14 Stories
by Richard Foss Another Hermosa Avenue Star: AttaGirl has opened in the former Dia de Campo space, and the difference in the space is phenomenal. The former rustic tropical vibe has been replaced by a sleek modern look enhanced by upbeat music at moderate levels. The menu uses Middle Eastern ideas as a springboard for […]
by Richard Foss Culinary history is full of fast-food joints that evolved into high-style restaurant empires. A shining example was a Jewish immigrant named Al Levy, who came to Los Angeles in 1886 with one asset – a bright red pushcart from which he sold oyster cocktails to downtown theater patrons. This delicacy was so […]
Sophistication Street: Hermosa Avenue has gradually morphed from a continuous party to a haven for creative chefs, and the trend accelerates with a new opening. Vinfolk is now serving in the former Chef Melba’s, and though the decor has been freshened, the softly lit elegance is the same. The cuisine by chefs Kevin de los […]
R10 Social House is an unpretentious place for solid American bistro food by the ocean. It’s a bargain for the location and quality of the experience.
Video by Jefferson Graham by Mark McDermott In 1989, Kim Ngo and her husband Son Dang saw an opportunity on Rosecrans Avenue. They’d arrived in the United States a decade earlier as “boat people,” a term that was popularized after media coverage showed thousands of refugees fleeing Vietnam, adrift on boats. They were flown to […]
Sliced Out Of Hermosa: After seven years in business, The Cultured Slice cheese shop has closed, another specialty food store gone just a month after Grow in Manhattan Beach closed their doors. The Cultured Slice offered top quality products and made beautiful cheese and charcuterie boards, but was torpedoed by increasing food, staff, and insurance […]
In 1987 there were two Peruvian restaurants in Los Angeles, both located in unpromising strip malls. Mario’s, in a Hollywood strip mall, had been open for years. El Pollo Inka, in a Lawndale strip mall, had just opened their doors. Both were serving a cuisine that was puzzling to most Angelenos, and El Pollo Inka […]
Steppes to the Beach: Thanks to a recent opening, Redondo has a curious distinction — it’s home to one of only two restaurants in greater Los Angeles serving real Mongolian cuisine. Ayan, which means “life” in Mongolian, is located in the former Denny’s at Artesia and Aviation. They opened last week, serving the dumplings, stir-fries, […]
You say Doughnut, I say Donut by Richard Foss A friend moved from the South Bay to New Zealand but comes back periodically to visit family, and on every visit he indulges three food cravings: Mexican food on the way from the airport, and Southern barbecue shortly thereafter. And doughnuts. People fry dough everywhere, so […]
Mother’s Market on Rosecrans is not the type of place my mother would have shopped. She was a dutiful cook who never went beyond the recipes she learned in the 1930s. Any vegetable more exotic than carrots, broccoli, potatoes, cabbage, or spinach was viewed with suspicion. Healthy eating meant two of those veggies on a […]
by Richard Foss Burger Rebirth: In a previous column, I mused that Hermosa Beach might have reached peak burger, since so many pulverized protein palaces had opened there. I may have to eat crow (made into a crowburger, of course), because eateries with that specialty continue to open. Proudly Serving, which began flipping ground cow […]
By Richard Foss Rolling Hills resident Kathy Kellogg Johnson tells the story of the founding of her family’s garden products company as though she were there, even though it happened in 1925. A young man with a new engineering degree from USC didn’t have much money or land. His father had lost his fortune […]