CHECKING IN WITH...Code Restaurant and Lounge:

By Paul Anderson

April 16, 2009 12 AM PT

What’s cooler than a nice night out at a good restaurant? How about burning off those calories at a dance club? Well, yeah, but then you have to drive across town and find a dance club, too. What a hassle. But what if you could go dining and dancing at the same place? That’s what they have on the menu these days at Code Restaurant and Lounge in Newport Beach. This week we check in with owner Moe Ghazi and entertainment director Alan Freeman.

Tell us a little about this new Friday night attraction at Code. What do you have planned?

Code Restaurant and Lounge is an upscale Newport Beach venue that combines terrific food with Dancing and Lounge entertainment. We thought we’d bring together locals and visitors alike for something like a supper club, where people can enjoy dinner and stay for dancing, lounge socializing, and relax and have fun after the work week. We have excellent rotating top name deejays, drink and food specials, extended Happy Hour, free champagne for the ladies, and other regular deals to welcome patrons in. And starting May 15, we begin “Show: The Supper Club” on Fridays, with live entertainment to create a full-sensory experience that will pay homage to the successful supper clubs past and present.

What inspired you to offer the dinner and dancing on Fridays?

Many people, our friends around the area, have told us that they want to visit an upscale place — someplace they can have dinner, dance and enjoy the evening.

But they say all the local dancing and socializing venues cater to a very young and sometimes touristy crowd. We thought we’d start “Our Night” on Fridays, provide excellent food at reasonable prices, giving local people who are maybe just a little bit older a place they can have fun and call their own ... hence the name “Our Night.” We cater to people in their 20s through 40s on Friday nights and provide food, dancing and socializing in an upscale atmosphere.

You say in the ad you’re spinning ’80s, ’90s and Top 40. What’s your favorite dance tune? And what’s the one you dread the most?

Yes, our deejays play a mix of ’80s, ’90s and current stylings. We start off with light house music during the dinner hours, then break into dance music when it feels right. Something for everyone, a good dance mix. My favorite music covers such a wide spectrum, it’s hard to pick just one type, but I think the more current the music, the better that I like it. Coming from Detroit I’m a big fan of all things Motown, R&B;, hip-hop past and present. The most dreaded songs are the ones completely out of theme, like when a deejay throws a cowboy tune at a house music crowd just to try to get a reaction. It breaks the mood and movement — just dreadful!

How’s business these days? We know it’s a challenging time for restaurants, but are you weathering the storm well, and how are you doing it?

Moe: Challenging times makes you creative. That’s why we are trying different things, looking to appeal to a wide variety of patrons and continue to offer superb food with varied entertainment. “Show: The Supper Club” is an extension of that creative thought — we have invested quite a bit in staging, lighting, sound, etc. to make this the No. 1 dinner-show destination in the OC area. We are doing quite well, our lunch business continues to grow, and we are full most nights of the week.

If you peer a bit into the future, how do you think the restaurant industry as a whole will evolve?

Moe: It’s going to be just fine. You can’t eat Internet and people will have to eat, and drinking is always there in good times or bad. The challenge is always to provide the best possible food and service, combine it with a desirable location and let the patrons leave with a very favorable impression. Can’t do that at home, and can’t do that by cell phone.

Alan, have you fully recovered from your beloved Spartans losing the NCAA championship? How will they do next year?

Around here people know that I am the No. 1 Michigan State University fan, very active in the alumni groups, a director of the SoCal Big Ten Club and OC Spartan of the Year. Yeah, we got thumped in the NCAA final game, by a very talented and very senior Carolina team. They were awesome, and we were glad to just be there playing in front of the largest crowd in Final Four history! We only graduate two players this year, which means that most of our excellent squad comes back for another run. MSU and Coach Tom Izzo have had tremendous success in the last 11 years, with five Final Four appearances, so we hope to be Top Five and the team to beat next year!

Alan, tell us a little about your charity events newsletter.

About eight years ago I started a simple e-mail going out to mostly single people in the Newport/Irvine/Costa Mesa area to let them know about Children’s Hospital of Orange County charity opportunities.

I started to gather e-mail addresses, and other charities and venues asked me to let people know about their events, too. I now have more than 23,000 local subscribers. The idea is to let folks know about charity events, restaurant openings and other worthwhile and fun activities.

We try to find something for everyone, with an emphasis on opportunities to meet other quality local people. We look for interesting and worthwhile events that are not commonly known, or have some special appeal. It’s my way of giving back, get some much-needed publicity for some of these little charities and make some fun times for all.

We also do event planning and produce events, do marketing and publicity for restaurants and lounges (like Code) and occasionally host our own big parties.

CONTACTS

Code Restaurant and Lounge

Managing Partner: Moe Ghazi

4221 Dolphin Striker Way

Newport Beach, Calif. 92660

Reservations and info: (949) 660-0888

www.CodeRestaurant.com

Diamond Productions

Alan Freeman

2082 Michelson Drive No. 303

Irvine, CA 92612

[email protected](949) 222-2232 office