Barfly: September 16
The Party’s Over: I’ve been hearing rumors this week that Beaches, Manhattan Beach Boulevard at The Strand, was nearing its end so this past Monday I decided to head over and see what all the hoopla was about and boy am I glad I did: It turns out escrow had gone through that afternoon, the liquor license transferred meaning I got to sip some of the last legal alcohol to flow alongside now former owner Pat McCauley and some of his now former employees. It was bitter sweet. Since I moved here 12 years ago, when the place was called Sunsets, I’ve wondered why the best view in the South Bay is also the most underutilized – if I owned that place I would have exploited the hell out of it! Pat said city restrictions had a lot to do with it, which makes sense. The new operators will be remodeling another bar/resto but no one knows the details as of yet. Good luck to all who took care of us there over the years, you will be missed…
Hermosa Beach Tradition: Kelly’s Corner barflies John Paul Ziller, P. Kelly, D. Hilton, CL Mike, Jeff, Mike, Andy, Kenton, Robin, Ben, Gracy, Dirk, Fireman Mike, and Mickey extend a 10-Year Tradition by celebrating the greatest 30 minutes in sports—tracking the start of all nine Sunday morning season-opening NFL games from the barstools at Shark’s Cove, HB. Thanks to illustrious SCHB staffers Amanda, Monica, Brady and the gang, and numerous shots of Rumple Minze, Ziller and friends toasted First Tackle (Miami), First Incomplete Pass (Buffalo), First Complete Pass (Indianapolis), First Punt (Buffalo), First Field Goal (Chicago), First 52-Yard Field Goal (Pittsburgh), First Missed Field Goal (Indianapolis), First Touchdown (New England), First Penalty (Jacksonville), First Interception (Carolina), First Sack (Pittsburgh) and First Flying Helmet Tackle (Pittsburgh CB Bryant McFadden’s spectacular hit Atlanta RB Jerious Norwood). In general the defenses got the better of the offenses and there were no penalties, injuries or scoring in the initial ten minutes, a first, but fumbles and dropped passes aplenty. I think if you are paid millions to play a child’s game you should be able to catch the damn ball. As a friend of mine, (a carpenter), said, “Like I could keep swinging the hammer and missing the nails and tell my boss, well, it’s still early in the season, I’ll get it eventually so just keep signing my paychecks!”
Have a Late Lunch: I recently checked out the new-ish Lebanese restaurant Open Sesame, Manhattan Village in the space previously occupied by Reed’s Restaurant and felt like I was walking into a different country. It was a nice sunny day, which has been rare this summer, but the atmosphere inside was so appealing both my friend and I chose to stay in rather than go out to the patio. It was Wednesday, half-price wine bottle day and we got there just in time for the start of happy hour, 3-7pm. Monday-Thursday, so our appetizers were half-price as well. Right away I loved the menu because I didn’t know what half the items were; it bugs me when an ethnic place opens up touting itself as “authentic” and then I see chicken Caesar salad on the menu – pick a theme and stick to it! Our server was very knowledgeable, patiently describing the different items in lay terms and making recommendations. In some cases she made decisions for us and even told us how to add condiments to make it even more authentic like with the Foul M’Damas, simmered fava and garbanzo beans flavored with garlic, lemon juice and olive oil serve with a side of plate onion, pickles, radish, tomato and fresh mint. She told us the natives douse it with a ton of olive oil, brought us over a bottle and encouraged us to go to town. Since my friend and I both bleed olive oil she didn’t have to tell us twice and soon it was swimming and it was delicious. It also took us ages to eat as it was a large portion and we scooped up every last drop with warm pita. We also tried the Kibbi, extra lean ground beef with sautéed pine nuts, onion and herbs served with wild cucumbers, pickles, tomato, lettuce and yogurt sauce. I’m not going to try and describe it other than to say whatever they marinate the beef in must come from heaven. For the entrée we shared the Lamb Kabob on a bed of basmati rice with hummus and that marinade got us again! At first I was disappointed because we ordered it rare and there was no pink at all when I cut in so the server had the owner explain that it’s the marinade and spices that make it look kinda grey when you cut into it. This sounded reasonable so I went ahead and it melted in my mouth needing no dips or sauces to enhance the flavor; it was perfect as is and I always feel healthier, my system feels cleaner in a way when I eat meat that is not covered in sauce. We took a good two hours to finish up and even had leftovers to take home. Luckily the kitchen does not close between lunch and dinner like many do so we weren’t rushed even when we were the last people in the place which by the way, neither of us noticed because we were so wrapped up in the interesting food and our conversation that time and space were a blur around us – talk about living in the moment! If you want to take a break from the South Bay bubble, step into the different world that is Open Sesame. You will not be disappointed. Call 310.545.1600 or check out opensesamegrill.com for more info…
Questions? Comments? Contact DebL at BarflyDebLG@aol.com