Rock, Reggae Are Sounds of the Times at the White House

In Orange County, where some cities are younger than the middle-aged homeowners living in them, few places can boast being in business as long as the White House along Coast Highway in Laguna Beach.

Built in 1918 by Frank Miller, the bar-restaurant has had such official names as the Waldorf Astoria and Bird’s Cafe, but it’s the nickname describing its blanched exterior that has stuck the longest.

From the 1920s to the 1940s, when Laguna Beach was an enclave of sorts for artists both unknown and famous, the White House counted among its regular guests Bing Crosby, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Lillian Gish, according to old guest books. Franklin D. Roosevelt made a stop in front of the building to talk to local folks, as a 1938 photograph hanging inside shows.

Nick Kalos and George Catsouras took over ownership of the place in 1981 and have maintained much of the old charm. More than two dozen Tiffany lamps hang through the narrow bar space, where a very long, varnished bar is crowded nightly with “locals” from near and far chatting over a glass of wine ($2 to $5) or a 16-ounce schooner of beer ($2).

Die-hard regulars come, as they have for the last 11 years, for bartender John E. Daub’s famous hand-shaken Bloody Mary ($3.50). Other poisons include wells for $2, calls for $2.75 and premiums, $3. Sodas are $1 and juices $1.50. All drink prices rise by 50 cents after 5 p.m.

Two doors connect the bar to the cozy, candle-lit restaurant, which serves a dinner menu heavy on seafood dishes, along with daily breakfasts and lunches.

The history and cuisine aside, what the White House has been most famous for since Kalos and Catsouras assumed ownership is the live entertainment that rocks this establishment nightly--a far cry from the jazz ensembles that once played here. Bands blast away at the end of the bar in a sweltering atmosphere that doesn’t deter the mostly 20- to 40-something patrons from continuously cramming the small dance floor.

No one here escapes dry. Which is presumably why they bounce to the sensual tunes in only Tees or skimpy bra tops. They may be reliving summer memories, but the heavy winter sweaters tied around some waists reveal what time of year it actually is.

The White House’s current owners were among the first in the county to regularly host both local and nationally touring reggae bands, beginning in 1981. Twelve years later, groups such as the Rebel Rockers, Common Sense and Blue Rasta Machine still jam against an airbrushed backdrop of the Dunn Waterfall in Jamaica. The club’s Sunday and Monday nights of Irie are among the most popular in O.C., packing in the masses who’ve come to party as though it was a Friday or Saturday.

Tuesday nights alternate weekly with more reggae than rock, while Wednesday through Saturday is pure rock ‘n’ roll, featuring such bands as Eden and the Tenants. The bands begin nightly at 9:30, and play until 1:30 a.m.

* THE WHITE HOUSE

* 340 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.

* (714) 494-8088.

* Open Tuesday through Friday 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday through Monday 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.

* Cover: varies, up to $4.