Sex sells: Prepare to be seduced
THE folks behind Sutra, the restaurant-lounge that has stayed on top of the Orange County scene since opening in mid-2004, understand the dynamics of the club world. “This whole business is about girls,” says Chief Operating Officer Rob Stevens, standing outside the venue’s castle-like doors, flanked by torches.
It’s a Friday night, and Stevens surveys the long line through the Costa Mesa shopping mall courtyard that the nightclub calls home.
Though Sutra offers much more than hotties, it’s all delivered with the understanding that sex sells. And this elegant spot goes heavy on the seduction.
A large Buddha statue greets patrons as they enter. There are three bars, done in marble and wood, multiple plasma TVs and a menu that’s full of flirtation -- advertising its “aphrodisiac-inspired dishes” and “a Tantric culinary dining experience.”
The combination of elegance and sexuality obviously makes Sutra easy on the eyes -- moreover, owner Doug McAllister points out, some of the employees have graced the pages of Playboy. But it wasn’t just good looks that earned Sutra the distinction of being named one of the 10 best clubs in America by the popular men’s magazine Maxim, alongside such Vegas hotspots as Tao and Body English, and L.A.’s LAX.
By 11 o’clock on this Friday night, the bar is already packed as tight as a coquette’s jeans. The dance floor is a flurry of bumping, grinding and jumping, interrupted by the occasional pickup line. An infectious energy sweeps the place, from its intimate back rooms to the Moroccan-inspired patio that overlooks the busy Harbor Boulevard.
It’s little wonder Sutra inspires some fierce loyalty among its customers. Gonzalo Bonilla started coming once his friend began promoting Friday nights. And he didn’t stop, hitting Sutra every Friday night for four months straight. “As far as the O.C. goes, this is the best place,” he says. “There are a lot of bars, but this draws the best crowd and has the best ambience.”
Now that Bonilla has a girlfriend, he is less of a fixture, but he’ll come down earlier for dinner and stay for the night.
As for the food, don’t expect to find wings or sliders. Though the lounge features plenty of eye candy, Sutra is not looking to compete with Hooters or its ilk.
Sutra’s menu, designed by executive chef Stephane Beaucamp, includes filet mignon, blue crab ravioli and lighter fare such as crispy goat cheese salad and spicy salmon tempura. The dinner crowd is elegant, and many stay after the tables are removed from the main floor for dancing.
“Having the restaurant makes the club so much better ‘cause you get people in there that are there for the night,” McAllister says.
It also helps the venue attract the upscale customers -- all tables, after all, are bottle service.
“There’s only one way to keep clientele higher: to make it more expensive,” McAllister says. “We’ve always required bottle tables, and we’ve never had problems.”
O.C. resident Tracy Hawkins isn’t discouraged by the price tag. With groups that range from eight to 20 people, she sometimes visits Sutra as often as three times weekly. “I never do it without bottle service,” she says.
What keeps her and Bonilla coming back? Besides the staff and her community of friends, many of whom she met at Sutra, Hawkins says simply, “It lives up to its reputation.”
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Sutra
Where: 1870 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa
When: Dinner and drinks Wednesdays through Saturdays; DJs and dancing Thursdays through Saturdays.
Cover: $20 after 9 p.m.
Info: (949) 722-7103, www.sutrabar.com