Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

by Richard Foss
One of the finest dining experiences I can remember was in a rustic farmhouse at the end of a long dirt road. “Everything you are eating was produced within sight of this dining room,” mentioned our server as he set out a magnificent meal. The ideal of local, fresh food was beautifully expressed, and we ate cheese while the cows that had been milked for it stood placidly outside.

That was at La Chevrette in the French Alps, but I’ve had farmhouse meals elsewhere that had the same values – hearty portions with the quality of the ingredients allowed to shine. That converted barn in the hills above Evian had things in common with the Maryland home cooking at Friendly Farms, the converted sawmill where I had a vast breakfast in Humboldt, and other rustic eateries around the world.

I did not expect to find anything remotely similar in a corner of the Goat Hill mini-mall in Manhattan Beach, so I was a little skeptical when the American Farmhouse Roadside Grill opened last year. Goat Hill actually was a farm almost 100 years ago, when Mrs. Auchmoody, the potato queen of the LA County Fair, raised goats here, but nobody has sowed crops in the area lately. Farmhouse cooking without a farm? I figured it was likely to be more about décor than cuisine, but just in case I’d give the place a try.

On that first visit the menu was brief and had a mix-and-match style; pick your protein — meat, chicken, or fish — and have it on a plate, in a sandwich, or over a salad. The prices were moderate and at the time I thought of it as a good place for a simple, hearty meal. The spicy vegetable soup that came with almost everything tasted very fresh, and my wife particularly enjoyed the endearingly named “bowl of stuff.” This contains steak and chicken, pinto beans, rice, Ortega chilies, avocado, sour cream, salsa, and shredded cheese, which looks like the kind of thing you’d make for a 3 a.m. snack by just tossing in everything in the refrigerator. It tastes a heck of a lot better than the hodgepodge recipe sounds, and is a well-balanced meal besides.

Over time the menu grew and changed – they added lobster, steaks, more sides, more desserts – and the sparsely decorated café started developing a 1930s Americana vibe. Thirties and ‘40s jazz played in the background, and black and white movies played silently on an LCD screen in the back. I usually dislike TVs in restaurants with the sole exception of Indian restaurants that play Bollywood dance numbers, but this was pretty cool.

On a recent evening when I was frazzled and wanted a simple, relaxing meal, I grabbed a bottle of wine and sauntered in. (They don’t have a wine license, but allow you to bring your own.) I decided to splurge and get a steak and lobster combination with ranch-fried potatoes, soup, and salad. They make their own vinaigrette and ranch, both of which are very good – ranch is usually bland, but theirs has a tangy flavor suggesting a liberal measure of buttermilk. The salad has sliced carrot, tomato, beet and garbanzo beans, not just the usual mix of greens, and it’s a good way to start. Then came the soup, vegetables with a fresh tomato and onion flavor like some pico de gallo was added just before serving. This is one spicy, interesting vegetable soup, and a vegetarian or light eater could make a meal of this and a side of the sweet potato fries.

The service here is fast but friendly, and just as I finished the last of the soup, the steak and lobster arrived. The ribeye had a nice exterior char but was exactly the medium-rare I had requested, and the oak-grilled flavor suffused every bite. This steak really does have the Santa Maria barbecue flavor that lots of places try to achieve, and I’d rate it with the best in the South Bay. The lobster that accompanied it was a full half-pound of meat that had also benefited from that grill – it was a little chewy but marvelously flavorful. It was accompanied by asparagus, garlic bread, and grilled vegetables, far too much food for one person – I’d order this for two and figure both would be well satisfied. At $23.95 for the steak with all the trimmings, and an extra $13 for the lobster tail, it would be a lavish but inexpensive date.

Dessert was included, a homemade strawberry shortcake, and I saved some room for it. It was a ranch meal to savor, home cooking writ large and served in portions and surroundings of a bygone day. If the ghosts of the farmhands who once worked Mrs. Auchmoody’s spread could see these meals, they’d recognize the style and wish they could return for one more serving.

American Farmhouse Roadside Grill is at 350 North Sepulveda #7 in Manhattan Beach. Entrees, $9 to $22; kids menu available. Breakfast on weekends. Lunch and dinner Tuesday – Sunday. No corkage, lot and street parking. (310) 376-8044. ER

by Richard Foss
 Most restaurants are run to please everyone, so that a vegetarian, pescatarian, and hardcore meat fan can all find something they like. Rib joints are usually specialists. You go there for only one thing, tasty slow-smoked meat. If you don’t want that, you don’t go there. It makes sense because roasting barbecue the traditional way is sufficiently time consuming and labor-intensive that you really can’t do much else.  

 Mr. Cecil’s California Ribs is an anomaly on two counts – while their specialty is obvious from the name, the ribs are made in a way that is anything but traditional, and the menu is very wide-ranging. Over the course of several meals there I have tried most of the items on the menu, and while everything hasn’t worked, there are plenty of things worth a visit.

