Posts by Richard Foss
Dickie’s: Best American BBQ
The stainless steel cabinets behind Dickie’s counter don’t look much like a traditional smoker, but it sure works like one, turning out tender brisket, ribs, chicken, and sausages with hickory flavor infused into the meat.
Read MoreCoyote Cantina: Best Mexican under $20
Coyote Cantina isn’t the first place you’d think of for a modestly priced Mexican meal, simply because the place looks too classy. Original art on the walls, a greeting at the door – it’s what you’d expect when you’re dropping a fair amount of money.
Read MorePeet’s: Best Coffeehouse (chain)
The winner for best chain coffeehouse is the one that started gourmet coffee culture in America. Dutch entrepreneur Alfred Peet opened his first location in Oakland in 1966, and generations of Americans had their first freshly roasted coffee beans in his establishments.
Read MoreEl Pollo Inka: Rotisserie chicken
At El Pollo Inca Mediterranean and South American ideas come together in a wonderful way.
Read MoreSandwich shop: Big Mike’s
If Big Mike’s ever wants to come up with a fancy name for what they do, they could promote themselves as a purveyor of American regional cuisine. It’s not a cuisine most people recognize, but many of the sandwiches here have distinctive style.
Read MoreA La Carte 3/12/15
First Looks…Orlando’s Pizzeria & Birreria in Redondo is off to an amazing start; they opened with little fanfare three weeks ago and there are already lines out the door at dinner. They serve much more than pizza – owner Orlando Mulé lived in Quebec for years and his restaurant offers poutine, Montreal smoked meat, and…
Read MoreBaja California Fish Tacos conquers the corner of doom
If you drive by the northwest corner of Inglewood and Artesia, you’re likely to see something that is remarkable: a restaurant with a full parking lot. This might not be unusual in most locations, but this has been a spectacularly bad place to open a restaurant – there have been five of them, all serving…
Read MoreHey 19’s inventive, homey cuisine sings like a good pop song
There’s a subtle art to good smart pop songs, the ones that you find yourself singing along with and liking more each time you do. They have some musical or vocal hook, the thing that makes you listen to it in the first place, but sonic layers beneath – on the tenth listening you may…
Read MoreA La Carte: Doma MIA, The Crush alive and well, the return of the Yee family, and a primer on bacon….
Leaving The Promised Land… Downtown Manhattan Beach has few chain restaurants, and one is about to leave. I have it on good authority that a Manhattan Avenue café has given notice because even with a full house on a regular basis, they can’t make their very high rent. Chain restaurants can’t adjust their prices –…
Read MoreLove & Salt: Manhattan Beach’s newest restaurant brings audacity and creativity to the plate
A proverb says all a good cook needs is love and salt. The restaurant adds audacity and creativity.
Read MoreCopacabana: Brazilian BBQ, with an emphasis on the sides
As much as you may love eating at a traditional American barbecue joint, odds are that the sides aren’t the focal point of your experience. Baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and white bread are the most traditional accompaniments, and a place that is getting fancy might offer some mac and cheese or a green salad.…
Read MoreFlossie’s Timeless Southern Cooking [restaurant review]
As I surveyed the options while standing at the counter at Flossie’s in Torrance, I was struck by the irony that people think of fried chicken and the trimmings as fast food. Many locals think first of a multinational company that makes a pitiful imitation of fried chicken and sells it in buckets, not to…
Read MoreSteaming Ahead: Stanley Steamer enthusiast Ron Schroeder
When Ron Schroeder was eleven years old, his father took him to an exhibition of antique steam-powered farm equipment, and he noticed something that was out of place. “I admiring a steam traction engine and what looked like a Ford Model A went by, but it was very quiet. I went to talk with the…
Read MoreA la carte
The New Year has brought news of a number of new projects, the most interesting of which promises a big change on the Hermosa Pier Plaza. Ron and Greg Newman, best known for the Sharkeez chain and Palimilla, have leased the spaces formerly operated by Fat Face Fenner’s, Paradise Sushi, and Froyo. Though these are…
Read MoreFoie gras ruling protested, celebrated in Hermosa Beach
Hot’s Kitchen’s Sean Chaney was a plaintiff in the lawsuit that successfully overturned the state ban on foie gras.
Read MoreFeature: Best restaurants of 2014
The whole idea of End of the Year lists is to give perspective on a category of news, to identify trends that might not have been obvious as they happened. Compiling my list of the best new restaurants in the South Bay gets more difficult every year, and to understand why I decided to take…
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