66 Restaurant

The frenzy feels almost surreal. By 9 o'clock on a Friday night, heads at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's dramatic new restaurant are swiveling as subtly as the Lazy Susans on the bigger tables. There's Tony Roberts on his way out, and Woody Allen just sitting down. In another corner, Vogue's omnivorous food columnist Jeffrey Steingarten is ensconced with an entourage headed by Gourmet's unmistakable editor, Ruth Reichl.

The frenzy feels almost surreal. By 9 o'clock on a Friday night, heads at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's dramatic new restaurant are swiveling as subtly as the Lazy Susans on the bigger tables. There's Tony Roberts on his way out, and Woody Allen just sitting down. In another corner, Vogue's omnivorous food columnist Jeffrey Steingarten is ensconced with an entourage headed by Gourmet's unmistakable editor, Ruth Reichl.

At 66 California restaurant in Ventura, the low-key clientele and atmosphere aren't exactly conducive to outlandish behavior or fashion statements--even last weekend, on Halloween. A few strands of Halloween decorations mingled with the in-house surf motif and a couple holed up in the bar indulged in a little harmless cross-dressing. Later came the time warp. All heads turned when an impeccably clad couple stepped out of the Flapper Era and into the club.

The 66 California closed early this morning after 15 years in business, striking a sad chord for jazz lovers who gathered regularly at the downtown Ventura restaurant and nightclub. "I think we're going to be sadly deprived of jazz in this area," said Bob Agnew, a Port Hueneme resident who writes columns for the monthly L.A. Jazz Scene newspaper and is a regular patron of the club. "I hung out there because I met so many great musicians from all over."

The 66 California closed early this morning after 15 years in business, striking a sad chord for jazz lovers who gathered regularly at the downtown Ventura restaurant and nightclub. "I think we're going to be sadly deprived of jazz in this area," said Bob Agnew, a Port Hueneme resident who writes columns for the monthly L.A. Jazz Scene newspaper and is a regular patron of the club. "I hung out there because I met so many great musicians from all over."

A mechanical failure left about 1,500 residents and merchants throughout Ventura's downtown area without electricity for almost two hours Sunday morning. Two back-to-back underground electrical explosions blew off a manhole cover at Figueroa Plaza near Santa Clara Avenue, Southern California Edison officials said. The force dislodged several 150-pound concrete tiles that covered the manhole.

Although decertified for a decade and heavily entombed beneath great reaches of interstates, Route 66 refuses to die. Last month, the Department of the Interior held town meetings in eight states crossed by existing portions of the old diagonal and discussed alternatives "for its future management." This month, more than 100 owners shipped classic cars from Europe and spent three weeks running the route east to west. Two new songs have been recorded around the Mother Road.

After listening to the pleas of merchants, parents and skateboarders, the Ventura City Council has agreed to place a renewed emphasis on building a skate park and banning skateboards, bicycles and in-line skates from parts of the city. The council instructed city staff members Monday night to come back in three months with a proposed site and recommendations for construction of a skate park.

Sue Stoutz was seated outside the Bella Maggiore Inn in downtown Ventura on Tuesday morning, making a sketch of the bed-and-breakfast hotel when a big yellow maintenance truck pulled up. "Oh, it parked right in front of my building!" she wailed, grabbing her sketch pad and scrambling to another spot so she could see what she was drawing. Such are the hazards of painting outdoors.

At 66 California restaurant in Ventura, the low-key clientele and atmosphere aren't exactly conducive to outlandish behavior or fashion statements--even last weekend, on Halloween. A few strands of Halloween decorations mingled with the in-house surf motif and a couple holed up in the bar indulged in a little harmless cross-dressing. Later came the time warp. All heads turned when an impeccably clad couple stepped out of the Flapper Era and into the club.

Girl Scout Troop No. 745 will host its second annual Camarillo Arbor Day celebration Saturday at Valle Lindo Park. The tree-planting event will include children's activities, displays, giveaways and information booths. The Sheriff's Department will offer to fingerprint children. The event is co-sponsored by Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District. * Camarillo Arbor Day; Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Valle Lindo Park, 889 Aileen St., Camarillo. Free. 383-0548, Ext. 18.

The arrest of nine Hells Angels and 15 associates on drug charges over the weekend has some local officials and merchants hoping that the case against them may help the city shed its image as a magnet for the notorious motorcycle gang. "I can't say we've been particularly enamored with the fact that Ventura has been considered a haven for Hells Angels," said Mayor Sandy Smith, who said City Hall frequently fields complaints about the motorcycle club. Hells Angels leader George Gus Christie Jr.