New Mediterranean in Redondo, New Japanese restaurants and food festival, Wine Dinner, More Dining News
New And Interesting… Nuna’s Mediterranean Kitchen is open in Redondo. They’re serving more than the standard Middle Eastern food you’d expect. Nuna is from Morocco’s Jewish community and is offering some of his family specialties alongside the usual falafels, shawarma, and hummus. He is trying out specials to see which ones are popular, so the menu will evolve. I’m always happy to see a new cuisine represented here, and this wasn’t one I expected to encounter any time soon (715 N PCH, Redondo (424)390-4032…
Meanwhile at The Point, the former ShopHouse fast food space has gone way upscale with the opening of Umi by Hamasaku. The offshoot of a highly regarded Los Angeles restaurant is owned by Hollywood mogul Michael Ovitz and specializes in izakaya-style seafood by chef Yoya Takahashi. It’s a smart move and fills the gap in upscale sushi in an area that has almost everything else. 860 S. Sepulveda #116, El Segundo (310) 524-9980…
Speaking of Japanese Cuisine… The Rising Tohoku Festival, a celebration of the food and culture of the northern region of Japan’s main island, will be coming back to Mitsuwa Marketplace in Torrance on the weekend of November 5-6. I attended last year and enjoyed charming folk dance performances and tastes of their distinctive cuisine. This part of Japan is relatively cold and poor, and specialties include buckwheat noodle dishes, wagyu beef, and fishcakes. The shows are free and fun, and while you’re there you can pick up groceries and stop by the best Japanese food court in a wide radius. 21515 S. Western, Torrance…
And A Surprising Place For Sushi… You probably don’t think of the Strand House at the Manhattan Beach pier as a sushi destination, but it will be when Chef Tim Cushman guest chefs on November 6. Cushman is a James Beard award winning chef who explores culinary fusions. He will present 11 courses of sushi paired with wine, beer, and sakes. Cost is $233.58, and no, I don’t know why they didn’t round this up to $234 and have a simple numerical sequence. Tickets and more information are available on eventbrite.com …
Congratulations Are Due… Two prominent restaurants recently had anniversaries, one a mainstay for decades and the other a relative youngster that has captured local hearts. Dominique’s Kitchen turned five years old this week and is still going strong. Back when they opened, French food was widely regarded as a cuisine in decline locally, but Chef Dominique Theval proved not only that it could be a draw, but that excellent classic cuisine could be offered at a moderate price point. If you’re going there soon to celebrate an anniversary or special event, congratulate them on theirs. The other anniversary involves ownership of a landmark. This week marks 40 years that Ab Lawrence has owned Pancho’s, a restaurant that started as a barbecue joint in 1931. Yes, a barbecue joint – the place was named for a racehorse that the founders also owned. They started serving Mexican and Chinese food in the 1960’s. Ab has kept the classic Mexican food going strong. If you enjoy Mexican standards in a charming hacienda environment, this is the place to go…
A Basque Sunday Supper… A Basq Kitchen in Redondo periodically offers Sunday suppers in the old boardinghouse tradition, with long tables set up and a great variety of dishes set out. Their next one is scheduled for November Fifth and will include an array of salads, seared black cod with salsa verde, young hen in a sauce with red wine and pork belly, and much more. These are wonderful occasions and usually sell out. You can reserve online at aBasqKitchen.com…
Drink Local, Drink Well… If you haven’t stopped in at the speakeasy at Rob Rubens Distillery lately you’re in for a surprise. The place that started out pouring only neat spirits and beers crafted on the premises has expanded their cocktail program, and food trucks have been parking outside on weekends. Even better, their spirits now include single malt, bourbon, and rye whiskies made right there in El Segundo. The room has class and style, and the drinks are properly made by pros. Stop by and enjoy great drinks from a visionary distiller who seems to want to prove that you really can do everything under one roof. 909 E. El Segundo, El Segundo…
Rabble And Riff-Raff… In old movies when the rabble is storming your castle it’s generally a bad thing. Then again, if the rabble brings wine it could be the start of a pleasant evening. That will presumably be the case at the Rabble Winery dinner at HT Grill on November 16th. Four courses will be paired with Central Coast wines, and the menu is intriguing – I’m particularly interested in the “pork glutton” course with both smoked pork belly and blackberry braised pork cheek along with pickled vegetables, butternut gnocchi, and corn. Price is $69 plus the usual, reservations can be made at 310-791-4849…
Any other food and beverage events, new openings, great cocktails? Please let me know – I’m at Richard@richardfoss.com, ER