From Cialuzzi to Charlie’s

Server Rebekah Gronberg and owner Charlie Byrd. Photo by Ciley Carrington

The name and décor have changed, but the authentic East Coast Italian cooking continues.

I was horrified when I went to New York and tried Italian food there. It wasn’t for the reason you might expect – it was excellent. Gone was my certainty that expatriate New Yorkers in LA were just complaining because that was what they do when not otherwise occupied. My first bite of pizza in Little Italy was like a first love, something you never forget.

Since then I have tried various local New York and Boston style Italian places, most of which I found wanting. The exuberant flavors were there but out of balance, and that mystical harmony wasn’t there. The best place I had found in the South Bay was Cialuzzi’s, the establishment that mutated into Charlie’s last year. On my first visit to Charlie’s things were uneven – the arugula and cheese salad was excellent, calamari tasty, but the pizza that is the pride of any New York joint was underdone and the toppings were so sparse that my  server apologized as she brought it. A change in the kitchen staff brought considerable improvements, and on subsequent visits it was obvious that the focus had sharpened. I had an excellent veal ragu that was meaty and rich, crisp thin crust pizza that reminded me of that long-ago New York visit, and other delights that hit the spot. On a recent evening, I decided to take my wife there for a quiet dinner at the end of a hectic day.

Quiet is a relative term here. The majority of the space is devoted to a boisterous sports bar, but there is a side room with fewer TVs and decibels. We settled into a booth across from what appeared to be a wedding rehearsal dinner and studied the menu. As is often the case, the creativity is focused on the specials list. Compared to the pastas, pizzas, and sandwiches, the pork loin with cherries and fava bean succotash looked mighty exotic, and I was intrigued enough by the idea that I decided to order it.

We began with baked clams. Whether it started in Italy or New Jersey, I think of this as an East Coast dish, something I’ve enjoyed from Boston down to Delaware. They are often served in a shell, but Charlie’s puts them in shallow aluminum cups with a twist of lemon and sprinkling of cheese and parsley on the side. It’s a practical presentation, if not quite as pretty as the original. The clams in lightly spiced breading had a pleasant seafood flavor, but something was missing – a little more boldness with the herbs, a dash more garlic would have improved them.

We continued with a sliced tomato salad, which the menu offers with feta or blue cheese chunks, but our server Sacha offered fresh mozzarella. We took her suggestion and were glad we did, since it completed the flavors of tomato, red onion, and balsamic vinegar with a dash of herbs. The flavors were subtle but complete, the top quality produce enhanced with skill.

Sacha also recommended wines and offered tastes of the ones she recommended. A white Grenache was interesting but overly sweet, but a Hanna Chardonnay and Sicilian Insolia were excellent with the salad. We still had those glasses of wine when our main courses arrived, because everything else showed up only about two minutes after the salad. Apparently the kitchen’s timing was off that evening; it’s the kind of thing that can happen at any restaurant, but in the future I’ll request that things be spaced out a bit more just in case.

My wife had ordered chicken Picatta, which is usually served over lemon pepper linguine but can also be ordered with regular spaghetti. I think the lemon pepper would have been a bit much, since the butter sauce with capers, lemon, and stock had plenty going for it. The portion was substantial, and along with the garlic spinach on the side, it was light but satisfying. (The original side was broccoli, but Sacha overheard us debating whether to order a side of the spinach and offered it.)

I had tried some of the simpler pastas and grills and was intrigued by that pork loin with cherries, wondering how the flavors would work together. The tastes were actually very complementary, but the dish was still problematic because the cherries had not been pitted and the first seed I bit into broke into pieces. I advised Sacha of the problem and she promised to warn other people who ordered the dish. I can’t imagine why someone would serve this dish this way – cherries are much easier to pit before cooking, and it would have enhanced the entrée to not have to wonder if I was going to hit another splinter of seed. If the pits were taken care of, this is a dish I might order throughout cherry season. The fava bean succotash was a nifty idea too, and it made a pretty plate with a variety of flavors and colors. The glass of Costa D’Oro Pinot Noir that Sacha suggested was a fine match; the wine list here is a good selection reasonably priced, and a smart server who knows the selection adds to the dining experience.

For dessert, we went with an old favorite, Tiramisu. The version here is very light and creamy with just the touch of coffee bite to match the sweetness and cake, Dinner for two ran $82.31, a reasonable price for a very relaxing experience. Charlie’s isn’t going to make me forget that Italian food I had back in New York, but when I want to reminisce about it, this is where I will come in the South Bay.  

Charlie’s is at 601 North PCH in Redondo. The sign can be hard to see from the street at night. Open for lunch and dinner, quiet section closed on Mondays. Parking lot, full bar, wheelchair access good to most tables (some high.) Phone (310) 374-8581.

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