Duo offer up upscale food, dÃ©cor as well as a new acronym

Manhattan has SoHo and NoLita ”“ but SOMA? That”™s White Plains territory.

SOMA 107, an upscale restaurant and lounge at 107 Mamaroneck Ave. just opened for business; the type of place where the “Bright Lights, Big City” vibe abounds.

One would be hard-pressed to find a difference between Manhattan”™s hottest and Westchester”™s newest; black-suited bouncers and a row of high-ticket Ferraris completed the look meticulously executed by partners Gene Lum and Louis Spizzirro at the restaurant”™s grand opening party with a 500-count guest list.

Rewind. Before the big night, countless hours of planning went into the design and branding of the restaurant.

“When we first walked into this location, it was immense ”¦ and it was a mess, too,” said Gene Lum, partner. “It was formerly a nightclub, there was no kitchen and we really wracked our brains about what to do with a space of this size.”

The approximately 9,000-square-foot site lacked a kitchen and a clear vision. “A space of this size couldn”™t just support a restaurant, so we finally came up with the idea of not only doing a restaurant, but also to include nightlife and multiple bars,” Lum said. “So we came up with this modern, American cuisine in a location with a very contemporary look.”

SOMA 107 was branded in big-city fashion. A 36-foot mahogany bar welcomes patrons as they enter the dining room. Swells of spacey music conjure up a tranquil atmosphere. Dramatic leopard-like carpeting leads up to one of three bars in the private VIP lounge.

Lum”™s background is rooted in the restaurant business. His family”™s establishment, Lum Yen Restaurant in Mamaroneck, has been in business for more than 36 years, Lum said.

“My parents always tried to kick me out because they thought I should be doing something better like being a doctor or lawyer,” he said, and laughed. “But I always wanted to learn. My father would say, ”˜Get out of the kitchen, it”™s dirty. You”™ll get burned.”™ So I stayed in the front.”

That experience at the front of the house coupled with a love of meeting new people led Lum to the launch of the restaurant/lounge.

Fast forward.

Enter James Cawley, CIA-trained executive chef. Cawley gained experience at some of Miami Beach”™s rumored best: Pacific Time, Nemo and Prezzo, as well as CafÃ© L”™Europe in Palm Beach. He interned at Tribeca Grill in Manhattan and Georges Blanc in Vonnas, France. Prior to SOMA, he was chef de cuisine at MacMenamin”™s Grill in New Rochelle.

“I really like to have fun with food,” Cawley said. “I take it seriously to a certain degree and to a certain level, but at the same time I always try to think about what I would like to eat, what Gene would like to eat ”¦ off the cutting edge, but not extremely expensive with extremely expensive ingredients.”

Cawley stressed the restaurant”™s goal of utilizing fresh, locally grown organics and the creative American cuisine with Asian and European influence.

It”™s a place where Kobe sliders on the late-night lounge menu meet farm-raised pork chops and house-cured Maker”™s Mark salmon.

“We”™re not going to compete with BLT and Cheesecake Factory, the only thing I want to compete with those companies for is business,” Cawley said. “I want to be able to offer dishes that although you might not get a to-go bag to go; you won”™t feel like you”™re overstuffed or didn”™t eat enough ”¦ balance is where I want to be.”

Add comfort to the mix. “Everybody that sees the space says, ”˜I feel like I”™m in Manhattan,”™” Lum said. “But, at the same time, it”™s comfortable, not intimidating. It”™s something that fits in, blends into Westchester nightlife, but at the same time”¦stands out.”

And by the way, SOMA stands for south of Main Street.

The Web site is www.vovrestaurants.com.