Pia, a ten-seat Italian-Japanese restaurant, might be the quirkiest dining concept in the South Bay. It’s also delectable.
Kurt Vonnegut wrote a delightful passage about listening to a radio broadcast in a foreign language and imagining that the frantic announcer was describing a race between unlikely vehicles. It’s a picture you can create in your imagination, a man riding a kangaroo in a lane next to a wagon pulled by badgers or weasels, with a skateboarder towed by a llama next to them.
This came to mind as I envisioned the competition between unlikely restaurant concepts in the South Bay. We have a taco joint whose claim to fame is that it’s owned by a very short and reckless reality show star, and another successful place that serves only variations on Hawaiian marinated fish. These and other unlikely places are involved in a continuing competition for the public’s dining dollars, and it’s a measure of how open-minded the local scene is that so many succeed.
To those curious businesses we should add a newcomer that might be the quirkiest of the lot. It’s a ten-seat restaurant with no signage, website, posted hours, or menu. It’s located on the Redondo Boardwalk next to downscale places, but rather than fast food they serve Italian-Japanese fusion. There’s no attempt to promote the place; the exterior is completely black, interrupted only by a tiny Italian flag and the name “Pia” stenciled over the roll-up door.
I heard about Pia from someone who had dined at another Boardwalk restaurant and mentioned the mysterious place that took over the former Izakaya Bincho space. I called for a reservation and was lucky enough to get one for only two days later – this tiny hideaway is often booked up far in advance, and with only three tables and unhurried service they can’t serve many people any given evening.
Our party arrived at the shuttered space a few minutes before 6 PM; no sign of life was vsible except for a couple waiting expectantly outside. They assured is that we were indeed at the right place, and minutes after 6 PM the steel door rolled up and a friendly, energetic fellow named Hiro welcomed us to the small dining room. He handed us menus that seemed more ornamental rather than functional, since the majority of the offerings are the weekly specials posted on one wall. When you’re only serving ten or fifteen meals per night, you don’t keep a giant variety of fresh meats and produce around, so these were variations on the same meats and seafood. We were able to try more than half of the items on the menu, and we mulled our options while Hiro offered drinks and water, delivered parmesan crisps to nibble upon, and generally made us feel at home. We waited contentedly while he bustled in the small kitchen, discussing the weird outsider art that decorates the walls. I liked a cartoon of David Bowie painted on metal, and some small works that were hidden alcoves around the restaurant. The painting of Batman, Hitler, Mr. Spock, Bozo the Clown, Captain Picard, and Barack Obama all laughing at Einstein’s theory of relativity probably has some deep meaning, but none of us could figure out what it might be.
We started with blue crab salad, baked camembert cheese on a baguette, and chicken “Genovese”, which was chicken sautéed with shimeji mushrooms and pesto, topped with slices of prosciutto. The camembert on baguette was the most conventional appetizer, though served in an unusual way – the bread with cheese baked on top was served in a bowl, topped with honey and pesto. Bread with cheese and honey or cheese and pesto is nothing special, but this was a novel and successful combination. The crab salad was a hit too, big chunks of crab with mizuna greens and eringi mushroom in a light dressing of herbs and dry mustard. Mizuna, called “potherb mustard” on the menu here, is a slightly peppery salad green like mild arugula, and it worked remarkably well with the rich crab. Though this item was on the specials list it is apparently almost always offered, and should be ordered if available.
I was less of a fan of the chicken appetizer only because it didn’t really seem like an appetizer – it was a large portion but rather heavy as a starter. The flavors were very good, chicken, mushroom, and prosciutto with a dusting of herbs and cheese and a bit of fresh, sweet tomato sauce. It seemed more like a large pasta meal in which someone had inadvertently left out the pasta.
The main courses were all pastas, and we selected salmon cream sauce, chicken pesto, and bottarga with mizuna and Japanese ginger. Bottarga is an Italian delicacy of salted fish roe, and it tastes slightly like a funky, briny anchovy. A little of this grated over pasta goes a long way, and it’s usually presented as a light dusting over simple pasta with olive oil. Pairing it with the mild Japanese ginger flower and peppery mizuna was a fantastic idea, and the taste of each distinctive flavor was in every bite. Americans don’t eat much bottarga, and this dish showed that they’re missing an ingredient that can deliver great effects.
The spaghetti in salmon cream sauce was a less showy item, but was very well made, with spinach and mushrooms adding color and flavor. As for the chicken, remember the starter that was like a pasta main course without the pasta? This was it with the pasta and spinach added – the person who ordered it didn’t realize it was almost the same item as the starter. Luckily he had liked the starter, and finished the main course too.
Wine is offered here, four whites, three reds, and a dessert wine, plus a few beers – a pretty good selection given the circumstances. Dessert is offered too, but on the night we were there the only option was a panna cotta, which didn’t grab our fancy.
Our relaxed dinner had taken about two hours and ran about $43 per person with wine – quite reasonable for a unique dinner with a view of nightfall over the marina. Pia is a one-of-a-kind experience, delectable and creative food served in a completely unlikely little hideaway. Make a reservation, show up with an open mind, and prepare to be amazed.
Pia is at 112 North International Boardwalk in Redondo, near Quality Seafood. Parking (not validated) in pier structure. Open Tue-Sun at 6 p.m., wheelchair access good, some vegetarian items. No website. Phone 310-379-0915.
