Best of Bistro Is the Window

It’s a good thing that Bistro 201 has an ocean view. With its dated interior, its mediocre food and its spotty service, this John Sharpe restaurant is clearly resting on its briny laurels.

But what a view. Bistro’s large windows and terrace tables provide a dreamscape for dining that exceeds many along Newport Beach’s Mariner’s Mile.

Unlike real estate, however, restaurants are about more than location. No amount of ocean can keep the customer satisfied if the kitchen can’t compete.

Despite its business association with the more creative cuisines at Aysia 101 in Newport Beach and Topaz in Santa Ana (all owned by Sharpe), Bistro 201 stumbles along with unimaginative food and indifferent service. At brunch, at least.

As for ambience, the large dining rooms have little discernible decor. Presumably, the purple and gold-washed walls and geometric lighting are meant to look molto continentale. In any event, the ersatz Italian theme could use a boost.

Advertised as a “champagne and jazz brunch,” Bistro’s Sunday offering includes unlimited Wycliff champagne, buffet tables loaded with various egg, pasta, vegetable and meat dishes and a musical backdrop sadly stretching the definition of jazz--a lonely instrumentalist with a percussion machine.

Brunch begins with a seafood and salad table, the best selection of the entire multi-course meal. Choose the smoked trout, raw oysters, smoked salmon and three salads: a Caesar, Chinese chicken and a mix of calamari, baby shrimp and scallops in a citrus herb dressing. The fish is very fresh and the calamari extremely tender and flavorful.

Of the breads, the scones and muffins far surpass the bland bagels, whose character is best camouflaged with salmon, cream cheese and onions. The well-made fruit salad brings a tasty end to the beginning.

By now, a hot breakfast entree seems appropriate. On our first visit, the waitress neglected to mention an assortment of made-to-order dishes available. On the next trip, we were offered traditional eggs Benedict with ham, eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, omelets with cheese, smoked salmon or vegetables, French toast, pancakes or waffles.

We enjoyed the eggs Benedict (traditional and not-so), the waffles and the pancakes--all well made and predictable.

The kitchen can handle made-to-order. Where it runs into trouble is with steam trays on buffet tables. Keeping delicate dishes hot under lids for lengthy periods breaks down both the flavor and texture of most entrees.

On one visit, the fish was dry; on the next the chicken was dry. The seafood crepes were both mushy and dry both visits. Although not under a lid, for some reason even the prime rib was overcooked.

On the hot buffet table, the best choices were the roasted potatoes with onions (Bistro’s fingerling potatoes) and assorted vegetables. These two hold up pretty well in steam trays.

Although the hot buffet area is more than enough to sate a binge eater with impaired taste buds, two more buffet tables lie ahead. One table offers pasta and sauteed shrimp, with the pasta bar chef yielding the oil a little too enthusiastically and the shrimp sometimes undercooked.

The other table sets forth the beginning of the end: dessert. What’s not to like? Flan, carrot cake, warm berry cobbler, fruit trifle, chocolate dipped strawberries and other rich desserts. If only they tasted as good as they sound.

Bistro 201, 3333 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, (949) 631-1551. Brunch hours: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Brunch costs: $22.95 or $24.95 with champagne.