THE GOSSIPING GOURMET: Where the food and atmosphere are comfy

Old timers might remember The Place Across the Street from the Hotel Laguna or after it, Brio Mare. The younger crowd will no doubt remember that the last restaurant at 440 S. Coast Hwy. was Cabana but whatever you may remember, fugeddaboutit! Gone is the faux Hawaiian beach motif and in comes Nick’s, transforming this long rectangular room into a sleek, handsome contemporary boîte. You might well call it Nick in the Box.

A large central bar under a vaulted skylight dominates the room. To the rear is a big open kitchen and lining the walls are comfortable booths. Sexy soft lighting from candles and hand-blown glass lamps, hanging above the tables, generate a warm ambience. Mirrors on the opposing exposed brick walls create the illusion of rooms beyond. The inviting patio is the perfect spot for people watching.

The entire décor is clean and linear with warm brown tones from sand to chocolate, accented by interesting architectural details like mosaic tile floors. Sophisticated as it may be, the room feels really comfortable. As the sun sets and the light goes down, the atmosphere goes up.

In a way, comfort is the theme. Kicked-up comfort food defines the menu and comfortable prices beget happy campers. Perhaps this is why the place has been packed since its opening. The versatility of the menu options gives you the choice of making a meal out of bar snacks, salads, sandwiches or main courses. Whatever you order, the portions are generous. The same menu is available at lunch as well as dinner and plans are in the works for Nick’s to be open for breakfast in October.

Although the bar scene here is quite lively and thus a bit noisy, Nick’s is more than just a bar with some food for soaking up the booze; it is definitely a restaurant and even has a kid’s menu “” something for everyone and soon to be open all day long.

The bar snacks range from chili and chips to Nick’s original fried deviled eggs. Classic hot wings and onion rings, as well as fish tacos and fire-roasted artichokes, round out the menu.

We began with short rib sliders. Sliders are a hot new menu item, usually Kobe beef mini-burgers, but here the little buns are stuffed with shredded pot-roasted beef, topped with horseradish sauce, sautéed caramelized onions and, the coup de grace, very thin, very crisp onion rings. They were quite tasty and an inventive variation.

Nick’s fried calamari is made from slices of calamari steak, which means they are always tender but not as flavorful as the slightly chewier rings and tentacles. The batter was also a little heavy. The best part of this dish was the spicy pickled bell peppers that perked up the rather bland strips. The tartar sauce for dipping tasted strangely sour, so we used the zippy leftover sauce from the sliders, which was quite good.

Crumbled eggs, seasonal vegetables, bacon croutons and cheddar cheese top the market salad. A baby iceberg wedge has a classic blue cheese dressing and crumbled bacon. Beet lovers will find a more up-market salad with watercress, feta, cucumber, red onion and candied citrus in a champagne citrus vinaigrette. You can certainly make a meal out of the grilled rib eye salad with warm potato salad, mixed greens, arugula, roasted bell peppers and croutons, all in mustard bacon vinaigrette.

The chicken and noodle salad, although lighter, is large enough for a meal as well. Chock full of vegetables, cucumbers, red bells, sprouts and perfectly cooked, fresh-tasting chicken, this salad is tossed with peanuts, mango, black sesame seed and cilantro in a really nice, flavorful Thai peanut vinaigrette. If the noodles hadn’t been seriously overcooked, the dish would have been a standout.

Sandwiches include a very hearty butter burger with barbecue sauce, bacon and double thick cheddar cheese, a blackened halibut sandwich and a rib eye melt. You might think the chicken club would be a lighter choice, but it is embellished with mayo, smoked Gouda, bacon and avocado. All are served with a choice of fries, warm potato salad, rustic potato chips or seasonal roasted vegetables.

The “comfortable” entrées are: fresh fish of the day, fish and chips, roasted organic chicken, baby back ribs, short ribs and prime top sirloin.

We couldn’t pass up the barramundi (the fish of the moment), which was the fish of the day, offered broiled, blackened or pan seared. Selecting it pan seared and requesting it slightly undercooked, the barramundi arrived moist with a nice buttery crust, but the fish had a mushy texture. It was topped with a bit of pineapple salsa and accompanied by mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. The fresh vegetables were particularly toothsome with a nice crunch.

There are only two desserts, indicating that this is not the kitchen’s forte: one is an ice cream sundae and the other, a fresh fruit cobbler. Summer means peach cobbler “” that American classic “” a dessert we love and one we choose whenever it crosses our path. This one will not go on our top 10 list. The peaches themselves were not quite ripe enough to have developed much flavor and were overly sweetened in order to compensate. There was also too much cinnamon and between that and the tasteless peaches, it was hard to distinguish what kind of fruit we were eating. Alas, the topping was also too sweet and not crunchy enough. If we are particularly hard on this dessert, it is because it’s one of our favorites and we were disappointed.

The new Nick’s is a great place to hang out, get a bite to eat without breaking the bank and enjoy the attractive and comfortable setting.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Nick’s, (949) 376-8595

WHERE: 440 S. Coast Hwy

WHEN: Sunday and Monday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Tuesday and Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to midnight

PRICES:

Appetizers: $4 to $14

Entrées: $8 to $18

Desserts: $5

WINE:

Bottles: $23 to $60

By the glass: $7 to $18

Corkage Fee: $0

ELLE HARROW and TERRY MARKOWITZ owned a la Carte for 20 years and can be reached at themarkos755@yahoo.com.