 I started a recent meal with the “Jonathan’s Selection” appetizer platter, a sampler of ribs, hush puppies, hot links, chili, wings, and barbecued beans. At $20 the portion was hefty for two people and moderate for three. It was fairly priced, and a good way to try the most popular offerings from the kitchen. The wings were the spiciest thing on the platter, and the zestiest thing I’ve had from this kitchen. They stand with the best I’ve had locally. The hot links were subtler, conveying a nice slow burn rather than a fiery explosion. The beanless chili was mild by comparison, but that’s no insult. It had a deep, rich flavor based on slow-cooked meatiness rather than heaps of spices. I’d start a meal with a bowl of this any time. The baked beans were good too, brown sugar or molasses and smoke flavor infusing every bite.

 

Which brings us to the ribs, of which three kinds were provided – beef, baby back, and St. Louis style. I’m not usually a fan of beef ribs, which are often tough and flavorless. But these were very good, tender and beefy, slathered with a mild sweet-and-sour type sauce that had caramelized slightly. Compared to them, both types of pork ribs were mild, and all about concentrated meaty flavors and mild char, with only light accents from the rib rub and spices that are the front and center at most places. This is no flaw in ribs that are called “California Ribs,” because that implies an individual and original style, but is when it comes to anything called St. Louis style ribs. Not to be too much of a purist here, but I’ve had ribs in St. Louis and these aren’t them. St. Louis ribs are slow-cooked and sauced, then finished on the grill, and they have a distinctive spicy kick. These are the same long-bone cut served in St. Louis, but with the same mild spice treatment as the standard ribs. The ribs served at Mr. Cecil’s have an appealing crispiness to the exterior, no smoky overtones, and are served dry rather than sauced. The hotter of the two barbecue sauces that are provided move things a little in the traditional direction, but not much – the hot sauce here would be served as a mild sauce at most places, and the mild is extremely tame.

 Having tried the ribs, we decided to go a bit further afield in our main courses. I selected the lamb chops, while my companion decided on smoked tri-tip. We also selected sides of Caesar salad, glazed carrots, roasted corn, and green beans.  To pair, we picked glasses of Fess Parker Frontier Red and Seven Deadly Zins, wines that work admirably with the meaty flavors of good barbecue. The wine list here is exceptionally well-chosen and moderately priced, and sets an example for other barbecue joints.

 The main courses arrived nicely presented, the lamb chops arranged in a small pool of tomato-mint vinaigrette, slab of pretty tri-tip with its crosshatched grill marks next to an ear of corn with the husk artistically tied. That steak was great to look at, but with the first bite I remembered why tri-tip is usually slow-cooked and sliced thin. Quick grilling makes this cut of meat tasty but very tough, and we ended up finishing the caesar and corn but leaving half of the beef on the plate. The lamb chops were greatly superior, tender and tangy, the lightly sweet mint sauce not overwhelming the natural flavors. The glazed carrots showed the danger of this. I expected sweetness in anything glazed, but these were candy-sweet. There was plenty on the plate, so we finished the green beans and other sides and still had a little room for dessert.

 Only one of the desserts was made in-house, a rum cake that was moist and absolutely perfect, with plenty of rum flavor without strong alcohol overtones. It was an excellent finish to a meal that had it’s high points. While I haven’t ordered the tri-tip again, on other visits I’ve been quite happy with the catfish nuggets, and they even turn out a good burger. Mr. Cecil’s is a multifaceted restaurant, not a roadhouse rib joint, more ambitious than most of its kind and successful in many ways.

 Mr. Cecil’s California Ribs is at 1209 Highland Avenue in Manhattan Beach. Open for lunch and dinner daily, full bar, wheelchair access OK to half of restaurant. Street parking only. For reservations, call 310-546-5400. B

by Richard Foss
The emergence of gastropubs has created the perfect solution for those who love the ambiance of a good bar, but also appreciate the finer things in life. One of the most popular in the South Bay is Hudson House, which opened in the space vacated by Grog on Pacific Coast Highway.

Going here to dine looks dubious at first – the food menu is about half the size of their beer menu, and many people here are obviously hoisting a pint or a glass of wine rather than having dinner. They don’t know what they’re missing, because every item I’ve tried on that menu (and I’ve tried most of them) have almost all been delectable.

 My wife and I started a recent meal with Dungeness crab deviled eggs, cauliflower fritters, and a bowl of cucumber and celery root slaw with a sweet rice vinaigrette, the first pricey by the standards here at $9, the other two items $6 each. We accidentally created a flavor assortment with marvelous contrasts, the fritters hot and crisp, eggs cool and lightly spicy, slaw tangy with sweet and sour overtones. Dungeness crab is less oily and rich than Maryland crab, which makes it work in some recipes and fail in others. Eggs are so rich that the lighter textured Dungeness works perfectly, and these had just the right overtones of red and black pepper and spices. The fritters had a vegetable sweetness, crispness, and warmth that made them fine even without the remoulade sauce with which they were served, and the slaw had a sweet crispness that quenched any leftover heat. If you want a great set of snacks for two or three people, order this trio with confidence.

