Gypsy Music Raises Spirits of Ye Who Enter Here

Gypsies in Newport Beach?

It might sound incongruous--in a city associated more with pop-top Beamers, beepers and bleached blondes than with the nomadic spirit--but at Dante’s restaurant each week a dark-maned trio fires up patrons with impassioned Russian Gypsy music.

Clad in typical costume of embroidered vests and billowy shirts, these Eastern European Gypsies, known only by their first names, take to the stage every Monday and Tuesday from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. On accordion is Vladamer, on violin is Grigorii, and Misha strums the balalaika (a three-stringed guitar with a triangular body, of Russian origin). It’s difficult to sit still through much of their repertoire; the wildly performed folk songs can evoke the gypsy in even the most restrained visitors.

Besides Eastern European traditional tunes, the three perform vintage cabaret favorites of French and German origin that fill this intimate, European-inspired hideaway with a romantic warmth perfect for lovers.

Indeed, this quaint, dimly lit restaurant and bar (near John Wayne Airport) was made to order for couples--although families are spotted nightly dining on the Hungarian, Russian and German cuisine. The dining area surrounds a lower level space with tables, a small parquet dance floor and a stage with a baby grand.

The service follows Old World ways: extreme, but not obtrusive; attentive, yet subtle. Ordering a cocktail presents a treat in itself, with the waiter rolling a trolley of the ingredients to the table and expertly mixing the concoction. The house special, Dante’s coffee ($6)--a flamboyant twist on the standard Irish coffee--becomes a light show, with a blue-flamed stream of liquor poured back and forth from glass to glass, then combined with coffee and topped with a dollop of fresh cream.

Another house special is vodka infused by fruits such as orange or lemon for $6 a glass. Also from the bar: premium wells ($3.75 to $6), glasses of wine ($3.75), and domestic and imported brews ($2.75 to $3, including beers from Russia, Belgium and Hungary).

The Gypsy music has proven such a draw that Dante’s owner, French-born Sylvain Touati, last week dropped his regular piano bar entertainment on Wednesdays and Thursdays to feature the showmanship of another Gypsy musician, Yasha from Russia.

Yasha’s claim to fame is charming audiences by playing complicated pieces on the violin behind his back or holding the instrument between his knees and the bow in his mouth. He also plays the accordion and balalaika--but no word yet if he applies his unconventional stylings to these instruments. Besides a playlist of Ukrainian and Russian songs, he will perform continental waltzes for those inspired to dance during his sets, from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Pianist Marilyn Montanari sets a different mood on Friday and Saturday evenings, with classical chamber music and Broadway favorites from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

She is followed by pianist and singer Lee Farrell until 12:30 a.m., who moves the mood to pop Americana with rock and romantic classics backed by guitar, bass and drums. Farrell will rock in the new year on Friday (from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.) with a champagne soiree that, for $150 per couple, offers a sit-down dinner of duck, herring canapes with mustard sauce and wild huckleberry truffles, plus a chance to dance into ’94 to the tune of some golden oldies.

* DANTE’S

* 1701 Corinthian Way, Newport Beach.

* (714) 955-3821.

* Open Monday and Tuesday 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., and Saturday 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Closed Sundays.

* No cover.