilities.

Nevertheless, it was time for to head home. I left Landmark in the

capable hands of a promising new generation.

To check it out for yourself, call (949) 675-5556.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.