South Bay Dining News: BBQ coming to Redondo Beach harbor, El Gringo Kantina comes to El Segundo, South Bay Beer & Wine Festival Sunday, new Thai in Torrance, and more
Dealing From A New Deck… Rebel Republic Social House is open in Riviera Village, and they’re serving both indoors and from the first of the new “dining decks” to open for business. The feel on those decks is very much like a porch or patio, with rustic wood benches and an astroturf-covered floor. According to our server the current menu will expand, but it will stay in the casual contemporary style. The snacks and cocktails we tried were very good, and it will be interesting to see whether both the restaurant and the decks catch on… (1710 S. Catalina, RB.)
On The Rocks Will Soon Be Afloat Again… There’s finally a plan in place at On The Rocks, the former sports bar that is just north of the fishing pier in Redondo. The new restaurant will have a different name and will specialize in barbecue. Watch for an opening sometime late this summer…
Coming Attractions… The former Farm Stand in El Segundo will become El Gringo Kantina, offering a menu of both Mexican and American food and an expanded alcohol selection. It’s an move to broaden the scope of an established brand, and it will be interesting to see how they make over the interior of this odd indoor/outdoor space. They’re in no hurry to open, and won’t be serving until late summer. Elsewhere in the South Bay, the former Cali Cantina space will become an upscale Italian restaurant run by an experienced team that formerly operated restaurants in Palm Springs.
Openings Delayed… The Trellis Wine House, a private club that will cater to serious aficionados, was scheduled to open this month in Continental Park on Rosecrans. Construction delays have pushed that back to the end of summer, but they’ve been presenting small pre-opening events in the meantime. Up the street at The Point, Craft Shack is now scheduled to open sometime in late June or early July. And in downtown Hermosa, the structure at the former Fat Face Fenner’s turned out to need a lot more work than anticipated, so the new Tower restaurant probably won’t be open until mid-August. The menu will be upscale American, with décor to create the ambiance of a living room. The reimagined Café Bonaparte downstairs will probably start serving in mid-June…
Event Alerts… Has the rush of local brewery openings and wine-oriented restaurants made you lose track of who is quaffing what in the area? You can sample the field at The South Bay Beer & Wine Festival this Sunday, May 15, while in an actual field – the event is at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates. If you reserve in advance regular admission is $65, VIP is $135 – you can see the full list of participants and reserve your space at sbbeerwinefest.com… Also on the subject of beer, Sausal in El Segundo is offering a pairing dinner with Three Weavers, a woman-owned brewery located in Inglewood. Brewmaster Alexandra Nowell will preside over a four course meal with beers for $65 – call Sausal at 310-322-2721 for details and reservations. Sausal is also now offering live mariachi music and special menus every Monday, so there are even more reasons to stop in here…
New Thai in Torrance… Tycoon Thai Restaurant recently opened on Carson in Torrance, and they’re offering some regional dishes that aren’t often seen in the area. The chef is from the Issan region in the northeast and serves some of the tart and sour specialties of that area. I hope they expand this part of the menu. There are some great northern dishes that are hard to find in the South Bay…
MB Post chef David LeFevre celebrated his restaurant’s fifth year anniversary last week. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
Congratulations Are In Order… Happy anniversary to MB Post, which celebrated five years in business this week. Chef David LeFevre has since opened Fishing With Dynamite and The Arthur J, but his first operation is still going strong…
Wine Gets Its Turn… You probably know that two of the great Old World viticultural areas are Bordeaux and Brunello, representing peaks of French and Italian style. Wine LA will host a dinner and blind tasting on May 20 at Tin Roof Bistro. Though the price is on the hefty side at $275 per ticket, that includes seventeen world class wines and dinner – see details at winela.com… At a more modest price point, Fleming’s on Rosecrans will offer a five-course meal featuring Huneeus family wines on May 26, including Quintessa, Illumination, and Faust, AND some great names from Napa and Sonoma. The price is $99, and reservations can be made at 310-643-6911…
And A Very Unusual Tequila Event… It’s not too unusual for Mexican restaurants to offer high end tequilas and Mezcals, but it is for a restaurant to offer a tequila dinner at which no Mexican food is served. That’s exactly what is happening at Hey 19 on May 25, and it promises to be an intriguing event. If you weren’t thinking about cultural expectations, how would you pair the smoky liquor? The only way to find out is to show up – the price is either $50 or $95 depending on which tipples you select. Call Hey 19 for reservations at 310-378-8119…
Any new places I should know about, any events, any great places to quaff tequila? I’m at Richard@richardfoss.com…