Pitfire Artisan Pizza in Costa Mesa just debuted Pie Society, a dimly lit speakeasy bar not visible from the pizza joint but hidden behind its retro Community Kitchen. Pie Society’s name pays homage to the former Marie Callender’s location and its top shelf spirits are stocked on a shelf made from the original pie oven.
Cocktail enthusiasts will love the artisanal handcrafted cocktails by Steve Garcia, who also oversaw cocktail menus at MESA in Costa Mesa, and Broadway by Amar Santana in Laguna Beach. The cocktails are all about seasonal ingredients and housemade cordials.
Order a smoky and perfect El Primo with Sombra Mezcal, and housemade lime cordial served with up a lime wheel garish; or other favorites such as the Boston Sour with bourbon and rye whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, bitters mist, and orange zest ($10); or a Hemingway Daiquiri made with Caña Brava, Cuban-style rum, fresh lime juice, house-made grapefruit cordial, maraschino cherry, and frappé ($10).
To complement Garcia’s cocktails there’s a “Food & Snacks” menu from Jason Neroni, chef of Venice Beach’s beloved Superba Snack Bar, recently named one of Jonathon Gold’s “101 Best Restaurants” in the Los Angeles Times.
Neroni’s menu includes a selection of unique, gourmet dishes such as Superba Fried Chicken with red vin glaze, parmesan, and chilies; a Cheeseburger Hot Pocket served with smoked cheddar and a dill pickle; Crispy Dim Sum Shrimp with black sesame sweet may, and others. We actually love the smoked olives and the pastrami peanuts with smoked sea salt.
The bar only makes East 17th Street in Costa Mesa that much better. Now we have a new haven, an intimate meeting place, to relax and enjoy excellent cocktails and new bar food offerings.
Open at 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.
Pie Society at Pitfire Artisan Pizza is at 353 E.17th Street in Costa Mesa. 949.313.6333.
Surfin' Summer Fims
Surfin’ Summer is a new series of some of the greatest surf films ever made screened Saturday morning at 10 a.m. through summer at the historic Regency Lido Theater in Newport Beach. It’s a great opportunity to see these surf genre films on the big screen. Tickets to screenings cost $7.
The schedule includes “Big Wednesday” on July 6, “Soul Surfer “on July 13, “North Shore” on July 20, “Endless Summer on July 27, “In Gods Hands” on Aug. 3, “Chasing Mavericks on Aug. 10; Deeper Shades of Blue” on Aug. 17, “Ride the Wild Surf” on Aug. 24, and “Riding Giants” on Aug. 31.
The Lido will also present the much-anticipated 3D surf film “Storm Surfers” starting July 29.
3459 Via Lido in Newport Beach. 949.673.8350.