I was slightly less happy with the next item we shared, grilled tilapia tacos, but that’s only because it was very difficult to eat neatly. The tilapia was tasty, the pickled onion and sour cream salsa striking, but it was moist enough to threaten the structural integrity of the tortillas. Grilling the tortillas a little more or reducing the liquid volume of the filling would fix this problem. It was a tasty mess, unlike any fish taco I have had before and a nice variation on the breed. Our server mentioned that on Tuesday Hudson House serves carnitas and chicken tacos for one dollar each, and based on everything else I’ve had here it will be worth a special trip.

 We knew that we would only have room for one more item, but couldn’t decide between two and ordered both anyway. My wife wanted to try the sugar cane skewered lamb with mint sauce, and I wanted the brown sugar pork ribs. Of the two, the lamb was the winner. The ribs were nice in a comfort food way, sticky and sweet like the Polynesian-style tiki bar ribs of bygone days. The roasted shallots and shreds of cilantro added some interest, but I might have liked a bit more garlic and pepper in the mix. The spicier lamb was absolutely perfect as it was, the honey yoghurt spice sauce that accompanied it such a good idea that I intend to steal the concept for my next party. The selection of green and black olives that accompanied the skewers was the final touch, a bit of tart and vinegar richness to make a Mediterranean feast. It was an exceptional presentation and a winning final item.

 To drink with all this, there was beer – and wines and cocktails, but we were in a beer mood and so many interesting ones were offered that we had to try a few. The peach lambic was our favorite, a food-friendly beer that worked perfectly with spicy flavors, but the Ommegang Belgian-style brown ran a close second. We also shared a Samuel Smith’s nut-brown, a beer that is liquid comfort food to any lover of tradition.

  Desserts were offered, but we declined – we had over-ordered on our savories, and had no room for anything else. The lavish dinner for two ran $93.29 including beverages – high for bar food, but reasonable for multi-course grazing. You can have a fine meal at Hudson House for much less, and I have – the pretzel burger with Jarlsberg cheese, grilled onion, and arugula runs $10 by itself, $2 extra with fresh hand-cut fries or a salad, and it’s a meal. On this night we splurged and were rewarded with as memorable a nibble and brew experience as we’ve ever had. I’ll be back – for that burger, the sides we tried already and more that we still need to explore, and for the bustle and joy of a happy, boisterous bar.

 Hudson House is at 514 Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach. Open daily for dinner, weekend lunches. Street parking only, some vegetarian items. (310) 798-9183. ER 

by Richard Foss
Saving A Little On A Rainy Day… If you have been brushing up on your long-rusty cooking skills or ordering pizzas lately because you didn’t want to get wet on the way to dinner, Gambrinus Restaurant in Redondo would like to change your mind. They offer a five dollar discount on your check any time that it is raining, which it has been doing a bit lately. It’s worth the trip to the Redondo Boardwalk any time to enjoy their hearty Russian and Lithuanian food, which keeps Russians on the go through much worse weather than we will ever experience here…
I’m Causing Trouble Again… Apparently a remark in my recent review of Aimee’s Restaurant caused some people to think that Aimee was selling the restaurant and moving out of the area. She was on vacation then, she is back now, and she has no plans to leave either the business or the neighborhood. My apologies if it wasn’t clear that her absence was temporary…
More Closings and Openings… Or perhaps we should call them reincarnations, because each building is an empty shell that takes on a new spirit as new occupants come in. Istanbul Mix is closed and new owners have just opened it as a creperie, an interesting transformation. Though there are several fine creperies in the South Bay right now, the new business, called The Great Crepe, will have Artesia Boulevard to itself. Elsewhere, Octopus in Manhattan Beach has become an izakaya-style restaurant owned by the people behind the popular Sushi Katsu and its sister restaurants in Los Angeles. Izakaya, sometimes called Japanese tapas, is a great way to dine and not widely available in this area, so this should be on everyone’s must-visit list. Note that this restaurant is not related to the similarly named Katsu! sushi on Rosecrans – I foresee confusion until people get this straight…
First Looks… I visited Four Daughters Kitchen in Manhattan Beach during its opening week and had a very good lunch – they’re still working out the kinks, but the lemon chicken pasta was excellent and an everything-in-the-fridge-on-top-of-a-burger sandwich was tasty and came with great fries. The change in the building has been huge – what used to be an anonymous, slightly shabby façade when this was Bora Bora is now bright and cheerful, and the room is bathed in warm natural light. I do wonder how this neighborhood is going to manage with so many breakfast and lunch spots in the same area – this restaurant is within 200 feet of North End, The Local Yolk, and Sloopy’s, and OB’s is a block away. It goes without saying that there aren’t enough parking spaces for all of these. I find it amusing that people involved with each of these restaurants have said that they expect to serve primarily locals that will walk there; locals must really hate to cook to support a crowd that size…
Event Alert!… Akbar will host a wine dinner on February 10 featuring wines from the Wine Spectator top 100 list, hosted by wine expert Bart Lynn – those who like Indian food and wine should call (310) 393-9994. Another interesting event is coming up at the Bottle Inn, a tasting with Brutocao winemaker Steve Brutocao. The date is February 24, and I don’t know the menu, but this is the Bottle Inn so it will be wine-friendly and delicious. I can however guarantee that someone at (310) 376-9595 will be able to tell you much more about the food, and even accept a reservation. Finally, you might consider dropping in to the weekly wine tastings at Lido di Manhattan Beach – they happen every Thursday, and you can taste offerings from Goodnight Winery next week. A mere $15 gets you six to eight tastes of wine accompanied by light appetizers, quite a deal…
And The Next Big Holiday… Mardi Gras is just around the corner, so you’ll need to hone your knives and your skills for the big feast. South Bay School of Cooking can help you make that perfect pot of shrimp etoufee with all the trimmings – the class is this Friday, February 5. Call (310) 350-3772 and get ready for the good times… ER

