The man behind Aubergine’s rebirth

In today’s social culture, much of the interaction between people takes place outside the home. This societal shift has evolved over the past half century. In place of the home, the restaurant, its owner and chef have become in many instances the stars of social entertaining for the entire spectrum of family, business, charitable and political gatherings.

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa have always had an impressive roster of celebrity establishments and star chefs. Proprietors, including the late Hans Prager, are legends. The lore, however, is not just about fabulous food. It’s also about style and service and that magic ingredient ? personality.

Meet Dennis Overstreet. At 61, Overstreet, owner of L’Quai and now Aubergine, two of Newport’s most fashionable dining rooms, is among the most expert of the California Riviera’s wine and food impresarios. Overstreet and his wife Christine joined me for a Sunday morning interview in their new Aubergine, purchased in 2005 from renowned California chef Tim Goodell and his wife Liza after their vision had run its course in the O.C. The Overstreets redesigned, revamped, retooled and reopened the new Aubergine in January 2006.

“We purchased Aubergine in part because it was an Orange County institution. We wanted to pick up the baton and take Aubergine into what is the new O.C.,” said the erudite Overstreet, who began his career under the tutelage of Colin Fenton at Sotheby’s London headquarters in the department of fine wine.

The year was 1965 and Overstreet, a young man from Los Angeles with shoulder length blond hair and the spirit of the 1960s American youth movement, left UCLA for a summer job in Europe that would change his life.

Overstreet continued: “The real spirit of the O.C. is about a casual elegance that is unique to this region. Newport has its own identity, and we have infused that very special and unique identity into Aubergine.”

You might call it beach chic. Overstreet is not just a wine and food expert. Actually, he is considered one of the most important wine experts in the world. He is a man with an artistic vision. Also very much the businessman, Overstreet is quick to admit he observes the trends of society. In collaboration with interior designer and Lido Isle neighbor Karen Littlefair, Aubergine has been transformed to reflect the casual elegance Overstreet wishes to share with his clientele.

“No matter who the players are, no matter who owns the team, the Angels will always be the Angels ? even if they’re called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,” Overstreet said, adding, “and Aubergine will always be Aubergine ? it has a somewhere-ness. We’ve made it our own vision, not trading on the vision of the Goodell’s.”

Overstreet says that owning a restaurant is the new social definition of theater.

“People dine out to see and be seen,” said the man who quotes Frank Sinatra on the subject. “There’s nothing like owning your own joint. In a way the restaurant has replaced the theater. Dining is the new entertainment, the new definition of social order. People love to go out and see their friends. A dining experience today can be very spontaneous. You don’t have to plan weeks ahead; just pick up the phone and make a reservation. This is part of what is special about the relaxed elegance in Newport.”

The man who has stocked the cellars of kings and movie stars continued: “People love to have a relationship with a restaurant, to know the owner, the chef, the staff. Yes, the food, and the service must be worthy, but the ultimate experience includes sharing company.”

The Overstreet vision for both his establishments, L’Quai (which is French for the Dock) and Aubergine is very much about serving this community, the local clientele.

“I wanted to create an experience for local people to call their own,” said the man with the international wine and food pedigree.

The connoisseur ? who would like to create a local version of New York’s Cafe Carlyle where, on the one hand, a great jazz pianist is at the keyboard and fine champagne and caviar are available for either a 5 p.m. cocktail hour or a midnight toast with a kiss ? also wants his customers to be at home in their Reyn Spooner shirts.

“Walk over the bridge from Lido for dinner. Walk in from the Peninsula,” he said with a grin. “Chris and I are having a love affair with Newport. We are entrenched in the life here, the whole incredible Newport lifestyle.”

The man responsible for three definitive volumes on fine wine including “The Pleasure of Wine,” “Wine Secrets” and “Overstreets New Guide To Wine” will host a unique dinner June 14 at Aubergine. The Chateau Lagrange and Chateau d’ Issan Bordeaux Wine Dinner is open to the public and features 13 wines and a six-course menu that begins with Maine lobster and truffles followed by coq au vin; real sweetbreads; petit filet mignon with foie gras empanadas; a selection of Artisanal cheese and toasted country breads; and finally a chocolate mousse cake.

Most significantly, the dinner will introduce the local crowd to Marcel Ducasse, of Chateau Lagrange and Emmanuel Cruse of Chateau d’ Issan, as they present a barrel sample tasting of the pre-release of 2004 and 2005 vintages of both Bordequx wines considered to be the finest in a century.

“This is extraordinary,” gushed Overstreet. “The planets were aligned, the weather ideal, the rain water perfection to create this vintage and no one in the general public has sampled this wine. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for anyone who appreciates wine or wants to experience a rare vintage.”

Then, coming up this summer Chris and Dennis Overstreet will welcome the local crowd to two regular social dining experiences. The first is what is being called the “unlimited glass” Friday evening dinner featuring a selection of three course dinners with an unlimited pouring of four high-quality wines. Aubergine’s Chef David Mann, formerly of Troquet, the St. Regis Monarch Beach Hotel and San Francisco’s now closed but once trendy Star’s, is working with Overstreet to create a new standard for a new Aubergine.

Then, a monthly summer community dinner is in the planning stages that will bring together local supporters of various community causes to share a meal and fine wine at a reasonable price that will include a donation to the charitable cause. Some of the nonprofits supported by the Overstreets include the Arthritis Foundation, Pediatric Cancer Research, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation/UCI, the Wellness Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

Dennis Overstreet quotes his former mentor Lord Westmoreland, the late chairman of Sotheby’s: “Jesus Christ could have turned water into pineapple juice ? he chose wine. Fine wine is different every time. Paired with fine food, wine creates conversation.”

Finally, Overstreet said: “Wine demands a companion. You don’t want to drink by yourself.”

To sample either the new L’ Quai or the new Aubergine, and/or to attend the wine dinners or to book a community event, please call (949) 723-4150.