From the Sea to the Hill [business profile]

The Great American International Seafood Market delivers on its name with global and local offerings

One of the greatest advantages for any restaurant along the California coast is an ocean view, and it’s been the case since visitors arrived in buggies, Model T’s, and red car trolleys. The same goes for private homes, architects know that a dining room with a vista of the Pacific is a sure selling point. […]

Jimmy’s departs, Paella Sundays, upcoming openings, and more dining events

A La Carte column for 21 August 2019

End Of An Era… Jimmy’s Kouzina has served its last souvlaki, the end of an enterprise that has been in business since 1984. The Italian and Greek restaurant opened as Old Venice but never served Venetian-style food, and it has been a mainstay in downtown Manhattan Beach. Their customers will mourn the loss of a […]

Soom Soom So So [restaurant review]

The new Israeli restaurant in Plaza El Segundo has promise, but needs some fixing

The lines on a global map change occasionally, the names more frequently, but the cultures generally evolve at glacial speed. When Czechoslovakia separated into two countries in 1992 it didn’t change traditional dance, literature or cooking. (The Slovaks did have to learn a new national anthem, but many probably just move their lips when it’s […]

Vietnamese for vegetarians

Everything at this Southeast Asian cafe is plant-based, and most of it works

Occasionally I see a place with a name like “Jolly Cow Burgers” and wonder what about that establishment might spark bovine levity. I don’t think cattle are particularly intelligent compared to people, though the performance of certain politicians as stupid herd animals puts that in doubt. Nevertheless, even something as dim as a cow must […]

Darren’s Dare [restaurant review]

A celebrated chef arrives at a place better known as a nightlife destination.

Some things are so widely believed to be impossible that they’re rarely tried. In the hospitality industry one of these truisms is that once a place has an established identity as a bar that serves food, you can’t transition into an upscale restaurant. You can do it if you change the name and décor, but […]

Love for vegans, chilli roast a new tradition, several bottles of rum, and other dining news

A La Carte column for 01 August 2019

Summer Rush Transit: No matter what you think of services like Lyft and Uber, they are helping to keep beach city restaurants alive. It’s not just tourists. Locals who don’t live within convenient walking distance are using them to avoid driving in circles looking for parking. I talked to a Lyft driver who said that […]

Greeks on the prairie [restaurant review]

A Mediterranean steakhouse inspires thoughts of a different Old West

Earlier this evening, I found myself imagining an alternate history where the American West was settled by Greeks rather than the motley crowd of Germans, Irish, French, Mexicans, and Spaniards. I imagine cowboys sitting around the fire drinking red wine with their bacon, beans, and steaks while meditatively reviewing the dialogs of Socrates. On particularly […]

Mindful craft [restaurant review]

Hermosa’s newest gastropub features ambitious menu, novel brews

Before I stopped in at Crafty Minds Brews + Bites for the first time, I tried to look up their menu online. I couldn’t find one, so I called. The fellow who answered the phone said they didn’t have an online presence, but volunteered that they serve what he called “California pub food.” It’s a […]

Barn by the beach [restaurant review]

The LA dining scene has lots of fantasy restaurants where the interiors were designed to evoke another place or time. That’s not a new thing – by the 1920s there were restaurants that were decorated to look like French chateaus, a pirate hideout, and most improbably, an old Western jail. However exotic their décor, they […]

High hopes for Esperanza, Greeks bearing food, an eatery with a hook, and more restaurant news

A La Carte column for 04 July 2019

Changes At Shark’s Cove: Shark’s Cove sports bar in Manhattan Beach will close after Labor Day, to be replaced by Esperanza, a restaurant similar to and under the same management as Palmilla in Hermosa. The concept drawings for the space are dazzling, and it will be a major upgrade for the area. It’s a canny […]

Food with a side of art [restaurant review]

Stripe Cafe has a hidden location and eccentric hours, but it's worth a visit.

A relatively new food service in Rancho Palos Verdes has a name that is the linguistic equivalent of a Russian nesting doll. Shady Grove at Stripe Cafe at the Palos Verdes Art Center is the majestically long moniker for a little cafe tucked in the upper level of the building. They’re open only for breakfast […]

Thai on Main [restaurant review]

Jetta Thai emphasizes authenticity and some unusual dishes

Years ago, I took a trip to Thailand, spending time in several regions and sampling food from street stalls, upmarket restaurants, private homes, and everything in between. After two delightful weeks I arrived home and my family asked what I’d like for dinner, expecting that I’d have the Mexican food craving that usually sets in […]

A Tale of Two Chickens [restaurant review]

A comparison of the South Bay’s highest and lowest volume restaurants selling roast chicken

One of the main reasons for dining out is there’s something you love to eat, but not to cook. A prime example is roast chicken, which is just about everybody’s favorite everyday meal. To do it right so that the interior is moist and the skin isn’t rubbery takes not only practice, but time and […]

Second chance for Second, vegan Grain, Michelin honors, stealth tax, and other dining news

A LA Carte column for 06 June 2019

A Second Chapter: Serve on Second had a rocky first year, with inconsistent food in an environment that was often chaotic. Their stated ambition to be an everyday family place serving the neighborhood was laudable, but the execution was never up to the challenge. The original owner recently sold the business, and they are scheduled […]