Everybody loves to find a hideaway cafe – a casual place a bit off the beaten track, where good food is served at modest prices. To take a friend to such a secret spot deepens the relationship just a bit – you have shared something that not everyone knows.
I recently found just such an establishment in an unlikely spot, a little-trafficked area of the Eastgate Marketplace in Torrance. Tucked in the northeast corner, invisible from the street, is a restaurant called Bistro Beaux. Look for the plain dark green awning, because the small sign isn’t visible unless you’re almost in front of it.
When you walk in you will be face to face with a chain link fence, which is as odd an interior design choice as I can ever remember seeing. Some of the tables in this restaurant are actually separated by chain link, a substance that gives no privacy to conversations, which is the usual reason for separating tables with a divider. One wall is covered with used corrugated tin, which is another strange decision. The juxtaposition with a comfy, old-fashioned bar is oddly likeable and artistic.
Once you take your seat at either a private or shared table, the menu beckons – a list that blends Japanese and Italian traditions. Most are inexpensive and served in small portions, so you can order up a few items without breaking your belt or your budget. We chose about equally from the regular and specials menu, beginning with caponata, albacore carpaccio with basil sauce, and clam chowder.
Caponata is a Sicilian specialty of fried eggplant, celery, and bell pepper marinated in sweet vinegar, which gives it a sweet and sour tang. It can also contain garlic, onions, and other ingredients, but they keep it simple here except for a topping of fresh basil, which adds a nice natural herbal flavor.
The albacore topped with basil sauce was also true to Italian tradition, though one that few Americans are aware of. Fishermen near Naples developed a
cuisine similar to sashimi called crudo, in which raw fish is served with olive oil and herbs. The enhancements are simple – this basil sauce isn’t a pesto, so has no garlic or pinenuts. It’s just basil and oil, with a scattering of chopped orange chillies and herbs adding color and mild flavor. The fish was very fresh and nicely enhanced by the seasonings.
I was less delighted with the chowder, which had plenty of clams in shell but a thin, milky broth. This is the way that Japanese chefs often reinterpret chowder, but I’m a fan of the buttery, herbed original.
Bistro Beaux has a decent by-the-glass list, and I zeroed in on an oddity: they offer Chateau Mercian, made in the French style from a Japanese grape at a winery fifty miles from Tokyo. It was remarkably good, dry and fruity with a light minerality, and I was glad I tried it. My wife had a Sauvignon Blanc from Ferrari-Carano, and it was interesting to compare how each wine went with our food.
For main courses we chose a salmon and cheese risotto and a special of spaghetti with tomato sauce, olives, and Japanese anago eel. The fish in the risotto had been finely shredded and mixed with Parmesan and cream cheese, and the resulting flavor and texture wasn’t like any risotto I’ve ever had before. The parmesan wasn’t completely melted and added fragrance and texture to the creamy mixture of rice and fish – it was more Japanese than Italian in execution. By comparison the spaghetti was more traditional in effect while using one exotic ingredient. In most Italian restaurants they would have added more onion and pepper to the fruity, rich tomato and olive sauce, but this worked very well along with the mild seafood.
We had just enough room afterward to try Bistro Beaux’s signature dessert – a kind of frozen custard called catarana. This has been compared to a crème brulee, and there is a resemblance because of the crisped sugar topping, but it has a dense, rich eggy character rather than the fluffy lightness of the hot custard dessert. It’s a nice finish to a meal, but order one to share, because it’s filling.
Dinner for two with four glasses of wine ran $93.00 – modest for a pleasant, intimate evening in quirky but peaceful surroundings. Bistro Beaux is a place I’ll share with friends – I’ve already shared it with you, but I hope they’ll still have a table when I call.
Bistro Beaux is at 21605 South Western in Torrance, near the corner of Carson. Open daily except Sunday 11 am – 10 pm, parking lot, wheelchair access good. Full bar, corkage $30, some vegetarian/vegan dishes. Reservations accepted – call 310-320-5820.
