Posts by Richard Foss
Il canto Italiani [RESTAURANT REVIEW]
Chef Aliaga’s in-house pastas and sausages and co-owner Lou Giovanetti voice make for magical meals
Read MoreRestoration in Old Town [RESTAURANT REVIEW]
The word restaurant comes from a French term meaning “I restore you,” and while that presumably refers to restoring hungry people to happy fullness it can be applied more broadly. A thriving restaurant can also restore life to a neighborhood, benefitting not only the proprietors but neighboring businesses that get more foot traffic and attention.…
Read MoreDining with a view (of the clothing department)
The South Bay has had a fair number of restaurants themed around art, including eateries named after Picasso, Matisse, Boccaccio, and other painters ancient and modern. This is usually an excuse to decorate the place for the appropriate century, hang a few impressionists or old masters, and get to the more important business of ordering…
Read MoreSouth Bay Dining News: a parent friendly coffee shop in Redondo, Chicago For Ribs replaces Casa Pulido, Nikau Kai adds burrito bar, Culinary Masters at Strand House, Terranea’s Celebration of Food and Wine, and more….
New Concept In North Redondo… An interesting new place will bring some fresh air to the somewhat staid Artesia corridor. The Great Room will open in the space near the Galleria that used to be Mysterious Galaxy, and it’s a first. They plan to be a parent-friendly coffeehouse where children can enjoy a playroom while…
Read MoreTown To Table – A Chef In The Garden
The term Farm-to-Table is used frequently in the local restaurant community, though many who toss it around find it difficult to say exactly what it means. Manhattan House chef Diana Stavaridis’ understanding is practical rather than vague and mystical. “I interpret that as a direct channel from the grower to the chef, working closely with…
Read MoreSouth Bay dining news: BBQ, Brewport and Two Guns come to El Segundo, Italian wine dinner at Hostaria Piave, Brazilian Plate House opens in Torrance, Terranea hosts wine, whiskey, and nose-to-tail pork dinner….
by Richd Fos Everybody’s Going to El Segundo… Mayberry By The Sea has been getting some good eating lately, and the rush continues. Johnny Memphis Smokehouse BBQ will soon move into the former Mandy’s on Main and Two Guns Espresso takes the former Steve’s Burgers down the street. The latter establishment is called Two Guns…
Read MoreMama Terano’s Boy Chef: Robert Bell
Most chefs have someone in their background who inspired them to get into cooking, often a kitchen veteran who saw promise in a new dishwasher and evolved from a boss to a mentor. In the case of Robert Bell, chef and co-owner of Chez Melange, the inspiration started at home in Brooklyn, where his Italian…
Read MoreChanges at the center on the edge: Primo opens, Truxton’s to arrive soon
Torrance ER Article: Reinventing The Center On The Edge By Richard Foss There’s a half-hidden development in a part of Torrance that many people don’t realize is inside the city limits, but that some high-powered people plan to make a dining and nightlife destination. It’s a big gamble that an upscale clientele can be…
Read MoreStraddling Suburbia
Riviera Village has been called “South Bay’s Little Italy,” and the appellation fits. Of the last 10 restaurants to open here, seven specialize in Italian food and all seem to be doing well. When the Blackhouse Group took over a former Italian restaurant, I wasn’t the only one to wonder what region of Italy they…
Read More“From Cows to Concrete”: A history of farming in the South Bay
When I met Judith Gerber at the café at Nordstrom’s, she glanced at the stylish fashions with curiosity. “This isn’t the kind of place I usually shop,” she confessed. “I’m a farm girl.” That might seem like an odd statement from a Torrance native, but as Judith documented in the book “From Cows…
Read MoreHennessey’s at 40: How Paul Hennessey took a dingy pub and launched a thirsty empire
When I asked Paul Hennessey what set his bar apart from the rest of the eating and drinking establishments in Hermosa back when he opened, he started with a history lesson. In just a few words he set the scene of a neighborhood very different from the upscale playground we see now. “In…
Read MoreSouth Bay dining news: Britt’s is back, Barley Hops Grill is coming, a brewmaster’s dinner at Chez Melange, Shade Redondo’s Sea Level restaurant, bread trucks and more
Can’t Keep A Good Place Down… Britt’s Barbecue in El Segundo was in the process of a menu expansion when a car smashed through their front window, forcing the closure of the place for the summer months. I am happy to report that they are open again and serving not only the barbecued meats…
Read MoreMcCormick & Schmick’s and the tasty execution of the fifty minute meal
While driving down Rosecrans with a friend, I wondered aloud who might be moving in to an open restaurant space. Without missing a beat she said, “Whoever they are they’ll be able to knock out a lunch for twenty dollars or less within fifty minutes. Otherwise that space will be vacant again.” It was…
Read MoreAustere surroundings, lavish fare at Kagura in El Segundo
A few years ago I took a trip through Germany and overdosed on baroque art. At first I was enchanted with finding details within details in paintings that sprawled across walls, but after a few days the blizzard of intricacy became fatiguing. I tried to imagine the mind of the craftsman who labored over the…
Read MoreSouth Bay Dining News: Truxton arrives in Palos Verdes, Doma departs Manhattan Beach, Mama Terano expands, ramen on the International Boardwalk, lobsters, hatch chilies, and more
A Surprising New Tenant On The Hill… The space that used to be Restaurant Christine has been vacant since May of last year, but a new tenant has been announced. Truxton’s American Bistro, a mini-chain that already has locations in Westchester and Santa Monica, will be moving in sometime in early 2017. I have visited…
Read MoreThoroughly modern Melba: Chef Melba’s Bistro has remained deliciously ahead of the culinary curve for a dozen years [RESTAURANT REVIEW]
When Melba Rodriguez opened her restaurant in Hermosa Beach it was out of step with a community that was then thought of primarily as a nightlife destination. I distinctly remember people calling it “a Manhattan Beach restaurant in Hermosa,” and predicting the place would flop because people went downtown to drink, not eat. They thought…
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