Posts by Richard Foss
Ali’I Hawaiian Grill is not just for aristocrats
I fondly remember the Beach Hut in Manhattan Beach, a happy little shack that was the introduction to Hawaiian food for South Bay locals. They were noted for giant portions of cheap food that was then regarded as exotic. This is where we first experienced loco moco, spam musubi, sweet fried bread, curiously addictive macaroni…
Read MoreA LA CARTE: Mongolian in Redondo, Brazilian in Hermosa, food festivals and other events
Steppes to the Beach: Thanks to a recent opening, Redondo has a curious distinction — it’s home to one of only two restaurants in greater Los Angeles serving real Mongolian cuisine. Ayan, which means “life” in Mongolian, is located in the former Denny’s at Artesia and Aviation. They opened last week, serving the dumplings, stir-fries,…
Read MoreAprons in Hermosa Beach is an American classic
If you ask Beach Cities residents what our area lacks when it comes to restaurants, the answer is clear: casual family restaurants. Not fast-food, counter serve, of which we have plenty, but a place where people of all ages can relax and dine on the style of American food they might find in a classic…
Read MoreBaran’s 2239, born brilliant and still evolving
The most critically acclaimed restaurant in the Beach Cities, the only one to win a coveted Bib Gourmand award from the Michelin guide, always looks closed. The windows in their small strip mall location are black, and often covered by a low awning that obscures them. The place has a sign that is difficult to…
Read MoreA LA CARTE: Openings and closings, tiki returns, two food festivals
Lunch and Learning: Artesia has been blossoming as a dining area lately. The latest opening is not noteworthy for the creativity of its menu but is inspiring for other reasons. Mychal’s Café is a breakfast and lunch café staffed by people with learning disabilities, who are gaining job skills as they make your food and…
Read MoreDumpling Mix, a Chinese adventure on Pacific Coast Highway
Chinese dumplings aren’t a new cuisine in America. They’ve been available in California since the 1920s, when the Hang Ah Tea Room opened in San Francisco. That restaurant is still open and still good, but until a few decades ago the language spoken by diners was mainly Chinese. Few people outside that community were familiar…
Read MoreGrading on the Coffee Curve in Redondo Beach
For a major traffic artery, Aviation Boulevard has historically had remarkably few dining choices. There are bright spots at the Ocean Diner and the restaurants that share the Big Lots parking lot in Hermosa Beach, but from there north into Redondo Beach, the pickings were slim. Two bars serve a limited selection of sandwiches and…
Read MoreCantina by the sea, Serendipity by the highway, dining events, and more
Cantina by The Water: One of the best ocean view locations in the South Bay finally has a new restaurant. Riviera Mexican Cantina opened last week in the former Samba Brazilian BBQ location. It has been redecorated to look like a traditional hacienda with white walls accented with Mexican pottery and art and they haven’t…
Read MoreSaloon Osaka, eccentric, excellent, Japanese
It’s hard to imagine how anybody would find Saloon Osaka unless someone told them about it. The location takes ‘low profile’ to new levels — they’re on the edge of a parking lot in a mini-mall where El Segundo’s Main Street t-bones into Imperial Highway. The rumble of jets from the airport across the street…
Read MoreA LA CARTE: New Chinese in Redondo, brekkie burritos in Hermosa, lots of wine events, and other dining news
New Guys In Town: The South Bay has a new Chinese restaurant, and their menu goes well beyond the Americanized fare that is common in our area. As the name Dumpling Mix suggests, housemade noodles, wontons, and dumplings are a specialty, but they offer regional items from Taiwan, Sichuan, and Shanghai as well. The interior…
Read MoreThe Steak Library is a Temple of beef
People who enjoy lively, loud restaurants sometimes say quiet restaurants are like dining in a library. To some people, that would not sound like a bad thing. We’ve found books we loved, and sometimes people we loved too, amid the shelves of arcane knowledge, witty or serious stories, and the volume in the nonfiction section…
Read MoreSalt & Pearl, an unpolished pearl
While dining at the recently opened Riviera Village restaurant Salt & Pearl, I enjoyed a conversation with a longtime local, and we reminisced about neighborhood seafood restaurants long gone. We both had fond memories of The Windjammer, a cavernous relic more famous for their collection of nautical bric-a-brac than the creativity of their cuisine. They…
Read MoreA LA CARTE: Arabic open, sandwich shop closed, bar strange, and dining events
Finally Open: Work has been underway at the former Louis Burgers for almost three years, but the wait is over – the Pita Café on Artesia finally open. Given the amount of time it has taken, you might expect intricate murals, mosaic tables, or other labor-intensive decor. Instead, it much resembles the burger place it…
Read MoreMother’s Market, not like Mom used to make
Mother’s Market on Rosecrans is not the type of place my mother would have shopped. She was a dutiful cook who never went beyond the recipes she learned in the 1930s. Any vegetable more exotic than carrots, broccoli, potatoes, cabbage, or spinach was viewed with suspicion. Healthy eating meant two of those veggies on a…
Read MoreThe Craftsman Brews & Bites on display
Kids often model adult behavior, and at times the result can be hilarious. When we were dining out with one of my children who was about three years old and a restaurant server came to our table, she would look at the menu solemnly and announce, “I’ll have the shrimp.” She couldn’t read but had…
Read MoreCompagnon Bistro classic cuisine in style
When I talk with newcomers to the Peninsula about San Pedro, I find many have impressions of the city based almost exclusively on the Gaffey corridor of chain stores, fast food joints, and little of cultural interest. Most know that there’s an old downtown area but are hard-pressed to name any destination there except for…
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