Eat, Drink, And Be Merry at Velvet Lounge

In my years as a food critic, I have never been happier to walk into a dining establishment as I was at Velvet Lounge, O.C.'s new gay-owned restaurant and nightclub. The reason? The frustrating adversity and bureaucratic red-tape that owners, Dave Leon and Zach Moos had to endure in order to literally serve our community.

Their nightmare began one night in March of 2010, when the club was shut down after police responded to a "disturbance call" and then determined that the club was in violation of its conditional use permit. Needless to say, it brought the operation to an instant halt and from what I gather, it was determined that in order to reopen, a new operating permit would be required. Ironically, the club's new permit had already been applied for and approved by the city's Planning Commission.

According to a Santa Ana municipal code however, the next step would be in the hands of the City Council, to either approve the updated permit, or to call a public hearing before giving its final approval.

The run-around continued as they were pawned off on the Public Safety Committee, at which point the nightclub's attorney sent a letter to the city raising questions as to why it must go through the Public Safety Committee. Then in July of 2010, the club owners began the process of filing applications to amend the business permit to allow for entertainment-until 2 a.m. seven days a week-with an expansion of the restaurant into the basement. You've got to give these guys props for their drive!

The city's concerns (and curiosities) were apparently aroused as to what"type"of cabaret-style entertainment would be provided by the club. The owners explained that entertainment would include drag shows, but "everyone will be properly clothed," Moos stated (drat the luck-kidding!). The Safety Committee voted to send the club's permit back to the City Council, with minor conditions relating to fire exits and public notices. Leon said at that point, he was satisfied with the outcome. Nonetheless, the delays cost them tens of thousands of dollars, including money spent on advertising in anticipation of earlier openings. I am sure you all noticed slick VLVT ads run on our back page for several months.

Finally, on October 7, 2011, the 18-month ordeal was officially over and Velvet re-launched with great fanfare. Though this tenacious team got off to a shaky start, they stepped it up on our behalf and garnered a huge victory for the LGBT community in the O.C. So, I genuinely encourage you to do your civic duty by supporting one of the few worthy gay eateries and nightclubs.

Frequently I feel that servers give me preferential treatment because I am a food writer, but in the case of Bri our server, it was not so. She was extremely intuitive and efficient and genuinely cares about her job and the success of VLVT. Normally, I am not a gin fan, but she assured me that I would love the Gin Blossom, a culmination of Sapphire Gin, Hypnotiq and Champagne. She was absolutely correct and Grace the mixologist was fantastic.

John went with the Sterling Vintner Cuvee Chardonnay and enjoyed that through the meal. For appetizers we chose the Calamari Corsican Style, crisp calamari steak, skew- ered with pineapple served with cocktail sauce (it was quite good) and Roasted Garlic Aioli Shrimp Cocktail, shrimp served with pineapple cocktail sauce and honey mustard dip.

We were torn between the Traditional Cobb Salad; grilled chicken, bacon, diced tomato, sliced egg, avocado and gorgonzola served on a bed of boston romaine lettuce or Jason's Velvet Salad, romaine and bib lettuce, gorgonzola cheese, granny smith apples, caramelized red onion, candied pecans and cilantro lime vinaigrette, but thoughts of the Brown Derby (known in Old Hollywood for its Cobb Salad) came to mind, so you do the math. It was absolutely delicious.

For my entr�e, I selected an Angus Filet Mignon, pan-seared with garlic butter and served with a wild mushroom demi-glace and a choice of sides. The filet was cooked perfectly, my knife slid through it like butter and the garlic mash was superb. I encouraged John to go for their delicate White Roughy, topped with cilantro aioli, which stays true to his non-red meat ritual. He however, opted for the Tequila Shrimp, saut�ed in jalape�o butter, with diced tomato and red onion. The dish is then flamed in Jose Cuervo tequila, topped with sour cream and cilantro then served over a bed of couscous with corn pepper relish. He enjoyed the rich rainbow of bold flavors in the dish. Chef Mike Mendo was at the helm and did a great job, as did General Manager Gregory Spencer with his attention to detail and dedication to his job.

I had to have their signature Red Velvet Cake Martini, concocted with cake and chocolate flavored vodka- the bomb. The dessert menu was dreamy, Carrot Cake, Creme Brul�e Cheese Cake, and the Rock Slide. We decided on the Tuxedo and Red Velvet Cakes respectively and we were in heaven.

Hats off to Executive Chef Jason Kordas who has created a thoughtful modern American comfort food dinner menu. His culinary awakening began with a catering career over 25 years ago after growing up in a Greek, Italian and Corsican-influenced home in New York City. He went on to produce dinner and cocktail parties for a variety of clients including former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, former California Governor Pete Wilson, and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.

Not many can say either, that they have prepared dinner for Van Halen or Depeche Mode-but Jason's Catered Events can. Before that, Kordas formed a successful partnership with Maxwell's by the Sea in Huntington Beach-shepherding a catering idea to a million dollar plus. Jason made his ultimate move and became the sole-proprietor of Jason's Catered Events (JCE) and has been running it ever since. He launched Jason's Cafe in Tustin from 1995 until 2000. In July 2001, he captured the attention of the Santa Ana Performing Arts and Events Center in Historic Old Town Santa Ana. His new catering home kept him multi-tasking as he also managed the Athena Restaurant and two dinner theater shows within the building. In October 2007, Jason's Downtown opened which he eventually sold to Dave and Zach in order to focus on the new menu for Velvet and his personal catering company; available at jasonscatering.com.

The intimate dance floor is just right, clad with state-of-the-art sound, video, a fog machine and lights, with original club mixes spinning. Most of the interior walls are authentic brick with some painted red to compliment the velvet theme and there is a large street side patio with heaters for cool nights. I happened to go on a Wednesday, their Ladies Night. After dinner I chatted with five Asian women, asking which of them were straight-two said they were, reflecting that the club is straight-friendly and has something for everyone.

The rest of the weekly schedule goes as follows: Thursdays are Papi Caliente Latin Night, Flex Friday's is Men's Night for over 21, Saturday nights has Star Bar for 18 and over. Sunday fea- tures Brunch with the Brunchettes and later it's Houseboi - OC's only gay electronic music night. The Dreamgirls Revue is every Monday night and Tuesdays feature Karaoke!

VLVT | Velvet Lounge, 416 West 4th Street in Santa Ana's Historic Arts District, is open for Lunch and Dinner 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a late Night Menu 10 p.m. until closing. For more information call 714.232.8727 or go to velvetoc.com.