by Richard Foss
Finally! Montauk has been hyping their opening so long I figured the actual event would be an anticlimax. It wasn’t. The former Chez Melange is now a fascinating anomaly, a Redondo restaurant that feels more like a clubby slice of London, old San Francisco, and yes, New York. Are the notoriously casual locals ready to dress for dinner? The place had a healthy crowd when I dropped in on a midweek evening, all the gentlemen present wearing sport jackets though no neckties were observed. The environment and style are classic, but the food isn’t – there are steaks and simple seafood, but also items with global roots. It’s a daring experiment in every way, and one of a kind for a wide radius (1611 S. Catalina #150, RB).
And Two More: The other opening that brings something new to the Beach Cities is Tiki Kai on the Pier Plaza, which will be the second tiki bar in the history of the block between the Avenue and the beach. (Give up on what the first one was? The Lighthouse was a tiki bar before it was a jazz club.) There is no danger that you will walk past Tiki Kai and not notice it – until now Palmilla had the most stylish façade on the Pier Plaza, but this place surpasses it with their dazzling array of dramatically lit Polynesian sculptures, carvings, and paintings. The menu offers elevated versions of Trader Vic’s and Don the Beachcomber specialties, with some modern fusion items for those with more contemporary tastes. They’ve been doing test meals for over a week, and the official opening is Thursday, November 6. The evenings have been a bit cool to break out that Hawaiian shirt or muumuu, but you’ll want to do it anyway just to be in the mood (73 Pier Avenue, HB)… The other big opening in the area is a branch of Coni’ Seafood in the former Encanto on Hermosa Avenue. In a way this opening is a homecoming – the restaurant began in the back yard of Vicente Cossio, who cooked at the Bay ‘90s in Manhattan Beach in the ‘70s. I have dined at the original Coni’ Seafood in Inglewood and can say from experience that the Nayarit-style seafood that is their specialty involves some citrusy, vigorously spicy sauces that marry very well with mesquite-perfumed seafood. And make no mistake, you are here for the seafood, because there are not even token meat or vegetarian dishes on the menu. It’s a bold bet that South Bay locals will prize authenticity, and is likely to become a place of pilgrimage for purists from the surrounding area (934 Hermosa Ave. #1, HB)…
Coming Attractions: The former Ayan (and to longtime locals, the former Denny’s) at the corner of Aviation and Artesia will become the third outpost of the Juicy Dumpling Factory, whose current locations are in Orange County. They specialize in handmade Chinese dumplings and noodles, and have been compared to a more moderately priced version of Din Tai Fung. No word yet on how soon they’ll open… There is news about Toranj, the Persian restaurant that will be opening in the former Manhattan Bar & Grill on Manhattan Beach Boulevard near the corner of Sepulveda. They expect to be serving in about three weeks, and will serve Tehran-style food in an upscale environment. I’m impressed that someone is finally paying attention to the exterior of this venerable building – the planter boxes are blooming with color that contrasts with the white walls, and it’s attention-getting… Something is finally happening at El Amigo Hacienda on Inglewood, so the permit problems that have held up work have apparently been resolved. Construction is underway again and they’ve invested in some “opening soon” banners, which is a good sign in more ways than one…Construction is also in progress at Siam I Am, which is being remodeled and will open under new ownership, and at a new location of the Urbane Cafe sandwich shop that will open in the shopping center near Whole Foods.
And A Closing: Chef Hannes in El Segundo is calling it quits – Chef-owner Johannes Kraschitzer is looking forward to a well-deserved retirement that probably involves playing golf a lot. Thanks for many years of good Cal-Italian food, and for the occasional Austrian specials that you used to serve on occasion. I’ve heard the new owner will convert it to a Japanese restaurant, despite the fact that their neighbors include two other restaurants serving that cuisine…
Event Alerts: And there aren’t many on the schedule this month, for some reason. This Sunday there are two events – in the afternoon, a blind tasting at Uncorked in Manhattan Beach of four flights of wines from France and the USA – you’ll sample each without knowing what they are and record your impressions and your best guess of what they are, and find out at the end of the event how close you came. These are always enlightening – seats are limited, so reserve soon at the shop or on Eventbrite… That evening Radici offers four courses of classic Italian food with wines from the Morro D’Alba region on the Adriatic, home of the rare Lagrima grape. The price is $98 inclusive, quite modest for an event of this type – reserve HERE. There’s another wine event at Tin Roof Bistro on the 13th that offers a sampling of the Simms Wine Club. The event is a tasting of their house-branded vintages along with hors d’ouerves and live music, and it’s a mere $65 – reserve HERE… The action moves to Fleming’s on November 14, with five courses paired with offerings from Napa and Washington State family vineyards. Price is $150 plus tax & tip, about $185 – reserve at this link… Two other restaurants are hosting events throughout the month. The Palos Verdes Wine Club is usually only open for dinner, but will be open for Sunday brunch this month – offerings include crabcake benedicts, house-cured salmon tartine, and chilaquiles. Reservations not required, but recommended – 310-377-7892… And from now through the 20 of November, the Chart House is offering a three-course dinner for two for $90, with a $5 donation to the Movember Men’s Health Foundation. Entrée choices include lamb chops and lobster stuffed shrimp – see the whole menu at THIS LINK… For those who want to improve their holiday entertaining game, on November 15 Chef Christine Brown will present a hors ‘d-ouerves class at Pacific Standard Prime. She’ll teach you how to prepare them, and then you’ll taste the result along with wine pours. The price is $99 – reserve on Open Table…
Odds And Ends: Congratulations to Rockn’Fish for 25 years in business – it’s hard to believe that this Manhattan Beach mainstay hasn’t been here even longer. Hoist a navy grog and enjoy something from the mesquite grill to celebrate… And congratulations also to Hop Saint for the bronze medal their Nothing2Fear IPA won at the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado. That’s a big deal, because hundreds of brewers from all over America submit their best in this competition. They still have a keg and a half left on the day I write this, so if you want to try it, go soon!…
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 Easyreadernews.com/restaurants. ER
