One of the errors some people make is thinking that for a restaurant to have a great wine list, it merely needs a lot of money. One need only consider the people he knows who have expensive homes decorated in bad taste or modest ones that are a pleasure to contemplate in order to see the fallacy in that. The Bottle Inn has a wine list with exquisite bottles at every price level. If you crave a good Chianti from a modest producer or are looking for a memorable old Barolo, the restaurant will have the bottle for you. Trust the sommelier to pair your meal. Why go to a place where there are experts if you’re not going to take advantage of their knowledge? Here, you can have a bottle or a glass to put the finishing touch on a fine Italian meal. — RF
26 22nd St., Hermosa Beach. 310-376-9595
Runner-up: The Strand House. 117 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (310) 545-7470
Italian over $20
We’re adventurous here at the beach, and many of us seek new restaurants far and wide. This is the one we always come back to, the reliable old-school place with cuisine that does not grow less enjoyable by repetition. There are specials at the Bottle Inn, and wine dinners and other events, but the important things about this restaurant are the ones that don’t change: the stylish yet calm atmosphere, completely reliable food and staff who greet longtime regulars like the old friends they are. The Bottle Inn isn’t flashy, but it has been the place we go for special-occasion Italian meals for decades, and it will be for decades more. — RF
26 22nd St. Hermosa Beach. (310) 376-9595.
Runner-up: La Sosta Enoteca, 2700 Manhattan Ave., Hermosa Beach. (310) 318-1556
