A wall stands between Costa Mesa and Vegas

Deirdre Newman

While the 1901 Newport Blvd. condominium project has shaken up the

city with a lawsuit and possible referendum, a new nightclub set to

open next week at the same address is poised to stir up the downtown

nightlife.

Martinis, shaken and stirred, are the main theme of the swanky

Vegas nightclub, which is anticipated to open in the basement of the

Spanish mission-style building on Feb. 13, pending final inspections.

When Vegas opens its doors, owner James Raven foresees the

light-hearted attitude of the Rat Pack-era infusing the environment

with a long-lost sense of optimism.

“Now, it seems we’re so jaded and pessimistic about everything,”

Raven said. “I wanted people to have a little bit of a fantasy about

everything.”

But Vegas’ opening is contingent on the building of a sound wall

that will have to come down if construction ever starts on the

condominium project. That project is in limbo while the developer

tries to determine if a version the City Council approved Jan. 19 is

workable.

Raven tried to get the property owner to build the wall, but

failed. So, Raven is ponying up the approximately $76,000 it will

take to build a wall that might last only as long as a few jars of

Dean Martin’s hair gel.

“I don’t understand the reason behind building it if we’re going

to have to tear it down in six months, but that’s what we’re required

to do,” Raven said. “I understand the need for it, and that’s really

the bottom line.”

The sound wall is just the latest obstacle Raven has faced, as

building Vegas has required the patience of a slot machine player.

Raven finally got his building permit last May, six months and

thousands of design dollars after initial approval by the Planning

Commission. The commission gave its blessing to the project despite

city planners’ concerns about parking, noise and the overall

concentration of various nightlife hotspots in the area.

The nightclub will have all the accouterments of the “fabulous Las

Vegas” of the 1950s, Raven said, including a six-foot high martini

glass in the center of the Stardust Lounge, like a monument to the

freewheeling ways of the Rat Packers.

The lounge is the first venue patrons will experience when they

enter Vegas. It will be swathed in red with a red, oval-shaped bar

and red fabric overstuffed furniture.

To the left of the lounge is the nightclub, which is designed in

the style of a Palm Springs martini pool bar, Raven said. A

kidney-shaped blue vinyl tile area in the middle serves as the “pool”

and the dance floor. Around the pool are three bars -- two main ones

and a VIP bar. The VIP bar will be elevated with a host that controls

access.

Altogether, the nightclub contains 120 linear feet of service area

with 10 bartenders working it in a style that reflects the elegance

of the past, Raven said.

“We wanted to harken back to a white glove professional service

time when you would go and have a professional bartender and

professional cocktail server,” Raven said. “This was a career for

these people. At that time, people really took pride in providing the

best service.”

The dress code will be enforced with the same high regard for the

past: “tasteful, casual, upscale, evening wear with no T-shirts, no

sleeveless vests or muscle shirts and no ripped or oversized jeans,

no baseball caps,” Raven said.

“If in doubt, don’t wear it out,” he added for reinforcement.

The Vegas bars will debut before the kitchen will. Dinner probably

won’t be served until the end of March, Raven said.

While working with the city to get Vegas built, Raven hoped an

interim solution could have been reached on the sound wall that

wouldn’t have been so expensive, he said.

Assistant Development Services Director Perry Valantine said the

possibility of the condominiums being built is not enough to prevent

the sound wall from being put up.

“Until they’re built, there has to be something there to protect

the homes on the other side of Bernard Street,” Valantine said.

While the sound wall may come down eventually, the Vegas style

will be here to stay and will revolutionize the nightlife scene in

Orange County, Raven said.

“I think it’s going to do more than for [just] downtown Costa

Mesa,” Raven said. “I think it’s going to change the quality of life

for ... a lot of people in their mid-20s and 30s and 40s. I think

it’s been a quality of life issue for a long time that the venues

have gradually disappeared and there’s been nowhere to go. We’re

going to reverse that trend.”

Mayor Gary Monahan, who owns nearby Skosh Monahan’s, agreed.

“I think it will be a huge draw for the downtown, including

Triangle Square, and the nightlife in general for Costa Mesa,”

Monahan said.