Best New South Bay Restaurants of 2009
When I wrote my annual assessment of the restaurant scene in the South Bay a year ago, I saluted the courage of 10 entrepreneurs who opened restaurants even as the economy went into a slide. Nine of those establishments are still in business and most are apparently doing well, which is actually about the same track record as similar lists during the boom years. This illuminates a truism about restaurants; they are a risky bet even in good times, but even in bad times a popular place can make money. Despite the ups and downs, we still dine out – perhaps with one eye on the price column of the menu, but we’re still there.
When I surveyed the list of all restaurants that opened in the South Bay in 2009, I spotted a distinct trend: a return to comfort food. In 2007 and 2008, new American restaurants were notable by their absence. Japanese, Thai, and creative contemporary restaurants dominated the scene. In 2009, regional American food made a comeback. There was also a resurgence in bars that served high-end versions of pub favorites. In hard times, comfort food is always a good bet.
As always, it was difficult winnow this list down to 10, and to keep it consistent. Brewco in Manhattan Beach would have easily made the list if it really was a new restaurant, but it was close enough to a reincarnation of Manhattan Beach Brewing that I decided it couldn’t quite qualify. Likewise, as different as Old Venice was from the place that closed a few years ago, it was still a reopening, and the Manhattan Beach Crème de la Crepe is a clone of the successful original operation in Hermosa. I try to recognize only new operations in this yearly survey, so regretfully had to leave them out of consideration.
Therefore, without further ado, I present my list of the best restaurants to open in the past year.
American Farmhouse Grill:
If you went to this little café tucked in the edge of the Goat Hill mini-mall during their first few months of operation, you might not have been impressed. I wasn’t. The menu was short, the food good but not exceptional, and the parking was awful. The parking is still a nuisance, but the menu has expanded and the food is now very good indeed. The theme is ranch cooking in the style of California’s Central Coast, with Santa Maria tri-tip, farmhouse beans, and a hearty vegetable stew as standouts. Though most dishes are good and simple country fare, the kitchen has a sure hand with more upscale dishes. I don’t think real cowhands actually dine on bacon-wrapped filet mignon topped with asparagus, shredded lobster, and homemade hollandaise, but if they did so, it would be in central California.
350 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (310) 376-8044.
Hudson House:
There is always room for a bar with character where you can dine well and inexpensively, and I give bonus points when it’s just plain a fun place to relax. Hudson House is all those things, a stylish modern place with a good beer and wine list and an array of pub food that goes beyond the usual boundaries. The cauliflower fritters, the tiny but incredibly tasty bacon and chive scones, and the salads will make light eaters happy, and the pretzel burgers and ribs will satisfy those who like more traditional fare. It’s not a huge menu, or a wildly inventive one, but everything they do, they do well.
514 N. PCH, Redondo Beach. (310) 798-9183.
Lunada Bay House:
It would be nice if the Lunada BayHouse actually had a view of Lunada Bay, but it doesn’t. Most tables have a view of a pretty little courtyard instead. It doesn’t matter, because this is a place where you’re there for the food – corn and blue crab bisque, superb seafood pasta, pork ribs in a tangy tamarind chipotle glaze, and some of the best lamb chops in a wide radius. The style here is an upscale steak and seafood house like many others, but the food is a cut above and makes the place stand out.
2325 P.V. Drive West, Palos Verdes Estates. (310) 544-1704.
Mar’sel:
Every once in a while a place opens that raises the bar for everybody, and Mar’sel runs it up several notches. The ambition here is extraordinary, making this one of the few places in the South Bay that seriously competes with fine dining establishments in Los Angeles, or for that matter, San Francisco and New York. The complex flavors and gorgeous presentations make this the special occasion restaurant for those who really appreciate fine food, and the ever-changing menu promises endless new delights. It is expensive, but well worth it.
Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes. (866) 802-8800.
Open Sesame:
One of the major changes in South Bay dining in recent years has been the growth of Middle Eastern food. Five years ago there was only one Arabic restaurant in the area, and now there are a dozen. By far the most upscale is Open Sesame, a beautifully decorated room in which to enjoy both traditional and modern Lebanese food. The menu is easily the most wide-ranging in the area, and the good list of interesting wines includes some nice bottles from the Bekaa Valley. Arabic food was introduced to the South Bay decades ago at the Habash Café as inexpensive but interesting fast food. Open Sesame is doing much to validate it as a cuisine for fine dining.
2640 Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (310) 545-1600.
