Friday, January 6, 2012

The Blue Beet


     I remember Newport Beach’s Blue Beat from my undergraduate days at UC Irvine (the early to mid-70s). No doubt other DtB readers have memories of that place over the years.
     From today’s Daily Pilot:

Blue Beet celebrates years of history

You know how to whistle,
don't you, Steve?
     If the walls of this beachside jazz joint could talk, oh, the story they would tell.
     Those walls of The Blue Beet date back 100 years, but the music venue and restaurant near the Newport Pier over the years has been shaped by much more than just jazz and steaks, said Scott Lewis, the general manager.
     "It's been around for a long time, serving as a hangout in one way or another," said Lewis, 32, whose father bought the Blue Beet in the early 1980s, sold it, then re-purchased it in the late '90s.
     The site once served as a Prohibition-era speakeasy — possibly even housing a brothel around the same time — before undergoing several transformations before the 1960s into more legal enterprises, including a general market and cigar shop, Lewis said.
. . .
     The site adopted its final guise as the Blue Beet in the mid-60s, when former owner Sid Soffer purchased the building and brought in live entertainment, Lewis said.
     Among the notable performers and visitors to the jazz club were Steve Martin, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Wayne and the Righteous Brothers, he said....

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

On Friday Glenn hosts a campus BBQ and 15 mins. into the event, runs out of food…

Anonymous said...

No he didn't. you're putting us on. I know the P/T dinner buffet ran out of food later on but not the lunchtime BBQ - say it ain't so.

Anonymous said...

Yup. He enticed everyone with “tri-tip.” That was gone in the first 5 mins. How embarrassing.

Anonymous said...

There was plenty of potato salad.

Anonymous said...

You should be grateful for what tri-tip there was.

Anonymous said...

Yup, throw some red meat out there and watch the employees scramble and fight over it!

Anonymous said...

It was a good effort on his part - just poorly thought out. I commend him for the gesture.

Anonymous said...

I remember going to the Blue Beet in the 60s. They had a Blue Plate special (beef stroganoff) that was fabulous and cheap. I recall poets in black turtlenecks, beatniks, I guess.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone read the recommendations from the state-wide student success task force? GASP!!!!

Anonymous said...

Here it is:

http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/Portals/0/StudentSuccessTaskForce/SSTF_FinalReport_Web_010312.pdf

Roy Bauer said...

Concerning the task force and its report: we previously reported about it here and here. Where’ve you been?

Anonymous said...

BvT, that was the draft. The final version has just been released. It's slightly different than the draft.

Anonymous said...

"Has anyone read the recommendations from the state-wide student success task force? GASP!!!!"

I guess they're trying to hold professors accountable for every disfunctional idiot out there these days.

Then there are families that dump their problem kids at the community college so they don't have to tend to them. Basically daycare.

Student success cannot be forced.

Anonymous said...

Some of us had to work during the BBQ and when we arrived at 12:30, there was nothing left at all. I'm sure all the minions and A100 folk were fed.

Anonymous said...

Well, it's typical Glenn. Actions don't square with his words.

Anonymous said...

People should stop complaining about the tri-tip. There was plenty of chicken. It wasn't Glen's fault. Besides, he paid for the whole thing out of his own pocket.

Anonymous said...

People don't plan to fail, they just fail to plan.

Anonymous said...

There was poor planning regarding the Friday barbecue - they should have been cooking the stuff BEFORE people showed up. That was part of the problem - the quantity was, uh, a bigger problem. But I heard Kiana's cake was FAB.

Anonymous said...

So they were serving red meat, 'eh?

Anonymous said...

Oh get a life people. Stop complaining about the tri-tip that never was - there was never going to be enough for everyone anyway. We were all meant to eat chicken. the tri-tip was there just to gussy it up.

You should be more upset about the Board of Governor reform plans.

Anonymous said...

I think the continuing disappointment regarding the lack of tri-tip comes from the fact that Glen himself sent out a personal email inviting people to the event promising "tri-tip, chicken and egg plant."

Anonymous said...

I would bet that at least a few clods heaped huge portions of tri-tip on their plates, and that this was the reason that it was all gone so early in the event.

Let's please talk more about the Great Tri-Tip Controversy of 2012! Seriously.

Anonymous said...

Obviously, tri-tip-gate is much ado about nothing. On the other hand, that so many (?) pounce on this issue reveals dissatisfaction with Glenn. That's for sure.

Anonymous said...

It was NOT self-serve at the grill.

The tri-tip was served to people.

They didn't buy nearly enough even though they bought it at cost-co.

Anonymous said...

9:07, right you are; after the initial invite was sent well in advance, Glenn sent out a reminder on the 4th. Yes I agree it was very disappointong to find no more tri-tip only 15 mins. into the event. I understand that admin. doesn't have to provide us any food, but if they make such announcements, they should at least follow through and provide what they promise.

Anonymous said...

The Rickner's always used to over-order food at their events, so there was always plenty for everyone! Even for the Rickners; after the events, Sandy R. would pull her Mercedes up, pop the trunk, and load it full with all the leftovers. Then she'd drive home to Nelie Gail Ranch and fill their refrigerator(s)! How cool was that?

Anonymous said...

I'm going to be optimistic and guess that the Rickners donated the leftover food to charity. Unless you were there to see her load the goods in her refrigerator.

Love this red meat.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...