Crystal Cove’s beach party revival

YOU’VE got to feel grateful, cocktail in hand, sitting in the winter sunshine on the deck of the Beachcomber at Crystal Cove. Down the beach, kids peer into tide pools; at the next table, someone reminisces about the Shake Shack up there on the cliff. A lot of people had a hand in making it possible for you to slip down here, grab breakfast for under 20 bucks and look out over a quiet little pocket of yesterday in the middle of the glitziest strip of conspicuously consumed real estate in Southern California.

Farsighted landowners, politicians, preservationists, artists and entrepreneurs all have worked together so you can sit at a beachfront table that’s as good as the next guy’s because it’s first-come, first-served and spiffing the hostess won’t help.

So pass the basket of fabulous fries around the table and hoist a few to Gov. Moonbeam, who in 1979 pushed the state Department of Parks and Recreation to purchase some of the last remaining coastal acreage in California from the Irvine Co., thus preserving the enclave of ‘20s and ‘30s-era beach shacks called Crystal Cove near Corona del Mar.

Or raise a cafe mocha to the Crystal Cove Alliance, a nonprofit organization that not only helped the state parks people honor the era of woodies and beach bonfires by renovating the Crystal Cove cottages but has also encouraged concessionaires Dan Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides, the team behind the popular chain Ruby’s, to envision and build a restaurant that’s true to the midcentury beach party spirit with which the Cove is imbued.

The Beachcomber, which opened in August (and is not part of the Ruby’s chain), is still evolving, especially in regard to the menu, which changes seasonally, but it’s already a place full of character and charm.

The restaurant, which opened in August, is in one of the original cottages; it’s the centerpiece of the historic district, a small part of the overall park that encompasses 3 1/2 miles of beach and many acres inland. At peak times -- midday Saturday and Sunday in good weather -- the crowd gathered at the deck seems daunting: Hosts take names and pass out pagers. But on a bright Saturday, there’s barely time to walk the beach and look through brochures in the visitor center before our pager goes off.

There are more tables outside than inside and many request the glorious outdoor setting. But inside’s a treat for period-style buffs. The walls and ceiling are paneled with light pine, some of it taken from the original cottage. The floor is linoleum, the kitchen is faced with a beautiful quilted copper facade and Formica tables are edged with copper stripping -- details that evoke the ‘30s and ‘40s heyday of the colony.

Wherever you sit, your meal comes on bright Fiesta-style dinnerware and your drink is served in a plastic cup that bears the motto “Where every night is Saturday night and Saturday night is New Year’s Eve.”

The best time in this season to come to the Beachcomber, though, and the best meal by far, is breakfast. Start with a basket of piping hot sugar-dusted beignets with a little pitcher of maple syrup. That and a cup of the good organic Kean coffee is enough to fuel a walk on the beach, but the egg or pancake platters are a delicious reason to linger.

The kitchen does great griddle work. House-made corned beef hash is good, but the O’Brien style roasted breakfast potatoes that come with it are even better -- a dice of potatoes, peppers and spicy Portuguese sausage that’s irresistible.

Three light, fluffy macadamia nut pancakes are refined in spite of their enormity, laced with sliced nuts and slightly crisp on the bottom. They’re served with fragrant coconut syrup. There are choices in each breakfast-lovers category: omelets and frittatas, pancakes and French toast, hot cereals. Eye-openers include Bloody Marys and mimosas.

Lunch and dinner dishes try to be casual but a little bit special. Ingredients are fresh and execution is good, but some are too fussy to be successful. There’s a tarragon-cashew chicken salad sandwich, for example, that’s served open-faced on brioche. There’s such a big heap of chicken salad that the bread falls apart immediately and it’s all too messy to enjoy. But those fries are spectacular.

Portuguese sausage and vegetable soup is a lovely warming starter. And ahi tuna wontons and Dungeness crab cakes are fine appetizer choices -- good options to go with specialty drinks such as the Kahlua Colada or classics, including mojitos and margaritas.

Though heaters and blankets are available, the winter months don’t encourage lingering in the dark, and the dinner menu’s like that at a respectable neighborhood Cal-Med bistro: basically more formal versions of Beachcomber’s lunch dishes plus a steak, roasted chicken and shrimp option.

But at any time, the Beachcomber is a great escape. Sitting on the deck, looking out across the sea at Catalina, all sense of the busy highway on the bluff above is far, far away. Pelicans fly in formation and diving boats bob in the waves. And if you’re there at sundown, when the martini flag is raised, you’ll be privileged to honor a tradition of the fun-loving little community that once called this cove home.

susan.latempa@latimes.com

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The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove

Location: 15 Crystal Cove, Newport Coast, (949) 376-6900; www.thebeachcombercafe.com.

Price: Breakfast dishes, $5 to $10; lunch dishes, $7 to $15; dinner first courses, $5 to $14; dinner entrees, $15 to $29.

Best dishes: Breakfast dishes include coffee drinks, beignets, corned beef hash, roasted breakfast potatoes, macadamia nut pancakes. Also, fries and boysenberry pie.

Details: Open daily for breakfast from 7 to 11:30 a.m.; lunch is from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and dinner is from 4 to 9:30 p.m. No reservations. All major credit cards. Full bar.

Park in the Crystal Cove State Park Los Trancos lot on the east side of Pacific Coast Highway ($10 parking fee is waived with Beachcomber validation for purchase of $10 or more) and walk to the Historic District or take the shuttle bus ($1).