Paul Martin’s:
There must be many difficulties involved in creating a large restaurant serving organic small-producer California Cuisine. Big operations often struggle with consistency even when not challenged by the variable output of seasonal products. Paul Martin’s has done an admirable job of proving that it is not merely possible, it can be done with panache. The menu is deceptively simple, principally American favorites made with premium ingredients, with delicate spicing so that those ingredients can shine. Butternut squash soup, grilled pork chops, and pan-fried sole in lemon-thyme butter are hardly wildly inventive ideas, but the richness of flavor in every dish confirms the wisdom of those in the kitchen. You don’t have to be concerned with healthy dining to love this place – a simple reverence for flavor will do.
2361 Rosecrans, El Segundo. 310-643-9300 .
Memphis:
I have heard it said that the American South has many excellent cooks but few chefs; plenty of craftsmen who carry on with traditional dishes, but few who care to innovate on them. This used to be true, but no longer. Locally, the most interesting twist on Southern cuisine is at Memphis, a new operation by longtime local restaurateur Kevin Barry and partners Dan Bradley, Diego Valasco, Tracy Stickney and Chris Bredesen. Memphis (the restaurant) does serve the ribs, cornbread, and catfish that Memphis (the city) is famous for, but in healthier, more modern preparations. Traditionalists might doubt that Southern food can be made without heaping doses of oil and salt and still have fealty to the original ideas, but it can be done and it is delicious.
1142 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. (310) 545-5405.
Simmzy’s:
The most sincere sign of success at a restaurant is a line to get in. Simmzy’s has had one since the day it opened. Conceived as a beach-themed restaurant catering to fans of upscale beers, the place has turned into an all-purpose casual restaurant where you can dine very well and have a good beer without topping out a $20 bill. The blue cheese haystack – fries tossed with cheese, garlic, and spicy sauce – is a great accompaniment to a burger, sesame salmon, or an exceptional pulled pork sandwich. You might match that with a Belgian ale or craft brew, or perhaps a glass of wine from their ever-changing list, and relax in an atmosphere simultaneously sophisticated and in keeping with the traditions of good bar food.
229 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (310) 546-1201
Tin Roof Bistro:
You won’t see a building with an actual tin roof as you drive by the north end of the Manhattan Mall. Tin Roof Bistro actually has a stamped-tin ceiling. This restaurant garnered considerable attention when it opened in a former bank and office space. The ambition to be a Napa Valley-style wine restaurant seemed to fit oddly with the location. Almost a year down the road, the place is usually packed but still controversial. Some cheer the strange hodgepodge of décor, some find it chaotic, and the pricing of some menu items seems random. There is a sense that some kinks are still being worked out, but in general the food has been intriguing. Starters like a robust ratatouille and curried spinach dip are excellent, and the fig and bacon pizza was a perfect mix of flavors. There are a lot of ideas going on here, and this good restaurant could easily grow into a great one.
3500 N. PCH, Manhattan Beach. (310) 546-6180.
Zayna’s Flaming Grill:
Zayna’s location in the former Go Boy’s record store in South Redondo is easy to miss, but it’s a worthwhile stop for those who appreciate Lebanese and Mediterranean food. The atmosphere is comfortable, with plenty of space between tables, and Zayna herself serves while her mother cooks a spicy, fragrant version of Arabic cuisine. Many of the dishes are standard, such as the falafel and spinach and cheese turnovers, but they’re made fresh to order and taste like it. During several visits I’ve had unfailingly good service and very good food, particularly the lamb and chicken kebabs, which are served with rice on a moist, light couscous. Zayna’s offers hospitality and good food in a relaxing, stylish atmosphere, with an endless pot of Moroccan mint tea on the side.
1310 S. PCH, Redondo Beach, (310) 540-0777.
The promise of more to come
With the arrival of 2010, there are promises and mysteries among the new openings. Four Sisters Kitchen, a casual American cafe, will be opening soon in the long-vacant space that used to be Bora Bora. The site that was once TapaMeze will become a Thai restaurant that also serves sushi, and a new Greek restaurant specializing in meze will be opening in El Segundo. The billboard on Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo announcing the imminent opening of Wee Man’s Chronic Tacos has been up so long that it has started to fade, but I’ve noticed work at the site, so that may be open soon, and the successor to Club Sushi will be the first new sushi bar in the South Bay in some time. Any or all of them may be on this list next year, depending on the wisdom of the owners, dedication of staff, changes in public taste, and the great helping of luck that is essential to the success of any new eatery.