Kids often model adult behavior, and at times the result can be hilarious. When we were dining out with one of my children who was about three years old and a restaurant server came to our table, she would look at the menu solemnly and announce, “I’ll have the shrimp.” She couldn’t read but had a simple faith that it would be available. Very often she was right, and as long as her favorite protein was in something, she would eat it no matter what the preparation.
Someone who was illiterate could enjoy the same sort of success on Catalina Avenue in Riviera Village by asking for a burger or pizza. By my count there are 11 eateries that serve at least one of those items. At least seven serve both, which is pretty impressive for a three-block long neighborhood. It’s a measure of how popular those items are with the relatively young, nightlife-oriented crowd that almost all restaurants in this area are chasing.
The latest restaurant to offer these items is The Craftsman Brews & Bites, which opened in a former liquor store last November. The owners followed the architectural pattern common in this area, an indoor/outdoor space with a sleek interior design and open ductwork, so it blends in with more established businesses. They don’t go overboard on TVs so it’s not a visual chaos, and the relatively low volume of the music makes it less noisy than many other establishments. The short menu has the mandatory flatbreads and burgers, but there are a few interesting items that lend an eclectic character.
One is poutine, an item not served anywhere else in a wide radius. This item of French fries with cheese curds and brown gravy originated in rural Quebec in the 1950s. T
he version listed on the starter menu here uses Gruyere-based Mornay sauce rather than cheese curds, an item not widely available locally, and adds green onion and chunks of bacon because putting those in anything in a gastropub adds to its popularity. The flavors work well together, but the weak spot is the fries themselves. The original Quebec version is made with Belgian-style fries that are first par cooked, then cooled overnight, and then finished in a very hot fryer so they remain crisp even after being soaked with gravy. We were served typical American french fries, and those turned mushy very quickly. If you ask the server to have the kitchen cook the potatoes very crisp, you’ll get a better product. The poutine is available with a side of protein, and the seven-ounce skirt steak along with those fries makes it a very filling meal. Pair this with a salad and it would be a better balanced meal for two.
I didn’t see any other plates of poutine coming out of the kitchen while I was there, but plenty of flatbreads. At one meal my companions and I shared the Goat, made with goat cheese, prosciutto, fig jam, pear slices, caramelized onions, and arugula with a balsamic glaze. The crust was thin and crisp, the flavors of the toppings harmonious. Some of the pieces of the prosciutto could have been cut a bit smaller so you didn’t get a mouthful in one bite and nothing in the next three, but that’s a minor quibble.
I tried a “kabob burger”, because that had been highly recommended and I was interested by the idea of Middle Eastern flavors in a burger context. Unfortunately, the kebab seasonings had been added to the ground meat so sparingly that it was hard to tell that they were there. I happened to be eating at the bar and mentioned this to the bartender, and he nodded and said that he had heard that before. He offered hot sauce, but I was really more in the mood for the cumin, pepper, coriander, and other spices associated with kebabs in the Eastern Mediterranean. It came with pickled red onion and lettuce on a good bun, and was all things considered a decent burger. The fries that came with it had a nice dusting of fresh parsley and thyme and arrived hot, but though I had asked for them extra crisp, they still didn’t have the hard exterior and soft interior of Belgian fries.
One of my dining companions had the pastrami sandwich, which was made with better than average ingredients. I rarely order pastrami locally because it’s usually the rubbery mass-market product rather than the quality stuff you get at Langer’s in LA or the Katella Deli in Los Alamitos. This didn’t reach those olympian heights of brined meat with smoke and spices, but was good by South Bay standards.
One odd decision at The Craftsman was to offer a conventional meat and potatoes plate, but only as a mixed grill dinner for two. We ordered one featuring steak and lamb chops with potatoes, salad, and a side of pickled onions, and it was both pretty and puzzling. The potatoes had been scalloped and then briefly fried, then topped with parmesan and herbs, and were excellent. The salad of mixed greens with assorted radishes was nice, though they were out of the green goddess dressing that is listed on the menu. I plan to return when they have it, because it’s a rarity that I enjoy. We had no complaints with the steak, which was very tender and had been topped with chimichurri sauce, but were puzzled by the lamb chops. They were large and nicely cooked, but who puts three lamb chops on an entrée designed to be shared by two people? When I asked our server about this, they sighed audibly and said they had heard that question before. They also noted that other people had asked why the steak or lamb chops aren’t available for one person. They apparently are, but aren’t on the menu so nobody orders them that way.
The Craftsman has a small wine list and some excellent beers. We tried a Paperback Brewing “Death by Chocolate” stout, a Snugglebug sour from Smog City Brewing, and a Belgian Trappist-style tripel by Third Window. The beer list here changes often so these may not be available when you visit, but they always have a commendable variety and include some hard-to-find brews. One quirk of this restaurant is that if you like something you drank here, you can order a bottle to go – they kept the retail license from the liquor store that was previously at their location.
Ice cream, baklava, and affogato are available for desserts, but we didn’t sample any on our visits because we were agreeably stuffed by our starters and entrees.
The Craftsman isn’t a trailblazer but is a worthy addition to the Riviera Village scene, with a pleasant atmosphere and just enough eccentricities to give it character. It will be interesting to see how they mature and adapt as the trends they have been following inevitably change.
The Craftsman Brews & Bites is at 1817 S. Catalina Avenue in Redondo. Open 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mon. -Thurs., 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. Fr-Sat., 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sun. Street parking, wheelchair access good, wine and beer served, noise level moderate, some vegetarian items. (424) 400-7562. EatDrinkCraftsman.com. ER