 by Richard Foss
Sushi bars in the South Bay have a long tradition of names that mean nothing in Japanese, going back to Hermosa’s Cher Ton Ton of Tokyo in the 1970s. There wasn’t another Cher Ton Ton actually in Tokyo, and if there was the name would still have been a mishmash of French slang. The odd exception aside, things haven’t changed much. Some sushi bars stick with descriptive American names, like Fusion Sushi or Paradise Sushi, and others go for evocative names such as Banzai Beach. 
Then there’s Gu Gu Sushi in Hermosa, which I assumed was a Japanese name until I asked someone who worked there. He didn’t know what it meant, just that it wasn’t Japanese or Korean. I asked a manager and found that she didn’t know precisely what it meant either, but it means something like “friendly” – in Croatian. One of the owners hails from there and he named the place, though apparently without telling the staff why. (When I asked a local Croatian exactly what Gu Gu meant, she said that there are a number of words that sound similar, so it was still impossible to pin down the truth.) 
It’s fitting for the name to be linked to no specific language or culture, because the sushi at Gu Gu has almost nothing to do with traditional sushi, in style, construction, or flavor. Traditional nigiri sushi, the delicately seasoned pieces of fish on squares of rice, is available at Gu Gu, but almost nobody orders it. Instead, the focus is on sushi rolls of all kinds – and I’m not talking about California rolls, except as a base for some more complicated creation that is then drizzled with various sauces, topped with sashimi, rolled in tempura batter and fried, or scorched with a blowtorch. Some rolls involve combinations of two or three of these techniques – the staff here seems to relish baroque complexity in preparations. 
They are led by a cheerful fellow named Song who was wearing a rhinestone-studded headscarf when we were there, and wielded a chef’s knife, squeeze bottles filled with non-traditional ingredients like honey mustard and chili oil, and the ever-present torch in quick succession. At first, the torch seems like a gimmick, an element of theater as much as a kitchen tool, but once you experience the way that sauces caramelize and the way that fish changes flavor and texture, it’s obvious that the butane is not being expended needlessly. 
Consider the Godfather Roll, which consists of sushi rice, lobster, spicy tuna, crab, deep-fried shrimp, avocado, and two types of seared tuna, topped with garlic butter and mushrooms and a healthy shot of Sriracha hot pepper sauce. The mention of garlic butter mushrooms makes it obvious that tradition is out the window, and there are enough kinds of fish in this one roll to make a good sushi assortment if presented separately. You might expect the flavor to be chaotic, the subtleties of seafood drowned out in the noise, but it doesn’t work out that way. There is a lot going on in every bite, a variety of textures and flavors that change by the moment. Spicy garlic butter with fish is not a new idea, but with raw or very lightly seared fish, it’s a new sensation. I picked out pieces of lobster, albacore, and seared tuna and tried them separately and in combination with some of the mushrooms and a dab of sauce, just to see how each worked, and enjoyed the experiment. It’s as bold a flavor statement as I’ve ever had using sushi materials, but it works. 
We had selected the Godfather Roll as the first item on this visit, and decided to follow with something slightly simpler – the “Olympus” sashimi special of panko-fried tuna in olive oil topped with yuzu salsa and spicy ponzu sauce. (At another sushi bar this might be the spiciest, most complex thing on the menu – here, it was the heart of subtlety.) The very briefly seared fish topped with citrusy, spicy salsa was delicious but difficult to eat neatly because the chunky salsa often fell off the slices of fish when you picked it up. I liked the flavor but wished there was some neater way of eating it. I might have asked for a spoon — not a traditional way of eating sushi, but for that very reason it might have been appropriate. 
Going even further from tradition, we tried a daily special called Japanese pizza, a thin bed of rice topped with crab, mushroom, mozzarella cheese, and two kinds of onion with a dash of tangy sweet vinegar and a lightly sweet and spicy sauce. This odd-sounding concoction was actually closer to a traditional Japanese aesthetic than almost anything else we tried at Gu Gu – the delicate flavors of crab and almost raw mushrooms were modified but not overwhelmed by mild cheese and sauces. I’d order it again if it’s offered. 
The “Spider Bite” roll is a regular item, and another winner, made with crab, spicy tuna, soft shell crab, avocado, salmon, Ono tuna, and jalapenos, then baked and spread out on a plate drizzled with honey mustard and Sriracha. This is one of the most beautiful presentations I’ve seen, straight out of the food magazine spreads that you can’t hope to create at home. The mix of textures and flavors was very enjoyable, the sprinkling of chopped seared tuna a rich and meaty counterpoint to the more delicate raw fish and the sharp bite of jalapeno. The soft shell crab did get lost in the mix, more a crisp texture and background scent of sea than a major contributor to the flavor. I had ordered this roll because I like soft shell crab; I’d order it again because I like everything else that was going on around it. 
During three separate visits I watched the traffic over the sushi bar and saw that the rolls and exotic dishes were being ordered about 20 times as often as traditional sushi. We ordered some ourselves, as a palate cleanser between exotic dishes, and I suspect that’s what others were doing too. The traditional tuna nigiri were neatly presented and gave us the first excuse of the visit to use the soy sauce and wasabi – everything else had been so fully flavored that adding anything else would have been silly. 
It was a measure of how completely different this place was from the usual experience. Gu Gu Sushi is all about being a flavor explorer, trying bizarre combinations while listening to classic rock and watching chefs use unorthodox techniques. To steal a line from Star Trek, “It’s sushi, but not sushi as we know it.” It is in its own very lively separate universe, incongruously located in a strip mall in Hermosa Beach.
Gu Gu Sushi is located at 1121 Aviation Boulevard in Hermosa Beach, at the corner of Prospect. Parking lot, wheelchair access good, beer, wine, and sake served. Open 11:30 Am – 11 PM daily Mo-Sa, 3PM – 10 PM Su. Phone 310-374-6019. ER

