Costa Mesa gets hip joint transplant

Behind the splendor that is the Performing Arts Center emerges

another cultural entertainment venue: Hip hop culture.

The Ticket is Costa Mesa’s newest night club, boasting industry

parties, Red Bull cocktail specials, a live DJ and free concert and

movie ticket giveaways -- hence the name. The club, run out of the

Corner Office bar at 580 Anton Blvd. on Saturday nights, provides an

upscale hip hop culture largely lacking in Orange County.

The goal of the club is to promote record and movie releases in a

hip Orange County venue, a promoter known only as Deluxe said.

“We want to take what we already do in L.A. and bring it to this

market,” she said.

The club has hosted a “Bad Boys 2” night, Saturday was “Gigli”

night, and this coming weekend is a party for “S.W.A.T.” Each bash

boasts special promotions and a chance to attend private advance

screenings of new movies.

Right now I am resisting the temptation to write, “That’s the

ticket!” Oh wait, I just did. Nevermind.

Besides the trivial promotional items, the place really has a good

vibe. It’s not your typical hip hop joint. It’s upscale, with

professionals in their mid-20s relieving some stress out on the dance

floor. The bar is stocked, the servers are friendly, and the crowd

is, too.

With so many places in Newport-Mesa focused on drinking and

smoking, it is nice to have a venue with actual dancing. No offense

to Malarkey’s or Rudy’s, which also offer a patch of hardwood that in

some alternate universe could be described as a dance floor, but I’m

talking about a place where getting your groove on is the main event.

Not much of a dancer? No problem. There are pool tables in the

back and intimate booths surrounding the dance floor, for those who

like to watch others shake their rumps.

The place doesn’t really start to get jumping until about 11 p.m.,

but if you don’t mind a scarce crowd, you can get in free before

10:30 p.m. Or just e-mail [email protected] and get on the

guest list. That will get you and three friends in for only $5 after

10:30 p.m. Give them your full name and the number of guests you are

bringing, and you’re in.

A huge group of us from L.A. Boxing went as the after-party for

co-owner Sean McCully’s birthday bash. It was great to see a wide

variety of ethnicities and styles, with some men dressed in suits and

others in high-end sportswear.

Ladies can normally get away with anything, considering jeans are

still the hot evening fashion item, but many were “actually dressed

up,” as an older columnist who shall remain nameless (Peter Buffa)

once wrote.

See, we youngsters know how to roll out in style, too.

The most glaring difference between this club and most of the

local nightlife spots is that it does not have a smoking patio.

Smokers can walk out the back door to puff their cancer sticks, but

it’s an isolated area -- definitely not “the place to be.”

Now, that would just not fly at say, the Newport Beach Brew

Company -- known to regulars as Brew Co. -- where the most crowded

spot is the smoking patio.

All in all, it’s a cool joint. If your into hip hop or like to

hang out with people who are -- or like to point and laugh at people

who think they are -- check it out.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at [email protected].