Garage in Irvine Opens Doors to Cutting-Edge Sounds

A cool club in the heart of Irvine’s business district that knocks the platforms off so-called underground nightclubs in Orange County? It’s hard for even a club veteran to believe, but with the opening last week of the Garage at McCormick & Schmick’s, it’s true.

Among other surprises at Friday’s opening were the tunes delivered by Top 40 radio station Power 106’s party crew, Power Tools. The deejays’ selection of house, deep house and old school blew away the tired mix of vintage and new commercial hits that most clubs can’t seem to get out of their systems.

Deejays Richard (Humpty) Vission and Tony B! dominated the evening, much to the glee of the packed house. The only hitch came mid-evening, when deejay Jon Jon started to spin old school disco and new wave: He was apparently more intent on proving his power with unnecessary, jarring mixes than maintaining the flow. Indeed, he was quickly shuffled off the stage after only half a dozen songs.

The music, however, was more cutting edge than anything anyone was wearing on opening night. The 21-to-mid-30s crowd showed up in everything from tidy jeans to tailored suits--and not of the Brooks Bros. variety. They were a trendy bunch for the most part, but not the crowd you’d expect to find in a comparable club in New York, Hollywood or even San Diego, where hip centers on the wild, bizarre and unconventional.

Power Tools, however, manages to create a big-city mood with videos of futuristic graphics showing on large screens and a live performance by rappers. (Those rappers, unfortunately, felt compelled to overuse profanities in hopes of keeping up crowd enthusiasm when the sound system temporarily went wacky. It didn’t work.) As for the go-go dancers, they entertained, but not always the way they probably intended. The guy’s attempts to move like a robot (or was he vogueing?) were weak and didn’t quite match up with the music. His constant need to pull his purple Spandex briefs above his super tiny hot pants also proved more comical than sexy.

At 11:30, a queue still stretched outside the door, but it wasn’t the doormen’s way of making the club look popular to passersby. Inside, patrons filled every space, from the entrance area to the back patio, where the lack of a dance floor mattered not.

The upstairs lounge area offered some relief, as well as plenty to look at. A fabulous collection of framed Playboy covers from the ‘60s and ‘70s hangs along a wall, as do less interesting posters of famous rockers, including Chuck Berry and the Sex Pistols. There is also a view of the first level from the balcony, a perfect point for locating lost friends or finding new ones.

Pack plenty of George Washingtons. Dollar drinks are announced throughout the night, from domestic draft beers to the trendy sex-on-the-beach or kamikaze shooters. Otherwise, the bar sells domestic bottles of brew for $2.50 and imports for $3.50; cocktails run $4 to $5. A glass of wine is $3.75 to $5.25, and sodas are $1.50.

There’s a $10 cover after 9 p.m., but there are three ways to get around it--offered, no doubt, to drag in the masses in the early evening. Dine in the adjoining restaurant until 11 p.m. and be escorted into the club via a special entrance; dishes, mostly seafood, range from $10 to $20. Come in for happy hour from 4:30 to 8 p.m. and stay on until the Garage officially kicks in. The best bet is picking up a flyer with a two-for-one offer before 10 p.m. Flyers are handed out as guests leave the club or can be picked up during happy hour on other days.

* THE GARAGE

* At McCormick & Schmick’s, 2000 Main St., Irvine.

* (714) 756-0505. The Garage hot line is (714) 222-9477.

* Fridays only, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

* Cover: $10.