Calimex’s Aurea Gutierrez gives a hard time to regulars Jose Farah, and Oscar and Ada Vargas. Photo by Kevin Cody

by Richard Foss

There are times when I get so excited by the upscale and creative experiences around town that I run reviews after review on high-end restaurants. At such times, people ask, “Don’t you ever eat normal food like we mere mortals?” I do.

Calimex has in business for over 40 years in the same location on Artesia Boulevard in North Redondo. I remember riding my bicycle there when I was in high school, and ordering the same items that I get there now. Only the prices have changed, and they haven’t changed all that much. I could afford two tacos and an iced tea for what I earned mowing the neighbor’s lawn, and if I felt like mowing lawns again, I probably still could.

The best part of eating at Calimex, the thing that brought me there rather than to other budget Mexican restaurants, arrived even before my order was placed. That’s the chips, always crisp and warm, with not one but two salsas – a mild version that still has enough pepper, onion, and cilantro to be interesting, and a very zippy hot version with a full complement of roasted chilies. I may debate the merits of tostadas or burritos at other Mexican restaurants in the South Bay, but I’ll stand firm that the one-two punch of salsas here is the best in town.

After that, there’s the combination that I almost always order – the quesadilla especial and a chicken taco. The quesadilla especial is composed of two small flour tortillas, cheese, and crumbled bacon, topped by sour cream and guacamole. (Sometimes on the guacamole – apparently one cook puts it on, the other doesn’t. Ask for it, because it is good guac and it makes everything complete.) It’s simple and good, basic Mexican flavors with the addition of bacon, nature’s wonder food. Put it alongside a chicken taco (crisp shell gringo variety) and you have a good light lunch that leaves you change from your ten-spot.

In decades of dining here, I’ve tried just about everything on the menu, and some items are better than others. The burritos, for instance, are pretty good when topped by the green sauce, but nothing special when topped with their bland red. The enchiladas are considerably better than the burritos, and best when made just with cheese or with chicken. The beef isn’t awful, just lacking in seasoning, and a little garlic and pepper would improve things.

The item that can really sway me from my typical quesadilla and taco meal, though, is the carnitas – and therein lies a mystery. Almost every Mexican restaurant serves carnitas daily, but it’s a special here, offered once or twice a week depending on the whim of the cook. When he does deign to make some, it’s great, the slightly crispy, chewy version rather than simple soft roast pork. I have asked why they don’t serve carnitas more often, and was told if I want it on a day they aren’t serving it, I can go down the street to Las Brisas, the other restaurant that is owned by the same family. Las Brisas is good, a little fancier and the service a little slower the last time I was there, but Calimex carnitas I want. Keep an eye on the specials board, and if it is offered, get it.

To accompany my meal, there is beer, wine, tea, and soft drinks – alas, no horchata, jamaica, or tamarindo. As much as I appreciate the unchanging nature of the menu here, I do wish they’d consider adding some Mexican fruit drinks – they’re healthy as well as refreshing.

Calimex is like a lot of little cafes, an everyday pleasure where the food is a little better than it needs to be. The price is low enough to be competitive with the places that serve junk food in Styrofoam, but it tastes fresh and is much better than anything you’re going to be served by a pointy-headed clown or talking Chihuahua. Some days, that’s exactly what I want, traditional and unpretentious food at a price that doesn’t make my wallet scream, and when I get that urge, Calimex is one of my regular destinations.

Calimex is at 2217 Artesia in North Redondo, next to the post office. Parking in rear. Open daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., wheelchair access OK, beer and wine served. Some vegetarian items. (310) 370-4374. ER

by Richard Foss

When I wrote my annual assessment of the restaurant scene in the South Bay a year ago, I saluted the courage of 10 entrepreneurs who opened restaurants even as the economy went into a slide. Nine of those establishments are still in business and most are apparently doing well, which is actually about the same track record as similar lists during the boom years. This illuminates a truism about restaurants; they are a risky bet even in good times, but even in bad times a popular place can make money. Despite the ups and downs, we still dine out – perhaps with one eye on the price column of the menu, but we’re still there.

