With all the pizza and pasta options in town, did we really need another? Pomodoro is proof we did
The downtown areas of all three beach cities have been rather remarkable for resisting the trend toward chain restaurants. Except for homegrown operations like Hennessey’s, almost everything is local and individual. This makes the exceptions worthy of study, and even of a little celebration, since they obviously are doing something right in order to compete successfully in a very competitive area.
Exhibit A in Manhattan Beach is Pomodoro, a place I didn’t think could possibly make it. With all the pizza and pasta options in town, did we really need another? And could any restaurant survive in a location that had been a graveyard for so many eateries? The cavernous room seemed an odd fit for the Italian bistro atmosphere they were trying to create, and the odds of success looked mighty slim.
Six years down the road, this outpost of a San Francisco bay area chain is doing just fine. Part of this is timing. The restaurants that were here when the adjacent Metlox Plaza was vacant didn’t have the foot traffic or high visibility. But there’s obviously more to it than that. To put it succinctly, Pomodoro offers an experience that is just a bit more upscale than you’d expect at this price point.
The menu is California Italian, with a strong emphasis on healthy dishes. Calorie counts are listed for those who are counting them, and there’s a section of “light” entrees. The selection for this category is eccentric. Dieters might zoom in on this section and not notice that there are items in the “traditional” section that are even leaner, and people who seek flavor might bypass these items without actually reading to see what they are. Except for the use of whole wheat pasta, which I actually prefer on aesthetic grounds, they’re not much different from the rest of the menu.
The standout items from the starters menu are a spicy, heavily herbed bruschetta and tortellini in a rich, beefy broth. But I usually order an item from the side dishes menu to begin my meals here. The brussels sprouts in brown butter with sage and garlic have convinced at least one person who was certain that they didn’t like that assertive vegetable that a reassessment was in order. As far as I can tell this isn’t a traditional recipe, but it’s true to Italian ideas, and it certainly works well. I used a bit of the focaccia bread that arrives at the table to mop up the last of the sage garlic butter, because it was just too good to leave on the plate.
On our most recent meal we also started with salads, a Caesar and the spinach and bacon salad with pine nuts and marinated red onion. The Caesar here has a rich cheese flavor and a subtle use of garlic. When I first tasted it I thought it was under-seasoned, but after a few bites the flavor grew on me. It isn’t the peppery garlic bomb that is served at some other places around town (and which I happen to like on its own merits), but it has enough going on to be interesting. The spinach and bacon salad had wonderful flavors but was assembled for beauty rather than flavor. The tangy onions were best when cut up and dispersed in the salad rather than arranged as a kind of edible corral for the pine nuts. Spinach, bacon, and balsamic-marinated onion are natural allies on the palate, and this salad has all three in the right proportion, along with a little pecorino cheese for richness. I’d prefer this as a chopped salad, but I’d order it again and blend the ingredients myself because it is genuinely satisfying.
There are over a dozen pastas on the menu here, and I’ve never had a bad one, but there is one standout: the butternut squash ravioli. I don’t think I have ever dined here and not seen an order delivered to tables around me. It’s hugely popular, and with good reason. The sweet, rich, and nutty squash is like eating dessert for dinner, a perception compounded by the crumbled amaretto cookies in the sauce. On our most recent visit we also ordered eggplant Parmesan and a daily special of pork chops in blue cheese sauce with mushrooms. The eggplant looked like a formidable portion but didn’t feel heavy thanks to the balance of fruity tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella, and that fresh cheese really made a difference. When this dish is made with low-quality cheese it can be oily and awful. Pomodoro’s menu mentions that they use Belfiore mozzarella, made by a small producer near San Francisco. In a cuisine such as this, where the flavor of quality cheese makes such a difference, it’s smart of them to brag about their suppliers.
They also use Niman Ranch pork for their chops, another premium California producer. The difference in flavor is noticeable. The execution was slightly off compared to the other items we tasted on this visit because the chops had been cut very thin before being grilled, and they were slightly overdone. I understand that all restaurants err on the side of caution when cooking pork, for both aesthetic and health reasons, but I’d have a single, thicker and tenderer chop if given my choice. The idea was sound, and the chops with blue cheese and bacon were tasty and well-paired with the garlic spinach that they were served with.
We accompanied our meals with wines by the glass from a well-chosen list, a mix of Italian and Californian producers offered by the 4-ounce taste, 10-ounce pour, and a small carafe. This method makes good sense and is unusual in a modestly priced restaurant, as is the guest wine program that features a premium producer each month. My wife enjoyed a pinot grigio while I tried the monthly wines from a Monterey producer called Cima Collina. The chardonnay was decent, the pinot noir noteworthy. I’m likely to snag a bottle or two of this if I see it at a store.
We had left room for dessert, which was the only aspect of our meal that was disappointing. The item called an apple crisp was pretty but did not live up to the description. The pastry was soft and soggy, and was really more of a cobbler. The taster of tiramisu was a bit better, but instead of a balance of coffee, chocolate, and cream with a little liquor, it was merely sweet and undistinguished. The savories here are so good that the deficiencies in their sweets are surprising but avoidable. I’d be more likely to order the butternut squash ravioli for dessert than to try either of these again.
That caveat aside, we liked our meal at Pomodoro, and at $92 for three people it was reasonably priced for downtown Manhattan Beach. This restaurant has found a niche, offering some reliably good, traditional items and just enough experimentation to keep things interesting.
Pomodoro is at 401 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, at the corner of Morningside. Open daily for lunch and dinner, street parking or nearby structures, wheelchair access good, children welcome. Some vegetarian/vegan items, beer and wine served, outdoor patio dining. Phone 310-545-5401. ER
