Where Pool Is the Pull

Move over, Drew Carey. You’re not the only one who can shoot a little pool under the stars.

And best of all, we don’t have to drive to Cleveland to rack ‘em up.

Rock N Java in Costa Mesa offers two experiences--a cozy, bordello-style lounge in the coffeehouse and a front patio where $1 pool rules.

Inside, regulars play on a couple of video games, jump on computers and whip through the Internet or listen to everything from jazz to alternative on the jukebox.

Outside, the pull is pool--where playing or watching can be enhanced by the warm summer nights.

Although only 5 years old, it’s one of Orange County’s original coffeehouses, and the main activity remains ordering “mocha, mocha, mocha,” says one worker weary from pouring the most popular of the dozens of coffees offered.

The crowd varies, depending on whom you’re talking to. The people at the Costa Mesa shop say they see “all walks of life.” But if you visit their sister hangout, Fullerton Rock N Java, you’ll sense a bit of competition.

“I used to work at the Newport Boulevard one,” says Kammarie McClain, manager of the Fullerton shop. “And they have a whole different crowd than we do. They’re snobby Newport people who get kind of crazy, while our clients are fun, clean-cut business people.”

Yeah, but the Fullerton place doesn’t have pool.