When I surveyed the list of all restaurants that opened in the South Bay in 2009, I spotted a distinct trend: a return to comfort food. In 2007 and 2008, new American restaurants were notable by their absence. Japanese, Thai, and creative contemporary restaurants dominated the scene. In 2009, regional American food made a comeback. There was also a resurgence in bars that served high-end versions of pub favorites. In hard times, comfort food is always a good bet.

As always, it was difficult winnow this list down to 10, and to keep it consistent. Brewco in Manhattan Beach would have easily made the list if it really was a new restaurant, but it was close enough to a reincarnation of Manhattan Beach Brewing that I decided it couldn’t quite qualify. Likewise, as different as Old Venice was from the place that closed a few years ago, it was still a reopening, and the Manhattan Beach Crème de la Crepe is a clone of the successful original operation in Hermosa. I try to recognize only new operations in this yearly survey, so regretfully had to leave them out of consideration.

Therefore, without further ado, I present my list of the best restaurants to open in the past year.

 American Farmhouse Grill:

If you went to this little café tucked in the edge of the Goat Hill mini-mall during their first few months of operation, you might not have been impressed. I wasn’t. The menu was short, the food good but not exceptional, and the parking was awful. The parking is still a nuisance, but the menu has expanded and the food is now very good indeed. The theme is ranch cooking in the style of California’s Central Coast, with Santa Maria tri-tip, farmhouse beans, and a hearty vegetable stew as standouts. Though most dishes are good and simple country fare, the kitchen has a sure hand with more upscale dishes. I don’t think real cowhands actually dine on bacon-wrapped filet mignon topped with asparagus, shredded lobster, and homemade hollandaise, but if they did so, it would be in central California.

350 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (310) 376-8044.

Hudson House:

There is always room for a bar with character where you can dine well and inexpensively, and I give bonus points when it’s just plain a fun place to relax. Hudson House is all those things, a stylish modern place with a good beer and wine list and an array of pub food that goes beyond the usual boundaries. The cauliflower fritters, the tiny but incredibly tasty bacon and chive scones, and the salads will make light eaters happy, and the pretzel burgers and ribs will satisfy those who like more traditional fare. It’s not a huge menu, or a wildly inventive one, but everything they do, they do well.

514 N. PCH, Redondo Beach. (310) 798-9183.

 Lunada Bay House:

It would be nice if the Lunada BayHouse actually had a view of Lunada Bay, but it doesn’t. Most tables have a view of a pretty little courtyard instead. It doesn’t matter, because this is a place where you’re there for the food – corn and blue crab bisque, superb seafood pasta, pork ribs in a tangy tamarind chipotle glaze, and some of the best lamb chops in a wide radius. The style here is an upscale steak and seafood house like many others, but the food is a cut above and makes the place stand out.

2325 P.V. Drive West, Palos Verdes Estates. (310) 544-1704.

 Mar’sel:

Every once in a while a place opens that raises the bar for everybody, and Mar’sel runs it up several notches. The ambition here is extraordinary, making this one of the few places in the South Bay that seriously competes with fine dining establishments in Los Angeles, or for that matter, San Francisco and New York. The complex flavors and gorgeous presentations make this the special occasion restaurant for those who really appreciate fine food, and the ever-changing menu promises endless new delights. It is expensive, but well worth it.

Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes. (866) 802-8800.

 Open Sesame:

One of the major changes in South Bay dining in recent years has been the growth of Middle Eastern food. Five years ago there was only one Arabic restaurant in the area, and now there are a dozen. By far the most upscale is Open Sesame, a beautifully decorated room in which to enjoy both traditional and modern Lebanese food. The menu is easily the most wide-ranging in the area, and the good list of interesting wines includes some nice bottles from the Bekaa Valley. Arabic food was introduced to the South Bay decades ago at the Habash Café as inexpensive but interesting fast food. Open Sesame is doing much to validate it as a cuisine for fine dining.

2640 Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (310) 545-1600.

 Paul Martin’s:

There must be many difficulties involved in creating a large restaurant serving organic small-producer California Cuisine. Big operations often struggle with consistency even when not challenged by the variable output of seasonal products. Paul Martin’s has done an admirable job of proving that it is not merely possible, it can be done with panache. The menu is deceptively simple, principally American favorites made with premium ingredients, with delicate spicing so that those ingredients can shine. Butternut squash soup, grilled pork chops, and pan-fried sole in lemon-thyme butter are hardly wildly inventive ideas, but the richness of flavor in every dish confirms the wisdom of those in the kitchen. You don’t have to be concerned with healthy dining to love this place – a simple reverence for flavor will do.

