Bottle Inn: Best Romantic, best wine list
Silvio Petoletti shows why his Hermosa and Riviera Village Bottle Inns have become destinations for romance and fine wines.
Although almost everything else in our culture has changed in the last four decades, our definition of a romantic space hasn’t. The Bottle Inn in Hermosa was a place for an intimate meal when it opened in 1974, and though there have been only a few refurbishments since. The volume is low, ditto the lights, so you feel like you and your partner are sharing private moments. There’s room between you and your fellow diners, and the servers wouldn’t think of rushing you through your meal. The Redondo location is a bit more bustling and modern, but still conducive to conversation over good food and fine wine. Whether it’s to kindle a new relationship or strengthen one that already exists, South Bay couples find their way to the one that suits their style.
One of the errors some people make is thinking that for a restaurant to have a great wine list, it merely needs a lot of money. One need only consider the people who have expensive homes decorated in bad taste or modest ones that are a pleasure to contemplate in order to see the fallacy in that. The Bottle Inn has a wine list with exquisite bottles at every price level. If you crave a good Chianti from a modest producer or are looking for a memorable old Barolo, the restaurant will have the bottle for you. Trust the sommelier to pair your meal. Why go to a place where there are experts if you’re not going to take advantage of their knowledge? Here, you can have a bottle or a glass to put the finishing touch on a fine Italian meal. — RF
26 22nd Street, HB, bottleinnhermosa.com, (310) 376-9595
1700 South Catalina, RB, bottleinnriviera.com, (310) 543-6800)
Runner-up: Strand House