Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, “With great risk comes great reward,” and whether restaurateurs know the saying or not, they get the idea. 2014 was a year of adventurous business decisions, and long-established eateries either innovated or were swept aside by dynamic new entrants. Local businesses spawned offshoots, and two groups of hometown entrepreneurs showed themselves to be visionary empire builders.
Partners Jed Sanford and Tin Vuong had their first hit with Abigaile, followed up with Little Sister in 2013, and opened Dia de Campo and Wildcraft Cucina in Culver City, in 2014. Their steakhouse in Hermosa and a new project in Riviera Village are scheduled to open next year. Each opening so far has been daring and has featured a cuisine unlike their other operations, a very unusual strategy that has obviously paid off. Meanwhile, the Simms Brothers and David LeFevre followed up their successes at MB Post and Fishing With Dynamite by buying Circa, which they plan to make into a steakhouse called Arthur J’s. Each team involves a visionary chef working with savvy managers, and they’ve shown that it is possible to expand operations, explore new cuisines, and be both a financial and artistic success.
The upscaling of traditional cuisines has also been a theme in the local scene, and even relatively quiet towns like El Segundo have joined the fun. Petros opened his fourth restaurant there, serving upscale Greek food in an area best known for burger bars, and seems to be doing very well. Mandovi took over an unpromising location to serve Goa-style Indian food to great acclaim, and Grimaldi’s finally opened and turned out to be worth the very long wait. Briefly fired ultra-thin pizza has been trending in Los Angeles for years, and it was inevitable that it would arrive in the South Bay sooner or later, but Grimaldi’s high-profile opening gave it a very good start.
Another pizza pioneer is Locale 90 in Riviera Village, where a notoriously sleepy restaurant scene burst into life in 2014. Established and slightly staid eateries like Buona Sera, Gina Lee’s, and Sushi Casa Arigato shut down, and besides Locale 90 the neighborhood garnered a quirky, adventurous sushi restaurant in Flyin Fin, and sophisticated Italian at the Bottle Inn Riviera. Based on the number of openings already scheduled and credible rumors of more, it’s likely that South Redondo will be the hottest place for new openings and revitalizations next year.
Elsewhere in town, the city got its first kosher deli at TKP Provisions, and the Ragin Cajun set up shop in the former Chaba Thai Grill. The owners of Doma Kitchen, who had been dissatisfied with the logistics of their tiny space, outdoor-only seating, and limited parking, closed the restaurant and declared that they would reopen elsewhere. The only area that remained stable was North Redondo, which had a brief taste of modernity when Irish bistro Cork’er opened and quickly closed. The pier area got its first adventurous contemporary restaurant, the R10 Social House, a distinct anomaly in an area where most restaurants serve simple fare. More changes will come soon; several waterfront restaurateurs want to sell or redevelop their properties, but the uncertainty over the city’s plans for the area have put those projects on hold. Once a plan is announced, whatever it is, there will be a lot of movement here.
The rush in Redondo might even rival this year’s action in Hermosa, which was extraordinarily lively. In a March column I wrote, “It looks like Hermosa will be the epicenter of new restaurant openings this year… With over ten openings scheduled, the smallest community in the South Bay will be where the action is.” For once that crystal ball was working – besides the eclectic modern Mexican food at Dia de Campo, downtown got gastropubs Greenbelt, Standing Room, and Hook & Plow, plus Killer Shrimp, Copacabana Brazilian, and the renewed Mermaid. PCH blossomed too, though with less outré concepts, as Fat Tomato, Bobby’s South Bay Italian, Hermosa Fish Shop, and Spice Six Indian opened their doors. Two much-anticipated offerings failed to materialize, as Game Changers modification into Laurel Tavern and the continuing renovation of the old Backburner space both had a flurry of construction followed by stillness. Another anticipated change didn’t happen, as La Sosta announced a move to Manhattan Beach in March, but as of this writing is still right where they started.
Hermosa lost a local landmark with a great name when Fat Face Fenner’s finally closed, though they hope to reopen elsewhere, and we briefly had a tiki bar that also served Italian food at Banzai Beach. An upscale Mexican cantina is planned in the Banzai space, but no opening date has been announced.
Manhattan Beach, which had been the liveliest restaurant community for the last several years, had relatively few openings but those were big. The major change was the closure of Café Pierre, the beloved classic bistro that had been serving since 1977, and its replacement with Love & Salt. Café Pierre was a pioneer in its day with Latin, Italian, and French fusion, so it makes conceptual sense that Love & Salt continues pushing boundaries. The new place is loud, modern, and relentlessly interesting; there is no place else around where you can get a whole roasted pig’s head or a corned lamb tongue panini, and the sense of excitement over Michael Fiorelli’s cooking is palpable. Guy Gabriele, who founded Café Pierre, and his daughter Sylvie are still there, so there is continuity even in the new surroundings.
Nearby newcomer Nick’s has an idea so old it’s new: they’re the first restaurant to open downtown for at decades serving steaks, seafood and American classics in a traditional atmosphere. It’s a smart move, a recognition that even the high-style crowd might want filet mignon, fried chicken or cioppino with an Old Fashioned to wash it down.
Elsewhere, celebrity restaurateur Michael Cardenas opened Akatora Sushi, which replaced Katsu on Rosecrans and was a major upgrade in style – the décor and menu mix modern and rustic ideas very appealingly. Along with these openings and changes the city lost two of its oldest restaurants, though they were low-profile places on a side street. The Schooner and Stir-Fry Grill were both in business for over forty years, but along with neighbor Magic Skewers they were evicted as part of a redevelopment project. None of the three restaurants were gourmet destinations, but they were a slice of an older and less pretentious Manhattan Beach, and will be missed.
Looking back at trends, it was a year in which specialist eateries proliferated – Jus’ Poke serving only variations on Hawaiian seafood salad, Bonaventura Gelato, Rita’s Italian Ice, and Baby G’s with frozen desserts, and a host of juice bars and Acai bowl places. Cocktails were big business too, and several restaurants upgraded their bar programs. On the economic front, a comparison of the average tabs at places that closed and the ones that replaced them shows only a modest uptick, less than might be expected given the increase in local rents. Those rents obviously haven’t deterred both established operators and outsiders from making big plans for 2015, which promises to be just as lively.
