RESTAURANT REVIEW:

When you visit The Alley restaurant’s website you are greeted with the song, “Come Fly With Me.” It is not sung, though, by the singer who is most closely associated with the tune.

No, instead of Frank Sinatra’s voice it is the younger, but equally as hip, Michael Buble who greets you when you visit the website.

That is the perfect analogy to describe the restaurant’s mix of both established patrons and a new, hip crowd of 20- and 30-somethings.

The long held view of The Alley is that it was akin to heaven’s waiting room, but that thought is wrong, especially since Jeff Chon took over the establishment.

Chon, who along with his father have owned the restaurant for a little more than a year, is 25 years old and razor-sharp when it comes to the restaurant business.

“We have the older crowd that comes in all the time for dinner,” Chon said. “Then we have the younger crowd that comes in on the weekends to hang out at the bar. It gets pretty packed in here.”

Chon has learned to cater to both demographics and has succeeded in making them both happy. It is all part of his continuing education in restaurants.

He began as a waiter at the Cheesecake Factory and learned restaurants from the bottom, but soon was moving upward. He worked in the offices of the famous restaurant chain and then presented the idea of buying a place with his father, who is in the hotel business.

The two acquired The Alley, and Chon’s influence was almost immediately felt.

The nude paintings that hung on the wall in the bar area were removed, and he soon went to work on other areas of the place.

The English or Irish pub feel is still evident throughout, and the warmness of the cozy, but not cramped, dining room is very inviting. The lighting is soft, but not dark, and the eating area is contrasts the bar, which is boisterous without being intruding to those dining.

It could be possible not to get past the bar, as there are several items that are perfectly acceptable for dinner.

Some of the bar specials include chicken wings, chicken and steak skewers, grilled or steamed artichokes and Ahi fish tacos.

Chon and Executive Chef, Santiago Nunez revamped the menu, adding dishes such as Chilean sea bass, and a blackened rib eye on a bed of blue cheese pasta, that Chon calls the “Jeff special.”

The two were smart enough to keep the old standards, such as the array of steaks and chicken dishes.

Of course, the sand dabs remain at the restaurant. A staple of The Alley, they have changed little, made with lemon butter and caper sauce and still the best in the city. The sand dabs are the best-selling item in the restaurant, followed closely by the Jeff’s special, a dish Chon came across while experimenting in the kitchen.

“I have tried to overtake the sand dabs,” Chon said about his creation. “But they are our No. 1 seller. The Jeff’s special is No. 2. I keep thinking it will be No. 1, but the sand dabs always win.”

Something that could beat out both of them is the calamari appetizer. Served as a steak, or abalone style, it is flattened and put on the grill.

My friend and I finished our meal off with dessert. I am not usually a sweets fan, but got talked into the mudpie, which has an Oreo pastry shell and is filled with an espresso gelato. Another dessert that I would definitely try is the Xango. That is a deep fried tortilla shell with cheesecake sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon.

The Alley should thrive under Chon’s direction, and the younger crowd that comes in to drink on the weekend, could very well end up as the next generation of diners.

THE ALLEY

Address: 4501 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach

Phone: (949) 646-9126

Specialty dish: Sand dabs

Alcohol served: full bar

Dress: Casual

Family friendly: Extremely, children’s menu and a toy chest

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa and MasterCard

Rating: *** 1/2

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.