Posts by Richard Foss
A La Carte: Manhattan restaurants tank, more coffee places, Indian breakfast
by Richard Foss One Carnivore Up, One Down: The beach cities have seen a flurry of butcher shops opening, a surprising development in a neighborhood with several upscale supermarkets with expansive meat departments. One of the odder of these, Wagyu Meatsmith in Hermosa, closed at the end of the year. If you’re wondering where that…
Read MoreFlavors of a Different China and Tasty China
Tasty China reveals a different side of one of the world’s great cuisines by Richard Foss I have been fascinated with Chinese food since childhood, because it was the only exotic dining experience in the South Bay. On special occasions we’d visit Tai Song, a cavernous restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway in Manhattan Beach that…
Read MoreKin-D: eat well, cheap, and spicy
Kin-D Thai has a small menu and executes it well by Richard Foss During the heart of the cold war, American sailors in Hong Kong frequented a harborside cafe where the food was good and cheap, and the servers greeted everyone with a smile. Those patrons were unaware of an inside joke — the Chinese…
Read MoreTen thoughts about dining in 2024
Lil’ Redondo restaurant named #1 Vegan in U.S. Top Honors: Gourmets all over the world now know about ‘lil Vegerie, the tiny takeout-only cafe located in a Redondo strip mall on PCH. That’s because they were declared the #1 vegan restaurant in America in the October 24 issue of Food & Wine Magazine. The honor…
Read MoreTreat for the eye and palate, Patrick Molloy’s is worth a special trip for the holidays
by Richard Foss Most Irish bars and restaurants in America celebrate the food and traditions of the Irish diaspora, not the folks who stayed in the auld sod. The difference is profound – while Irish-Americans have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in pubs since the 1870s, pubs in Ireland were closed on that day until the…
Read MoreWood Ranch Manhattan Beach, Good barbecue in a good environment
Wood Ranch BBQ specializes in wood-fired American cooking Doesn’t try to replicate ranch decor by Richard Foss In 1938, the King of England ate a hot dog. The occasion was a picnic in Hyde Park with President Roosevelt as part of the King’s first visit to the USA. The journalists noted that the King…
Read MoreThe Neon Sun shines on a San Pedro side street
A celebrated chef has a new restaurant in an unlikely location by Richard Foss As you drive or stroll around our area, you sometimes see something so out of place that it might come from an alternate dimension. Sometimes it’s a dignified old home in an area of strip malls, a last holdout against…
Read MoreRedondo’s Zoku specializes in skewered food, but has more to offer
by Richard Foss “This is a great cuisine for someone with a short attention span,” I remarked to my dining companion on my first visit to Zoku. At the time, I was eyeing a selection of skewered seafood, meats, and vegetables that was arriving at the next table. Each sliver of bamboo had one or…
Read MoreA LA CARTE: lil’ Vegerie wins big award, BBQ back, openings, and wine events
by Richard Foss Top Honors: Gourmets all over the world now know about ‘lil Vegerie, the tiny takeout-only cafe located in a Redondo strip mall on PCH. That’s because they were declared the #1 vegan restaurant in America in the October 24 issue of Food & Wine Magazine. The honor comes exactly one year after…
Read MoreCoastal Hermosa survives early storms, change for the better
by Richard Foss I am not a sports fan, but since so many people around me are, I have absorbed ideas from that sphere of existence. One concept from the award season has always seemed problematic, the awarding of the “most improved” trophy to athletes. Nominees must wince when they hear that they’re in the…
Read MoreVictoria’s Mexican Grill, high standard, sweet finish
Two establishments on Western in RPV dish out the classics by Richard Foss One of the first questions that comes up when I mention a restaurant is “What’s their specialty?” Sometimes that’s easy to answer, because there really is something they serve that is head and shoulders above the rest of their menu items. Sometimes…
Read MoreIntricate, sophisticated, successful, Mar’Sel at Terranea is the antithesis of home cooking
by Richard Foss One of the delights of dining out is ordering something you can’t possibly make at home because of the complexity of the recipe, special skills required of a chef, or the arcane ingredients. This is the nature of special occasion dining, of treating yourself and your dining companions to something different and…
Read MoreThe dinner of a thousand details: A feast in Paris illuminates fine dining expectations in California
by Richard Foss When I reminisce about memorable dining experiences at French restaurants, some people recoil from the idea. An image develops in their minds of stifling formality, complex etiquette, and a procession of mysterious, complex dishes. They fear they might not be sophisticated enough to understand the aesthetic, much less relax and enjoy it.…
Read MoreFamily Heirloom: Gaetano’s in Torrance celebrate generations of restaurateurs
by Richard Foss In Los Angeles, something a century old is, well, old. The South Bay was mainly agricultural or chapparal in 1924, and as little as fifty years ago there were still open fields where office buildings and tract homes now stand. Compare that with European or Asian countries where there are many…
Read MoreVariations on a Donut: Cambodian, Classic, and Modern
You say Doughnut, I say Donut by Richard Foss A friend moved from the South Bay to New Zealand but comes back periodically to visit family, and on every visit he indulges three food cravings: Mexican food on the way from the airport, and Southern barbecue shortly thereafter. And doughnuts. People fry dough everywhere, so…
Read MoreBeach Cities Wine Dinners: Four meals, 18 wines, uncountable flavors
by Richard Foss One of the allures of wine dinners is that attendees experience a meal exactly as the chef and winemaker believe it should be. Those experts collaborate to show off the quality of their own and each other’s products and ideas. The result is a thoughtful culinary experience in which each course flows…
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