Posts by Mark McDermott
Empire made of beer: Mike Zislis, the South Bay’s Brew King
Mike Zislis has built an empire. He and the Zislis Group, which includes his mysterious, seldom seen brother Dave, have largely remade downtown Manhattan Beach. The Shade Hotel is the cornerstone of the thriving Metlox Plaza development and has proven to be as much a community gathering point as it is a hotel. Zislis restaurants…
Read MoreMediterraneo: beer enlightenment on Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach
Matt Husted was an unapologetic wine snob when he arrived as general manager of Mediterraneo in Hermosa Beach nine years ago. And then he saw the light. He drank a really good beer. He remembers the day. He was across the street at Café Boogaloo and had a drink with its former owner Steve Roberts,…
Read MoreThe brew scientist: Brian Brewer from The Brewery at Abigaile
Brian Brewer has heard it before. No, he didn’t start brewing because of his name. He did it in the name of science. Really. He was a 17-years-old science geek growing up in Riverside. Just down the street was a home brew shop, and he convinced his parents to let him try his hand and…
Read MoreSouth Bay Craft Beer Celebration this Thursday
Thursday night a celebration of local craft beer and the release of Beach magazine’s October “Waves of Grain: The Beer Issue” will be held at Abigaile in Hermosa Beach (1301 Manhattan Ave.). The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and will feature special brews from El Segundo Brewingg Co., Monkish Brewing Co., Strand Brewing Co., Smog…
Read MoreHigh tech golf proposed at The Lakes at El Segundo
A futuristic driving range that combines microchip-embedded golf balls, a sensor-laden field, and a lounge area featuring gourmet food and drinks has been proposed at The Lakes at El Segundo. TopGolf, a company based in Dallas, Texas, hopes to operate the 20-year-old driving range that is attached to the 9-hole municipal golf course. In late…
Read MoreRedondo Beach initiative petitions filed, controversy over Waxman statement and AES power plant
The NoPowerPlant movement on Wednesday morning submitted petitions with over 9,000 signatures, which if found valid are more than enough to qualify as a ballot initiative that would propose removing power generation as an acceptable use on the Redondo Beach waterfront and potentially prevent the AES power plant from continuing to operate.
Read MoreBob Meistrell: 25 years at the helm of the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race
On an early Saturday morning in August every year for the last quarter century, a motley crew of paddlers, reporters, photographers and Catalina Classic race officials have congregated aboard Disappearance. The boat’s skipper, Body Glove founder and legendary waterman Bob Meistrell, kicks off the journey with a few simple instructions: make sure your own a…
Read MoreA conversation with John Hiatt
When you think of the top tier of truly great soul singers, the names that come quickly to mind are Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Sam and Dave. The list has two qualities that are immediately striking: everyone is black, and all came from the same…
Read MoreHarbor revitalization adds landmarks
Two projects two decades in the making were both unveiled on the Redondo Beach waterfront last weekend, marking the beginning of what city leaders believe will become the physical and economic transformation of its long-suffering harbor and pier area. The Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol facility, a $2 million, 5,000 sq. ft., two story seaside…
Read MoreThe legendary Alejandro Escovedo plays Hermosa Beach
Alejandro Escovedo felt death. He’d been laid low, bedridden, by hepatitis C. After 30 years on the road, writing and singing songs that had become the fabric of other people’s lives, his own life seemed near exhausted. Escovedo had never achieved broad commercial success. But among other musicians, he was revered. He’d emerged from the…
Read MoreGuitar man: the man behind the upcoming Los Angeles Guitar Festival
Mitch Chang was fresh out of high school in Honolulu in 1990 when he went to the U.S. Army recruitment office with the intention of signing up to serve as medic.
Read MoreEl Segundo police agree to “two-tier” pension reform
In recent years, proposed “two tier” public retirement systems frequently created discord between cities attempting to cut employee benefits costs and public safety employee groups intent on holding on to their existing benefit packages. Things have changed. With little fanfare, the El Segundo Police Officers Association this month entered into an agreement with city management…
Read MoreState of the City: El Segundo leaders see brighter days ahead
Mayor Carl Jacobson led an unusual joint State of the City address in which he was joined by City Council members Bill Fisher and Suzanne Fuentes in giving a multi-perspective assessment of where El Segundo stands and what the future holds. The good news, according to the officials, is that the city’s dynamic private sector…
Read MoreHermosa Beach news briefs Aug. 9-15
A suspect stole two skateboards, a tennis racket and a bag containing cash from a residence in the 700 block of Beach Drive on July 30 at about 10:20 a.m. The suspect was identified on a surveillance video and later arrested, police said.
Read MoreBark wins Molokai stock, Ambrosi-ODonnell win stock relay
Jack Bark was sick. The 18-year-old paddleboarder arrived in Hawaii last week to compete in the arduous 32-mile Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard World Championships with a head cold that made breathing difficult. When the race began at dawn Sunday morning, Bark wasn’t even thinking about winning. He was just hoping to finish. And when he…
Read MoreCelebrity DJ Sam Ronson plays Manhattan Beach
Sam Ronson is one of the most celebrated DJs in the world. She comes from music royalty. Her father, Laurence, was a record executive; her brother, Mark, is an acclaimed producer (Amy Winehouse, Rufus Wainwright) and musician; her step-father Mick Jones was Foreigner’s founder and lead guitarist. Tuesday night, Easy Reader’s Mark McDermott caught up…
Read More