by Richard Foss
One Carnivore Up, One Down: The beach cities have seen a flurry of butcher shops opening, a surprising development in a neighborhood with several upscale supermarkets with expansive meat departments. One of the odder of these, Wagyu Meatsmith in Hermosa, closed at the end of the year. If you’re wondering where that was, you’re probably not alone, because their tiny storefront at the rear of a mini-mall had very little visibility… A new contender is coming into a high profile space, and they’re in quite a different situation. The Butchery will open soon in the former Lindberg Nutrition vitamin store at the corner of Artesia & PCH, a huge location at a high traffic corner. Their announcement promises cheeses and spices as well as meat, as well as a kitchen and seafood bar. Can this make headway literally across the street from the well-established Lazy Acres Market? Time will tell…
Hard Days in MB: Manhattan Beach had an unusual number of restaurant closings at the turn of the year. Tacolicious lasted five years serving modern Mexican in a casual environment, and they were a polarizing place thanks to relatively high prices for a cuisine Americans generally think of as cheap. Management had signaled in newsletters to their customers that things weren’t going well, and in one issue they pleaded for catering business, saying they needed it to survive.
Don’t throw away those gift cards if you’ll be visiting San Francisco, because that’s where the remaining locations are… The collapse of the Lemonade fast food spot in Metlox Plaza takes a modestly priced healthy food option off the table. The chain has been shrinking steadily, and you are one of the people with gift cards in a drawer somewhere, you now have to go to Downtown LA or Irvine to use them… The nearby Pitfire Pizza finally closed too, months after the sale of the business to Great White had been announced. The Presotea location on Manhattan Avenue closed too, suggesting that trying to make rent in an expensive location selling Taiwanese tea drinks and bubble waffles may not be a winning strategy.
And Openings: The only recent opening in Manhattan Beach was actually a metamorphosis – the Fusion Sushi on Morningside Avenue by Metlox has rebranded as Yu-Me. The transformation has been considerable, a larger menu and freshened interior that includes cute Japanese village houses rendered in Legos. A meal shortly after opening was promising, and I’ll be back to review them soon(1150 Morningside, MB)… If you noticed a long line outside a tiny cottage on PCH in Redondo last weekend, it might have been your first clue that Sleepy Seal Coffee has opened. I stopped in for an espresso that was as creamy and richly flavored as anyone could ask for. The space is bigger than it looks at first – there’s a seating area behind the counter. I sipped mine outside anyway, wishing they had provided a bench or some chairs (205 S. PCH, RB)…
Coming Attractions: It looks like someone started to put a sign on the building at 1212 South PCH in Redondo and then didn’t come back. It currently reads “Bread, Espresso, &” and that is how it will stay. This is the first US location for a Japanese bakery and coffee franchise whose name ends with an ampersand, a branding strategy that is unique as far as I know. It does leave them plenty of latitude to start serving something else, so if you see “Bread, Espresso, & Pizza” one of these days, you’ll know that they’re broadening their offerings. No word yet on how soon they’ll open in the former Two Guns spot… A bit further south, Taormina, the new restaurant by the Avenue Italy team, is reportedly about to open on South Catalina, and Proudly Serving will start flipping burgers in the former Holy Cow in early February…
The Market Report: I have heard some dire rumors about the fate of the Manhattan Grocery, downtown MB’s only independent market, and can set the record straight. The Manhattan Meats counter inside was always a separate business, and they recently bought the separate grocery section. They are refurbishing the rather worn interior and putting in new flooring, and will reopen soon…
First Look: I was intrigued to hear that Copper Pot in South Redondo had started serving both American and South Asian breakfasts, and I finally made the time to see what it’s like. At this time it’s a work in progress, delivering very good food rather slowly, and with a confusing ordering process. The online menu is nothing like the menu that you receive when you’re actually in the restaurant – they serve many items that aren’t listed on their website, though there are some items on the paper menu that they actually don’t yet serve. The online menu has descriptions of most items, so if you’re trying to decide between Ven Pongal and Khichidi but don’t know what either of those are, you’ll have to search the internet. I ordered the former and had a delicious bowl of rice porridge with curry, ginger, cumin, pepper, asafetida, and other seasonings, and it was a delicious way to start the day. The lamb curry puff had a superb filling but soft pastry – they should put these on a rack in a hot oven to crisp them before serving, but even with that minor defect it was fine. If you know Indian food or want to learn and are patient, this is a one-of-a-kind experience locally, and they also serve American classics and some fusion omelets for the less adventurous…
Event Alerts: There aren’t a lot of wine dinners on the schedule this month because of the imminent Dine LA Week – from January 24 to February 7 restaurants all over greater Los Angeles will be offering two and three course meals at discounted rates. There are 20 restaurant offerings in the beach cities, so if you dine out for breakfast and lunch all 14 days, you can visit six of them twice. Want to plan your two-week dining marathon? Do it at dicoverlosangeles.com/dinela… There are two other events of note this month, though. On 29 January, Barnett Winemaker dinner at PSP Steak. David Tate will host a five-course meal paired with his luscious Napa and Sonoma wines – the price is $195 including tax & tip. See the whole menu and reserve at pspsteak.com or at open table… The next day, 30 January, The Chart House will host a dinner. Frank Family Vineyards will be featured at a pairing dinner for $149 inclusive – see more and reserve at chart-house.com…
And In Closing: If you know a restaurant opening I might’ve missed, a culinary event that should be covered, or just about anything related to food that I should know about, please send the information my way. I’m at richard@richardfoss.com. And as long as you’re on the internet, check out past restaurant reviews on our website at https://easyreadernews.com/restaurants/.
