Steakhouses and Italian food make an emphatic return to the South Bay, more chef-driven neighborhood restaurants arrive, Redondo Beach blossoms, and both quality and prices rise
One of the things that makes the lives of volcanologists interesting is the way that hotspots can suddenly cool, while an area nearby that has been quiet starts fountaining lava. The dining scene in the South Bay has been doing the same thing for the last few years. What makes some neighborhoods suddenly heat up while others falter is determined by many factors, including redevelopment projects completed or stalled.
If a single theme can be said to encompass the year 2015 in South Bay dining, it’s the spread of stylish and innovative restaurants beyond the beachfronts and into every neighborhood. This has come at a price, of course – the average check in the region has risen by a few percent, in line with developments elsewhere in the county and state. Though some have blamed this on the move toward living wages for workers, increases in produce prices due to the ongoing drought are a more likely culprit. The big price spike has been at the high end of the market as steakhouses and boutique eateries test our willingness to fork out wads of cash for exquisite meals. A few modest places continue to hold the line on prices, but most of the newcomers are more expensive than the establishments they replaced.
A few other trends have been apparent everywhere: the march of craft cocktails and craft beer seems unstoppable, and even modest bars and restaurants have sprouted local tap handles. The same is true of farm-to-table ideas, though this is often branding rather than a commitment to using seasonal products. Steaks and Italian cuisine are back and they’re big, and people who used to turn up their noses at dining in malls are giving the idea a second look. Speaking of second looks and second chances, three restaurants reopened in new locations after being closed for months, which is rather unusual. Doma Kitchen, Sushi Casa Arigato, and La Sosta seem to have all recaptured their customer bases and gone on to new heights.
Looking at the cities in detail, El Segundo and Redondo have been the liveliest, while only three full service non-chain restaurants opened in Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach also had three, but only retro-classic steakhouse The Arthur J was downtown. More high-end restaurants are likely to open on PCH in coming years, with the redevelopment of the Manhattan Village Mall acting as a catalyst.
To see how well a planned development with a focus on dining can work, look north to The Point, which has been busy since the day it opened in July. The restaurants there have siphoned off some of the traffic from downtown and the Rosecrans corridor as well as from commuters who probably weren’t headed for either area, and the six restaurants that opened there have been conspicuously successful. The big news from downtown El Segundo is the opening of Sausal; it’s the first destination restaurant in town, offering a distinctive cuisine available nowhere else. The fusion of nineteenth century Californian ideas with modern Mexican food is novel, and the environment of the restaurant is as stylish as any establishment in a wide radius.
Many openings were promised in Hermosa, but several projects stalled or were delayed, and none of the newcomers have had an easy road. The latest version of Fat Face Fenner’s is a placeholder for whatever moves in next, and Cali Cantina struggled to attract an audience for their unexceptional Mexican food and recently closed. Steak and Whisky opened strong but has had problems – at this price point they need to deliver consistent food and service, which they haven’t been doing. The downtown scene continues to be lively and it will be interesting to see what replaces Establishment and Cali Cantina, but there is little creative energy east of Valley Drive.
This is a stark contrast to Redondo, which has been fizzing like a freshly popped bottle of Champagne. Unlike some previous years, the action hasn’t been confined to Riviera Village, which has even more claim to being our own Little Italy with the opening of Bettolino Kitchen and Bottega Romana. The openings of Pia, A Basq Kitchen, and The Slip have brought the Boardwalk to life despite the planned bulldozing of the area for the CenterCal development. If this really is the end of the Boardwalk, it’s going out on a high note. There have also been interesting doings in less trendy parts of town, as Orlando’s Pizzeria and Birreria brought style to the corner of Prospect and Torrance and Slider Stop debuted artisan fast food on Artesia. Several projects are in the works to liven up PCH too, but none were completed in time to be the included in this year’s survey.
Though grocery stores have been closing right and left, four bakeries have opened in Redondo Beach this year, a welcoming development for those who prefer handcrafted cakes and pastries. There hasn’t been a corresponding growth in artisan butchers, cheese shops, or other outlets in the South Bay, though the successful expansion of Grow Produce in Manhattan Beach shows how it can be done.
Palos Verdes has remained relatively quiet, but Torrance has boomed. The new restaurants at Del Amo mall are chain operations but are at the top of that class, and the mushrooming Japanese, Korean, and pan-Asian offerings are attracting an increasing number of diners from the beach cities. The opening of Hop Saint on 190th will focus attention on an area that has been stagnant for many years. Downtown is still operating below its potential – there are elegant buildings that are underutilized or vacant – but the city is obviously on the upswing.The nightlife in Torrance has improved too, with famous names dropping in for jazz and Italian food at Lou’s on the Hill and an evolving scene at Hey 19. The latter has drawn patrons from all over the area for innovative cocktail dinners, live music, and consistently excellent food – it’s proof that a great idea can succeed in almost any location.
The roll of departed eateries includes some famous names: Cantina Real, Flossie’s, and Restaurant Christine all lasted decades but ended their runs in 2015. Like the mythical hydra, every restaurant that shuttered has been replaced by at least two more, and the whole South Bay is reaping the benefit.
