A La Carte 10/01/15
Jeffray Gardner, the chocolatier behind Marsatta Chocolates, is back in business. Photo by Emma Gardner
Back From The Brink… The For Sale sign on the building housing El Indio is down, and the Mexican restaurant and tortilla factory that has been serving Redondo since 1960 will keep doing so. Both the building and business have a new owner, and they’ve spruced the place up and brought some more modern items on the menu. You can now get ancho chile tofu, whole rotisserie chickens, and barbacoa alongside the simple items they’ve served for decades, and the prices have hardly budged – there are still combos for under eight bucks. An old favorite has started a new chapter and all is well on Artesia…
Reopening Soon (We Hope)… A Basque Kitchen, which has only been open for about five months but has been a symbol of the upscaling Redondo Boardwalk, is temporarily closed. Their website cites some remodeling, and they are still doing some catering and private events. They may be up and running again as soon as this coming weekend. Here’s hoping all goes well and they’re soon back to serving tapas and sangria with a view of the marina…
Events, We Have Events… Lou’s on the Hill has been hosting music evenings and culinary events since they opened, but the next wine dinner should be particularly special. It’s an evening with Andrea Contucci, whose family has been making Montepulciano since the 1700’s. The date is October 21; the menu wasn’t available at press time, and more info should be uploaded soon on the restaurant’s website… There will be wine at the pop-up dinner at Stripe Café inside the POV Arts Center too, but that’s because the diners usually bring it. Stripe doesn’t serve alcohol but offers food that is very sophisticated and would pair nicely. At least three choices are offered at each stage of their four course dinners, so you’re sure to find something you like. The price is $50 plus tax and tip – for reservations call 310-541-2479…
The Soup Dumpling era begins…The remodeling of the Del Amo Shopping Center will be bringing in some major restaurant upgrades – as covered in another article here, this includes Great Maple, an upscale contemporary restaurant, and Bazile, a French-style bistro owned by Nordstrom’s. The big news for those who enjoy Chinese food is the first local Din Tai Fung, the Taiwan-based restaurant famous for introducing soup dumplings to the world. For those who haven’t tried them, these aren’t dumplings in soup, but soup inside dumplings – dough packets filled with various flavors of soup that you pop in your mouth and pop with your teeth. Din Tai Fung serves much more than that, and their handmade noodles go into soups and various steamed and fried concoctions. It’s safe to say that people who never think of going to a shopping center for a meal will be reassessing their options, and the whole lineup hasn’t even been announced yet…
It’s In The Name… It’s a natural thing to pop open a bottle of wine to celebrate an anniversary, especially when the party hosting the party is a wineshop named Uncorked. They’ll be breaking out the good stuff and serving gourmet nibbles on October 25th to celebrate four years in business. Tickets are $40 for admission, $50 for VIP tastings, and there will be all the live music you can eat. Tickets are at uncorkedhermosa.com, and act fast – it always sells out… And a happy anniversary to Jackson’s in El Segundo, which just turned three. The place has plenty of company in the revitalized Rosecrans corridor but seems to be doing very well…
Peppercorns and Celebration… Dominique’s Kitchen is turning three on October 21st, and they’re celebrating in a way that is typically geared to those who appreciate flavor. Chef Dominique Theval learned to love Madagascar green peppercorns when he was a chef at the Hotel Meurice in Paris, and he’s offering a dinner where these gently spicy pickled peppers are used in every dish – including a green peppercorn ice cream for dessert. Dinner with wine is $70 plus tax – go raise a glass to one of our local treasures. Call 424-247-9054, and do it soon…
The eclectic Manhattan Beach wine and gourmet shop Barsha celebrated their third anniversary with a wine tasting party. Here owners Adnen and Lenora Marouani take a moment away from socializing with their guests. Photo .
For Love Of Chocolate!… There has been some action in the new Marsatta Chocolates location in Torrance, with new glass and a new storefront installed and more renovations ongoing. Things had been delayed by a change in the ownership and management of the shopping center, which held up all construction for months. The chocolate processing machinery is in and the test runs should start soon – expect an opening within the next few weeks…
Any new restaurants I should know about, any food and beverage events? I’m at Richard@richardfoss.com…