A cool place to land

Young Chang

A spinning ceiling fan makes you wonder for a second whether it’s the

beach breeze swooping by.

The ocean’s right there, a hint of water is carried east by a subtle

evening breeze, and the illusion seems real.

A pigeon flutters from one end of the top patio deck to the other,

weaving from strappy high heels to suede men’s sandals, and boats named

Belle and Patriot glide by as if on cue.

There’s more.

Servers in Hawaiian-print shirts and khaki shorts shuttle turkey

sandwiches stacked inches high from the bar to the tables. The fish and

chips are fried and shiny. A Thursday night drink special -- the Big

Kahuna -- rocks in what could double as a goldfish bowl of ice.

Older women sip cocktails in short-sleeved Tiffany-blue turtlenecks,

some smoke with dainty cigarette holders laced through their fingers,

others sport spiffy navy and white sailor hats with a white surface that

is a perfect and clean white.

This is Happy Hour.

Definitely a different scene from “Cheers” and the typical Happy Hour

scenes you have of a bar.

Newport Landing has a bar -- a nice one, in fact, with mini-flags that

wave in the fan breeze as they poke out near the fountains and the

endless bottles -- but no one sits there.

Everyone’s at an outdoor patio table overlooking Newport waters and

beachfront houses with docks as garages.

People hang out here for the ocean view and breeze, staff members say.

They hang out for a scenic fill that patrons claim is rare to even

Newport Beach.

For Richard Eberst, Newport Landing is a corner hangout that reminds

him of almost everywhere but Newport Beach.

“It actually makes me feel a little more like I’m in Monte Carlo,” the

college professor said. “I’m from New York, so it makes me feel like I’m

in Long Island too. We don’t have too much of that around here.”

The most crowded night is Thursday -- taco night that starts at 7 p.m.

Crammed into the average-sized upstairs cocktail lounge, a line of taco

fans drips out the downstairs door with eager regulars wanting a taste of

chicken, steak and fish tacos for 99 cents.

“It usually gets real nuts,” said General Manager Ben Swenson, just an

hour before the crowd arrived this week. “And we got a blender going

about two hours solid.”

Drink deals include Tropical Drink Nights from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays

for $3 a drink, $2.75 Mexican beers and margaritas on Thursdays, and

Happy Hour from 4 to 7 p.m. every day, with two extended hours on

Mondays.

“A lot of people come here,” server Brianne Suacci said. “It’s a good

time. The waitresses are having fun with their customers. It’s a fun

atmosphere.”

Peninsula resident Shannon Brennan comes here for the view and food.

She rates the chowder loaf as comparable to the clam chowder bowls made

famous in San Francisco. When it comes to drinks, the pina colada mixes

are her regular picks.

“We like to sit out here on the patio,” she said. “There’s no wait

during the week.”

And as the sun sets lower, the lights in the community come on.

From homes and floating boats, and even Fashion Island a good eye

squint away, the lights reflect off the water and make everything twice

as bright.

“This is one of the few places like this that make you feel like

you’re back in New England,” said Eberst, continuing his nostalgia about

the East Coast.

FYI

What: Newport Landing

Where: 503 E. Edgewater, Newport Beach

When: Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11

p.m. Sunday. Happy Hour is offered Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.

Call: (949) 675-2373