RESTAURANT REVIEW:

While it is stag night for me most evenings, my friend found himself wifeless one recent midweek night.

Men, especially married ones whose wives are CEOs of the family, are dangerous when left to their own devices.

The choices my friend could have made for dinner would probably have been disastrous, plus I don’t even know if they sell pizza-flavored Cheez Whiz anymore.

So we got together for a little male bonding time and figured the food had to be manly to fit with the theme of the evening.

We were going to talk about women, and motorcycles and maybe even scratch ourselves. Froufrou food wasn’t going to do. Besides: If you saw us, you would soon realize dainty cuisine is completely out of character.

Meat — that is what we wanted. We wanted to act like knuckle-dragging, snorting cavemen, and I didn’t want to see fish or a low-cal plate anywhere on the menu.

The Newport Rib Company mostly fit that criteria.

There is a bounty of ribs, chicken and steaks on the menu and a decent selection of each. The ribs have been the restaurant’s staple since it opened more than 20 years ago. There are beef ribs, baby back ribs and St. Louis ribs.

The beef ribs are good, but not as flavorful as the baby back or St. Louis, which are both pork ribs.

The ribs are boiled then barbecued with a sauce that is full of flavor, but not overpowering. What was refreshing with the ribs was that while the meat was tender, it was definitely not overcooked. Nothing is worse than ordering ribs and the meat falls off the bone, chewy and devoid of taste.

I had never had St. Louis ribs and I like them as much as, if not more than, baby back ribs. While baby back ribs are more tender, St. Louis ribs are meatier.

Part of that reason is how they are cut. St. Louis ribs are spare ribs with the skirt meat cut from the bone side. The brisket is also cut away as well.

Two good ways to go with the ribs are the combination plates. The first is a sampler with baby back, St. Louis and beef ribs.

The combo has St. Louis ribs, but comes with brisket, chicken and Louisiana hot sausage.

While ribs are what the restaurant is known for, the best dish on the menu could very well be the marinated tri-tip. It is 10 ounces, marinated for 10 hours and then slow-roasted and coated with barbecue sauce.

The meat is incredibly tender, though the sauce doesn’t allow a taste of the marinade.

If I was to order it again I would have them leave the barbecue sauce off, as it is unnecessary. One thing I would do is order a side of baby back ribs with them, which can be done for an additional $6.

The tri-tip is one of many red meats they serve. There is a wide selection of steaks and prime rib.

The New York steak and top sirloin are both 12 ounces and the rib eye is 14 ounces. A 10-ounce filet is also available.

There are four prime rib selections, including a barbecued prime rib and a grilled Cajun.

While we largely ignored them, other foods are available. Three seafoods (swordfish and two shrimps) along with chicken and pasta are on the menu for those who would rather not have red meat.

As my friend was polishing off the last of his tri-tip he suggested more guy nights, and I heartily agreed, as barbecue sauce dripped from my fingers. This beats Cheez Whiz any day of the week.

Address: 2196 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa

240 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach

Phone: (714) 631-2110

Cuisine: American

Specialty dish: Marinated tri tip

Alcohol served: full bar

Dress: Casual

Family friendly: No; no kids menu

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa and MasterCard

Rating: ***

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