One Louisiana Restaurant Down, One Resurrected… After ten years in business, Hermosa’s New Orleans Cajun & Creole Cuisine closed after negotiations to extend their lease were unsuccessful. I have heard that a “bistro” has their eye on the space, though whether we’re talking traditional French or something modern remains to be seen. Meanwhile up the street, Stephen Domingue of the Ragin Cajun will be opening a new restaurant in the current Thai Top space. It will be called “The Original Ragin Cajun,” and it is across the street from the place where Stephen started the local Cajun craze back in 1992. The doors are scheduled to open the first week in May, but we all know how unpredictable opening dates are in this area…
Project Remodel… Down the street at Pier Plaza, Project Taco has been replaced by a smoothie and wrap place called Fresh Spot, though you can’t order either right now. They served a few before closing for remodeling, and no firm reopening date has been posted…
Also in Hermosa, the remodeling of China Chef Wang into the Sugar Dayne cookie bakery looks like it’s almost done. Founder Katy Metoyer started baking as a hobby, but went pro when a new law allowed the sale of items prepared in home kitchens. She has been so successful with her dazzlingly decorated cookies that she’s opening a boutique cookie shop on upper Pier. She is a rock star in the cookie world, and recently was guest of honor at Cookie-con in Salt Lake City. And no, I didn’t know that cookie bakers have a convention until she told me.…
Meanwhile in Redondo, the new location of Mama D’s still isn’t open, and yes, it’s another permit sign-off situation so no telling how long until it happens. Elsewhere, work is continuing at the former Casa Pulido to build a Chicago For Ribs, and Sophie’s in Riviera Village now has a liquor license so is the latest to serve cocktails…
This Will Be A long Line… Burger City Grill is having their grand opening on March 27th, and they have announced that the first fifty people in line will get free burgers for a year. They’re at 3605 Artesia in Torrance, and in order to keep the entire South Bay from joining the line they require an RSVP to rsvp@localitela.com. I presume that’s so they’ll know how many to make. My guess: lots…
Event Alerts… It’s a week of themes here – first, pink wine. Shade Hotel Redondo will be hosting a rosé festival on March 26th – $100 will get you a languid afternoon by the sea sipping world class wines and enjoying appetizers from their kitchen. The event runs from 1 to 5 PM, and tickets can be purchased at www.rosefestivalrb.eventbrite.com… The very next day Chez Melange will host a rose wine dinner hosted by master sommelier Fredrick Dame – the five course dinner is $69 plus tax and tip, so about the same price. Reservations can be made by calling the Chez – 310-540-1222.
The other theme for this month is whisky from interesting places: Japan and India. On March 28th The Arthur J will be hosting a unique event, a tasting of barrel samples of Japanese whisky that aren’t usually available in the American market. Chef LeFevre will make a six-course meal to complement rare expressions of Suntory whiskies, culminating in the revered Hibiki 17 year-old. It’s not cheap – $650 per person, inclusive. Reservations are available at 310-878-9620… At a somewhat more modest price point, there will also be a tasting dinner of Paul John whiskies from India at Mandovi restaurant in El Segundo on April 3rd. Paul John’s US representative will be on hand to explain the five expressions of Indian single malt, one of which has never been available in the US before this dinner. The event includes a multicourse meal featuring Indian-Iberian fusion dishes from the former Portuguese colony of Goa. Price is $65.00 inclusive, and a portion goes to support the Pacific Food & Beverage Museum. Reserve a space online at https://natfab.org/events/indian-spirit-indian-cuisine…
Starpower Comes To El Segundo… Roy Choi, the man who introduced Korean-Mexican fusion to an awestruck world and parlayed a food truck into a restaurant empire, will be hosting a book signing and food tasting at Whole Foods in El Segundo. The date is 27 March from 5 to 7 PM, cost is ten dollars, and tickets are available at https://meetroychoi.eventbrite.com…
And A South Bay Star Teaches In San Pedro… Christine Brown closed her restaurant in Hillside Village in April of 2015, and since then she has been doing a lot of catering and a few cooking classes. She will be presenting one of the latter in an unusual venue, an art deco palace in San Pedro, on April 17th. This is your chance to learn how to prepare Asian fusion items like spicy egg drop soup, a Soba noodle salad, poke shooters on wontons, and Vietnamese shaken beef while enjoying tastes of all of them. The cost for dinner with wine and the demonstration class is a mere $65 – for reservations and information send an email to info@chefsstudio101.com…
Paella Lovers Rejoice!… It’s paella week at A Basq Kitchen on the Boardwalk in Redondo, with a different variant every evening. If you are reading this on the 23rd and head down there tonight the special is lamb paella with drunken grapes, and I don’t know what that is but it sounds enticing. Friday is paella negra, Saturday is pork belly paella which I didn’t even know was a thing, and Sunday is paella mixta, which if this was my house would mean the week’s leftovers with rice but is undoubtedly something more majestic here. Prices and reservations are available at abasqkitchen.com…
Any events I should know about, and new openings, anybody else want to give me free food for a year? I’m at Richard@richardfoss.com…
