Being a superstitious person, I would be too concerned about jinxes to open a restaurant in a location where five other restaurants had failed.

That’s why Steven Geary owns one of the hottest restaurants in Orange County, and I am just a guy writing about him.

Click here for a photo slide show of the happenings at the Crow Bar.

Geary, who opened The Crow Bar in Corona del Mar in 2007, looked over another packed house recently and pronounced: “There are no jinxed locations; only jinxed concepts.”

The concept of The Crow Bar, according to Geary, is “elevated food and service in a neighborhood atmosphere.”

Photos and article by Barry Koltnow, the Orange County Register.

Put another way, I came across a couple celebrating a significant anniversary, and then met a group of young adults who had just played volleyball and felt comfortable enough to show up in sportswear.

The “elevated” food, courtesy of Chef John Cuevas (formerly of the Montage), includes dishes you don’t usually find in such a casual setting, including a roasted bone marrow bones appetizer and a blackened double-cut pork chop entrée. One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is the “Black Label” hamburger that is an eight-ounce piece of 21-day, dry-aged prime rib eye for $19. Geary insists that it is the best burger in Orange County.

Although gastropubs have become increasingly popular on the O.C. restaurant scene, Geary said The Crow was one of the county’s first self-described gastropubs.

The location along Pacific Coast Highway was the former home of Brio, Garlic Joe’s, Tiramisu, Belle Teresa and Matteo’s.

“I love this location,” Geary said. “There is a real history to it, and I believe that we already have lasted longer than any previous restaurant since Matteo’s.”

The Crow offers happy hour discounts seven days a week from 3-7 p.m. On Thursdays, a DJ sets up after happy hour and the restaurant transforms into a party.

Contact the writer: 714-796-5051, ext. 1110, or bkoltnow@ocregister.com

More O.C. Nightlife:

• DJ Deff at Scott’s in Costa Mesa Friday night
• Fans go wild for KRS-One in Santa Ana
• Johnny’s Saloon in Huntington Beach celebrates Dolly Parton’s 66th birthday
• Stars turn out to roast Zakk Wylde in Anaheim
• Anthrax still going strong three decades on
• Fans flock to Wu-Tang Clan’s O.C. return

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