2361 Rosecrans, El Segundo. 310-643-9300 .

 Memphis:

I have heard it said that the American South has many excellent cooks but few chefs; plenty of craftsmen who carry on with traditional dishes, but few who care to innovate on them. This used to be true, but no longer. Locally, the most interesting twist on Southern cuisine is at Memphis, a new operation by longtime local restaurateur Kevin Barry and partners Dan Bradley, Diego Valasco, Tracy Stickney and Chris Bredesen. Memphis (the restaurant) does serve the ribs, cornbread, and catfish that Memphis (the city) is famous for, but in healthier, more modern preparations. Traditionalists might doubt that Southern food can be made without heaping doses of oil and salt and still have fealty to the original ideas, but it can be done and it is delicious.

1142 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. (310) 545-5405.     

 Simmzy’s:

The most sincere sign of success at a restaurant is a line to get in. Simmzy’s has had one since the day it opened. Conceived as a beach-themed restaurant catering to fans of upscale beers, the place has turned into an all-purpose casual restaurant where you can dine very well and have a good beer without topping out a $20 bill. The blue cheese haystack – fries tossed with cheese, garlic, and spicy sauce – is a great accompaniment to a burger, sesame salmon, or an exceptional pulled pork sandwich. You might match that with a Belgian ale or craft brew, or perhaps a glass of wine from their ever-changing list, and relax in an atmosphere simultaneously sophisticated and in keeping with the traditions of good bar food.

 229 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (310) 546-1201

 Tin Roof Bistro:

You won’t see a building with an actual tin roof as you drive by the north end of the Manhattan Mall.  Tin Roof Bistro actually has a stamped-tin ceiling. This restaurant garnered considerable attention when it opened in a former bank and office space. The ambition to be a Napa Valley-style wine restaurant seemed to fit oddly with the location. Almost a year down the road, the place is usually packed but still controversial. Some cheer the strange hodgepodge of décor, some find it chaotic, and the pricing of some menu items seems random. There is a sense that some kinks are still being worked out, but in general the food has been intriguing. Starters like a robust ratatouille and curried spinach dip are excellent, and the fig and bacon pizza was a perfect mix of flavors. There are a lot of ideas going on here, and this good restaurant could easily grow into a great one.

3500 N. PCH, Manhattan Beach. (310) 546-6180.

 Zayna’s Flaming Grill:

Zayna’s location in the former Go Boy’s record store in South Redondo is easy to miss, but it’s a worthwhile stop for those who appreciate Lebanese and Mediterranean food. The atmosphere is comfortable, with plenty of space between tables, and Zayna herself serves while her mother cooks a spicy, fragrant version of Arabic cuisine. Many of the dishes are standard, such as the falafel and spinach and cheese turnovers, but they’re made fresh to order and taste like it. During several visits I’ve had unfailingly good service and very good food, particularly the lamb and chicken kebabs, which are served with rice on a moist, light couscous. Zayna’s offers hospitality and good food in a relaxing, stylish atmosphere, with an endless pot of Moroccan mint tea on the side.

1310 S. PCH, Redondo Beach, (310) 540-0777.

 The promise of more to come

With the arrival of 2010, there are promises and mysteries among the new openings. Four Sisters Kitchen, a casual American cafe, will be opening soon in the long-vacant space that used to be Bora Bora. The site that was once TapaMeze will become a Thai restaurant that also serves sushi, and a new Greek restaurant specializing in meze will be opening in El Segundo. The billboard on Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo announcing the imminent opening of Wee Man’s Chronic Tacos has been up so long that it has started to fade, but I’ve noticed work at the site, so that may be open soon, and the successor to Club Sushi will be the first new sushi bar in the South Bay in some time. Any or all of them may be on this list next year, depending on the wisdom of the owners, dedication of staff, changes in public taste, and the great helping of luck that is essential to the success of any new eatery. ER

 

by Richard Foss

It’s easy to understand the philosophical idea that a restaurant might want to be a hideaway, a place both physically and psychologically disconnected from our everyday lives. We want to toss our cares aside and be in a different, peaceful space, undistracted by our cares.

 mar’sel is on the grounds of the Terranea Resort, well away from the lobby. There is no sign at the parking lot to suggest that you might be somewhere near your destination, and the path forks with no clear suggestion as to where it might lead. Had we been less intrigued by what we had heard about this restaurant, we might have turned back and gone to another restaurant on or off the property.

 But I was interested, because I had heard positive comments from people who are usually dismissive of restaurants on the Hill and the South Bay dining scene, in general. I had heard that the menu at mar’sel was amazingly ambitious and that Chef Michael Fiorelli, who practiced his trade at some of the top restaurants in the country, had the chops to pull it all off.

 When we walked past the bar and into the restaurant, it was cozy rather than opulent, with simple clean lines, wooden paneling, a fireplace, and glass on two sides. Since an ocean view never goes out of style, it’s a sensible choice. We were there for the food, though, and focused on the menu. It was short – 10 starters and nine entrees – but extremely interesting, a mixture of relatively simple items made with premium ingredients, and some more adventurous combinations.

