“The Joint” – Newport’s New Sushi and Taparia About to Open

Mike Lowe, Joe Gladstone, and CJ Gladstone, inside their new "The Joint", set to open in several weeks. It will offer sushi, tapas and many beer taps. (Photos by Frank Gormlie.)

Three good buddies – two of them brothers – are about to change a whole corner on OB’s main street.  CJ and Joe Gladstone and Mike Lowe are close to opening ““The Joint” – their new sushi and tapa bar and brewery at the corner of Newport and Cable.  They’ll open ASAP over the next several weeks.  Right now, newspapers cover all the windows.  But wait till you see inside.

Corner of Newport and Cable about to change.

The new interior is literally stunning – you won’t believe what these guys have done to the old restaurant, that once was the site of the Little Chef, OB’s iconic greasy spoon of decades past.

The new ceiling is incredible with acrylic and copper plate tiles and fancy ceiling fans. The place also has a nice new, finished wooden floor, and a brand new high wooden counter.  They had to totally replace the kitchen, I was told.

With executive chef Brandon McCormick, The Joint will feature sushi and tapas – small Spanish dishes, filets, other fish.  As they already have their beer and wine license, they’ll have at least 20 beer taps going, and may include many more. The front will be the sushi counter, then the bar, with the rear of the place reserved as a lounge area with couches.  It will be “very affordable”, CJ Gladstone told me, a friend I’ve known for most of this century.  (CJ is also a musician and is starting up a new band – but that’s another story.)

The guys get along with Maryann quite well. Maryann owns the neighboring Chinese food place, and used to own the entire corner.  “She’s great,” one of them said.  “She told us we’re family,” insisted Joe.  She gives them all kinds of food and never lets them pay for it.  She must be quite pleased with her new neighbors.

With a type of hippie name as their restaurant handle, these guys are banking that OB can handle another sushi bar.  But it will bring the first taparia to the beach. Their new place certainly will upgrade the corner and bring another restaurant to this end of Newport Avenue and will establish one of the only beer joints up this a way – the only other being Ortega’s.

Good luck, guys, we wish you all the best.