With All Due Respect To Utah… In my review of Barnacles a few weeks ago, I mentioned that it was the only restaurant outside Utah at which I had not been able to get coffee or tea with breakfast. After that review appeared, I was contacted by Lesli Neilsen of the Salt Lake Tribune, who objected to any implication that one could not get coffee in the state. Mormons do not partake of coffee, but one can find a Starbucks on many a corner in Salt Lake City, and Lesli sent several reviews of local coffee establishments that show dedication to the black brew. My java-impaired breakfast experience was in fact at a roadside café somewhere near Enoch, a less cosmopolitan town near Zion National Park. I apologize to her, to Utahans everywhere, and to you my readers if anyone was misled to think that coffee is unavailable everywhere in Utah, and I salute the bold baristas who pursue their craft there…
The Rockefeller versus Yelp, Round One… Many restaurateurs fume quietly about vindictive or ignorant reviews on Yelp and other sites, angry about being slammed unfairly but not wanting to provoke controversy. The Rockefeller in Hermosa has gone public with their hate mail, some of which is from people who haven’t eaten there but slammed the place because they don’t like the owners. The management has asked diners who like the place to submit positive reviews to counteract the haters, and have offered a free “entrée, beer, or wine item” to people who do so. I’m not wild about this tactic but understand it – most people are more motivated to write negative reviews than positive ones, so most places get worse press than they deserve. There are also false positives – I know of restaurateurs (and let me make it clear, I am not talking about the owners of The Rockefeller here) who have told their staff to post positive Yelp reviews of the place they work, and negative reviews of their competitors. The game is easily rigged in either direction, and all a casual reader can do is hope that false praise and petty vindictiveness will cancel each other out.
In their defense, Yelp attempts to deal with the problem and weed out the worst offenders, but the sheer volume of posts makes it an impossible job. The company’s business model, which involves injecting irrelevant advertiser listings into searches so that a request for restaurants in Hermosa brings up places in Gardena, doesn’t help matters; both the impartiality and accuracy of listings is impaired. The Rockefeller may not benefit in the short run from their campaign because diehard Yelpers will slam them, and their gifts to positive reviewers may cause doubts about honest assessments, but they have done a service by bringing the subject into the open…
By the way, my capsule review of The Rockefeller, not posted to Yelp: surprisingly good food, well-chosen beer list, but the relatively high prices and LOUD environment means I go there less often than I might. Also, a place by this name ought to have oysters Rockefeller more often than once a week…
First Look, Strange Concept… When someone told me that Oliver’s Café in Redondo was themed around the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, at first I didn’t believe him. Could there really be a restaurant in the South Bay where the staff dressed as English orphans and the manager was costumed as Fagin? Luckily, they didn’t go that far, but the restaurant is festooned with posters and memorabilia from the Broadway hit, the movie versions, and every other adaptation of the story. I have seen other dining establishments with a theatrical theme, but can’t remember one so completely devoted to all the permutations of a single work. The menu does not offer the workhouse gruel that features in a pivotal scene in the original, but then again, if Oliver the orphan was dining on Sonoma rack of lamb with feta stuffed tomato or pistachio-crusted sea bass, he wouldn’t have needed to run away to London and Dickens wouldn’t have had a story. Do the servers a favor and don’t ask for a coffee refill with the line, “Please sir, may I have some more;” they must have heard the joke plenty of times by now…
New and Interesting… The Crush Bistro in El Segundo doesn’t have their wine license yet and isn’t serving anything that has actually been crushed, but they are worth a look if you’re in the area at lunchtime. They offer very good Vietnamese-style sandwiches and salads at very modest prices, and if they keep this quality and value coming this might be the place that turns around a cursed location. Further south, Extreme Pizza has opened in Redondo, prompting the question, extremely what? Extremely tasty, said the quick-witted manager when asked that question. I didn’t try one when I went by to pick up a menu, but they sure looked good, and they’re available with regular, whole wheat, or gluten-free crusts. The room is tastefully done, evoking an old-fashioned neighborhood joint even though they have only been open for a week, and their decision to donate their first week’s take to a local children’s charity shows an admirable commitment to the community…
American Exceptionalism… I was a big fan of American Farmhouse Grill, and looked with anxiety on their plan to move to a space at least four times the size. Could a little homestyle cafe really transform into an upscale restaurant and keep the same feeling? I have dined there twice since the place reopened, and can report that they have indeed pulled it off. There are a few more upscale offerings on the menu, but the core Santa Maria-style steaks, chicken, and seafood are there, and the excellent vegetable soup and salad are still included with every entree. There have been some changes – the prices are higher but still reasonable, there are white tablecloths, and wines and beer are offered, but all the things I liked about the old operation are still here. Incidentally, the sepia toned pictures on the wall aren’t from a yard sale or décor vendor – they are actually from the owner’s family memorabilia and show their farm in the Dakotas. It’s a sign of authenticity – this is a farmhouse grill run by people who know their farmhouses…
Standing For Something… I had heard many things about The Standing Room, the tiny take-out deli in the back of Catalina Liquors. No less a connoisseur than Michael Franks of Chez Melange called it the most audacious fast food place he knew of, in the strangest location – high praise from someone who started a gourmet restaurant in a motel coffee shop. Having tried the place, I have to agree with his assessment – who goes to a counter in the back of a liquor store for a soft-shell crab sandwich with Thai mayonnaise and truffle Parmesan fries, or crispy pork belly with fried Brussels sprouts? There being no place inside to dine, I took my dinner out to the bus stop bench, secure in the knowledge that since I was in the South Bay in the evening, there was no danger of any intrusion by an actual bus. Sure enough, my dinner was uninterrupted except for the occasional passerby asking, “Where the heck did you get that? It looks good!”…
Speaking of Michael Franks… Chez Melange, which is already home to a formal restaurant and a gastropub has opened yet another side operation under the same roof. BarComida is their new tapas bar, offering authentic Spanish snacks and style in an alcove off the main dining room. I tried their green gazpacho at the Wellness Event last Sunday – it was a tasty antidote to the hot and humid days we’ve had lately, and I look forward to seeing what other delights are in store… ER
