Darren’s [RESTAURANT REVIEW]
The people who answer the phone at Darren’s in Manhattan Beach must sigh when they’re asked the question, “What kind of food do you serve.” A number of adjectives come to mind: “eclectic”, “creative”, and “excellent” are all accurate descriptions, but raise as many questions as they answer. Chef Darren Weiss is an artist, and his original creations are hard to pigeonhole. The restaurant itself is in a different niche from most of its neighbors – it’s less of a party place than most Downtown MB eateries, more a destination for people who are actually there to savor the food. Darren’s is one of only two restaurants on Manhattan Avenue where you can have a conversation at something like a normal tone of voice even on a Friday night. It’s lively but sophisticated, and when we dropped in on a Tuesday night around seven, the room was buzzing but the bar was almost empty. Chef Darren himself was there to greet us – he’s very sociable despite being nearly deaf – and he examined the wines we had brought with interest. (One of my companions was a wine collector, and she had brought some particularly interesting bottles to dinner.) I promised Darren tastes and he promised us a memorable meal…
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