A view of Vista in Hermosa Beach

I love it when restaurants surprise me with ambitious food in odd locations. Finding a great little eatery on a residential side street, in a mall, or in some other unlikely spot is thrilling, a sign someone is so confident about their cuisine that they believe people will go anywhere to get it. It’s also impressive when a place that could coast on their location doesn’t. A case in point is the former Mermaid, which survived for decades serving simple steaks and seafood by the beach. It seemed likely that whoever took over the location would stay with that safe concept, and two short-lived successors with gimmicky concepts seemed to prove the wisdom of sticking with a menu of proven crowd-pleasers. When the second of these operations closed, I expected another seafood and steak palace to take over. Instead, the South Bay got Vista, a decidedly quirky spot that offers an original take on Asian fusion food. Chef Drew Adams used his training in French restaurants to reimagine tiki bar food with modern sophistication. The restaurant has the same layout as ever, which puts the bar front and center in the main room with a cozy alcove to one side and a few tables along the corridor…

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