Redondo’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 […]
A 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 […]
Coastal 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 […]
Victoria’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 […]
Intricate, 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 […]
The 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. […]
Family 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 […]
Variations 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 […]
Beach 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 […]
A La Carte: Hermosa burger block, a Mexican metamorphosis, classic closed, dining events
by Richard Foss Burger Rebirth: In a previous column, I mused that Hermosa Beach might have reached peak burger, since so many pulverized protein palaces had opened there. I may have to eat crow (made into a crowburger, of course), because eateries with that specialty continue to open. Proudly Serving, which began flipping ground cow […]
Beach Cities 2023 Summer Dining
South Bay Beer & Wine Festival Ernie Howlett Park, Rolling Hills Estates May 21 The Palos Verdes Rotarians host their 10th food, craft beer, and wines festival, in support of local charities. $95 general/$165 VIP. Info at sbbeerwinefest.com Whiskey dinner Pacific Standard Prime June 6 Dan Garrison explains how, back in 2006, Garrison Brothers […]
Three decades of pizza on Pacific Coast Highway, Brooklyn Brick Oven Pizza
Brooklyn Brick Oven consistently delivers New York flavor. Want to argue? Fuhgettaboutit by Richard Foss I had to try some pizza on my first visit to New York, and did so with low expectations. Expat Manhattanites like to brag about how good it is, but there seems to be an element of ritual about it. […]
Best of the Beach 2023 Dining & Entertainment
American BBQ Willingham’s World Champion BBQ There are several good barbecue options in the greater South Bay that offer expansive menus of sides and other entrees, but the specialists win this round. There are no specialty salads, no appetizers, nothing but the traditional beans, potato salad, greens, and slaw to go along with those slabs […]
Chinese American classics from another era
by Richard Foss The Chinese takeout container with its stylized pagoda on the side has been a symbol of fast food since shortly after that term was invented in the 1950’s. Some people have an almost Pavlovian reaction to seeing them thanks to so many childhood meals that began by opening those paper boxes to […]
Top 10 in 2022 – All cuisines, all prices, all different
2022 was a year of extraordinary diversity in the dining scene by Richard Foss Sometimes I look at previous columns about the best restaurants of a particular year to analyze patterns. The year of Italian restaurants was followed by the march of sushi and ramen joints, and another year the sound of burgers flipping was […]
Two for the show – Pat Brown and son James honored for their early support of the Warner Grand Theater
by Richard Foss The Grand Vision Foundation periodically honors supporters of the arts, and for this year’s gala at the PV Golf Club they chose a duo whose contributions are very different. One is a veteran photojournalist, the other owns a downtown San Pedro restaurant, bar, and brewery. They might not seem to have any […]