A house favorite

They may be coming because it’s cool to sit on the porch of a house that’s inside another house. Or perhaps it’s the hip bar that plays Latin jazz while the Lakers are on television. Then again, maybe it’s the wicked martinis garnished with edible orchids.

Whatever the reason, they’re coming. And they’re lining up on the weekends on Manhattan Avenue for a chance to enjoy the relaxing new nightspot that brings a little bit of trendy Hollywood into the South Bay without losing the beach’s laid-back attitude.

Open since October, the talk of the town in Manhattan Beach is Towne. The restaurant was named after Sue Towne, the Broadway showgirl who won a 17-mile dance marathon in Los Angeles in 1928 and was known for her style and elegance.

With its house-within-a-house design, wealthy retirees enjoy meals in the softly lighted and soundproofed formal dining area, while professional hipsters watch sports on television at the bar or mingle and unwind in the restaurant’s inside porch or on side couches.

The 125-capacity restaurant has become such a weekend draw that people wait for hours to taste one of the bar’s 134 martinis or savor executive chef Alex Lombardo’s seared ahi, pumpkin tortellini or New York strip steak.

“You don’t have to go to L.A. to experience L.A., and you don’t have to go to L.A. to experience New York either,” said David Callender, 34, a Hermosa Beach computer consultant who frequently dines at Towne with his wife. “We enjoy it because it’s got four different styles: the bar, the lounge, the sofas on the sides and the formal dining area. Each has a different feeling; one layer is more formal than the other. It’s like peeling an onion.”

Towne is the creation of Jeff Bellandi, who co-owns Los Muchachos in Hermosa Beach, and is an investor and promoter at Joya in Beverly Hills.

His partners are Kevin Berry, co-owner of Sangria in Hermosa Beach and Falcon in Beverly Hills, and Jason Cortes, a Brooklyn newcomer and wine and martini connoisseur.

“This is a super personal project to me,” said Bellandi, a professional volleyball player for 10 years who has lived in the beach community for 15 years. “A lot of thought and effort went into creating something for Manhattan Beach that would include all walks of life, not just the college or 30s crowd.”

Towne’s feng shui waterfalls and soft colors offer a soothing ambience for formal encounters and informal parties. Its namesake’s 19th century crystal chandelier graces the dining room. Above the bar, when the television is off, the flat screen serves as an aquarium rolling nonstop underwater footage.

“Once Kevin explained who his grandmother [Sue Towne] was and we picked the name, that concept of building a house within a house that could divide the generational lines but keep everyone comfortable started to evolve. Her name seemed fitting with what we wanted to do,” said Bellandi, 36, a promoter at several clubs in Hollywood before he met Chris Pike (Las Palmas, Sangria and Joya), who became his mentor and partner at Los Muchachos.

For the professional set, like Steve Turnberger and Luis Carranza, Towne has become the spot, especially when they aren’t in the mood to drive 25 miles to hang out in Hollywood. Turnberger and Carranza, who live on the Strand, enjoy eating steak and sipping martinis inside the porch, the restaurant’s prime people-watching area.

“It reminds me of my grandfather’s house,” said Turnberger, 40, an ESPN producer. “The porch seemed a little strange, but I really like sitting here and watching the people coming in and out.”

Carranza, a mortgage banker, said he enjoys socializing at the popular bar because of the crowd. The bar is packed with singles sipping cocktails, especially the signature Towne martinis, made of vodka and ice wine and adorned with edible orchids or edible pansies, depending on the season.

“The girls here are just as good-looking as in L.A., but they are more approachable,” said Carranza, 39. “This is more upscale than the other bars around here. The bar vibe here is the hottest thing in Manhattan Beach.”

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Towne

Where: 1140 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach

When: 5:30 p.m. to midnight

Info: (310) 545-5405