 A friend, my wife and I all enjoyed an amuse-bouche of duck rillettes on toast with homemade jam while we mused over our choices. We decided to start with grilled Spanish octopus over sausage and peppers, maple-glazed Berkshire pork belly, and a plate of hot and cold foie gras. I had been attracted by the Jerusalem artichoke soup with duck confit, but when I asked our server if he would choose that or the pork, he unhesitatingly suggested the latter. I wouldn’t mind having that soup sometime, but was delighted with the pork – the presentation was beautiful, cubes of pork over kabocha squash puree, topped with Brussels sprout cups filled with chopped apple and bacon. The winter vegetables and tart apple perfectly complemented the delicately sweet and sour cubes of maple glazed pork, and it was an inspired combination.

 The octopus was similarly successful, and showed a certain facility in handling flavors. Two long coils of tentacle had been grilled and then slow-cooked in sous-vide style, then set atop spicy Spanish-style chorizo with fresh tomato jam and a dash of horseradish. Instead of sweet and sour, there was a balance of sweet and spicy and smoky. The tentacle was very tender, which we found interesting – octopus that is even slightly under or overcooked can be very rubbery, and working out how to combine two methods of cooking must have been a challenge. Pairing octopus, sausage, and peppers is traditional in Spanish tapas, but this was uncommonly well executed.

 My wife’s foie gras was the most complicated dish – foie in a cold terrine topped with chopped black grapes and persimmon, paired with seared foie gras on brioche with aged balsamic vinegar for the warm side. The cold foie had a fine flavor, but was served in a thick terrine; I find cold foie cloying in large amounts and would have preferred some variation in texture. My rather picky wife found it delightful, and since she’s the one that ordered it, it was her opinion that counted. The hot foie was more my style, caramelized exterior over jelly-like soft meaty goodness inside, the natural sweetness and the vinegar continuing the sweet and sour theme.

 Our companion had brought a fine bottle of old Rioja from her cellar to accompany our dinner, but I scanned the wine list and was impressed by the range of bottles and by-the-glass offerings. The sommelier stopped by, we chatted for a few minutes, and he offered a taste of Layer Cake Cabernet that he thought might complement my main course. It was a good match and generous gesture from a man who knows his business, but I was drinking moderately that evening and declined.

 For main courses we selected roasted loin of New Zealand venison, grilled wagyu rib eye cap, and prosciutto-wrapped tuna with sweetbreads, ricotta pudding, and caponata. The venison had been grilled with a stock sauce with just a hint of black currant. Deer meat is so rare that it becomes tough unless enhanced with some other rich stock, and sometimes that masks the true flavor, but this time the texture and character shined through. It was served alongside a mix of roasted fingerling potatoes, fennel, pearl onions, tomato, and pancetta, a mix that emphasized the earthy, smoky tones of the meat.

 I am rarely impressed by wagyu steaks, which are always tender but often flavorless, but this rib eye had plenty of meaty taste and overtones of salt, herbs, and a slight grill char. As our friend observed, some of the items in the previous course had verged on over-complicated – it was actually a positive sign that the chef could just let good beef be good beef with subtle adornment. There was art in the side dishes with the steak, a fat cream chard tortellini and baby carrots in an Italian tomato, caper, and berry sauce that again brought back the sweet and sour theme.

 My tuna wrapped in prosciutto did verge on overly complex; when I ordered it, the server had been very specific that I should eat all the items together, not separately, or I wouldn’t like it. To me this raised an obvious question – if it should be eaten after being blended, why not serve it that way? The answer is obviously that it wouldn’t be as pretty a presentation, the rare tuna wrapped in crisped prosciutto atop the sweetbreads, flanked by bright red caponata and the creamy disc of the ricotta pudding. Sure enough, when I tried the items separately, they were out of balance – salty prosciutto too much for the tuna, sweetbreads all musky meatiness, pudding too rich; but when blended they really were splendid. This plate cries out for a tableside presentation – show it off in all its elegance, then blend it into the rarefied version of hash with an enchanting flavor.

 For dessert we decided on a warm molten carrot cake, chocolate cake with espresso ganache, and a glass of a Chateau Suduiraut sauterne. The carrot cake really was almost molten at the center, and the spiced golden raisins and maple ice cream showed that chef Fiorelli has skill at unorthodox pairings with sweet flavors. I hadn’t been that interested when my wife ordered it, but I wanted more after the first bite. My chocolate cake was more straightforward despite the fancy-sounding hazelnut brittle topping and malt ice cream on the side; it was comfort food at the end of an adventurous meal. As for the sauterne, it was sunshine in a glass, flowery and warming.

 Dinner at mar’sel is not an everyday delight — our meal for three, with a $25 corkage fee included, was $267. (Granted, we had ordered two of the most expensive main courses and the most expensive starter on the menu, but had we experimented with that wine list, it would have been more.) Nevertheless, it was well worth it; far and away the best meal I’ve had on the Peninsula, and a more thought-provoking repast than any I’ve had in the South Bay in a long time. This was an uncompromisingly creative meal from an exceptional chef. I hope that Mr. Fiorelli stays here, and that both locals and hotel guests appreciate his vision and support him with their patronage.

 mar’sel is at the Terranea Resort, 6610 Palos Verdes Drive South. Full bar, plenty of parking a short distance from restaurant. Open daily except Sunday and Monday, dinner only – reservations required. Phone 310-265-2800. PEN