A La Carte 2/18/16

Chez Melange chef Robert Bell will present one of his famous “Trust The Chef” dinners, where you have no idea what the menu is before you arrive.

Scissors, Paper, Rock… For some reason I thought about that decision making process when it came to the restaurant scene in Hermosa: burger cuts sushi, pizza covers burger… In this case the latest casualty is Umami Burger, the location that was once Sushi Sei, on Hermosa Avenue. Locale 90, the Redondo restaurant known for making ultra-thin crust Neapolitan pizzas, will open a branch there soon. It’s a smart move and a good location – though there are several New York Style places nearby, this will be the first to serve the Italian tradition…

Azure Already Reading About Openings… There’s a new eatery opening near Riviera Village, and it’s not Italian or Sushi! Azure is next door to Ortega 120, serving high-style Middle Eastern fusion food in pretty, sundrenched surroundings. One of their specialties is feteer, a savory pastry made of layers of very thin, crisp dough stuffed with cheese, meat, or vegetables. They offer a stylish, sophisticated take on this cuisine, and the restaurant will have its own niche in the local dining scene. (1810 PCH, Redondo. (424-275-9730)… Elsewhere in Redondo, Roman Aroma has opened on Catalina, serving pizzas, sandwiches, pastries, gelato, and Italian-style coffee drinks. The décor is sleek and modern and they have a small grocery selection of Italian products. The food looks interesting, though they may need to engage with the community to draw people to this out-of-the-way spot… (901 N. Catalina, Redondo. 310-318-1746)

Events, Part One… February is a popular season for events as restaurateurs work to coax us out of our homes in whatever weather we get. Fleming’s on Rosecrans starts off this list on February 20, with a four-course dinner celebrating the wines of LVE, a collaboration between Raymond Vineyards and winemaker John Legend. It’s a beautiful menu, and given the venue you probably won’t be surprised that steak is involved. Price is $95 per person plus tax & tip, and you can make reservations at 310-643-6911… Chez Melange is offering one of their famed “Trust the Chef” dinners on February 22, where you get a great deal – a multi-course meal for only $35 – but have no idea what will be served until you arrive. If you have no allergies and an adventurous attitude, there can hardly be a better place to be. They offer free corkage that evening, and you may wish to visit a psychic to help you decide what will pair best with mystery. Later this month they’ll have a cute promotion – on February 29 they offer specials on wines with the word “Leap” in the name. Stag’s Leap by the glass? It doesn’t usually happen, but on that night it will. Jump on over! For reservations for both events call 310-540-1222…  

Brewing Up Something Different… Abigaile has a new Brewmaster, Paul Papantonio, whose previous gigs include stints at Oskar Blues in Colorado and the famous St. Archer’s in San Diego. He will be adding some lagers and other less popular beers to the IPAs that are the most quaffed locally…

Events, Continued… On February 24 the jolly crew from Rebel Coast Winery will be hosting a four-course wine dinner at HT Grill. $55 plus the usual T&T will get you three savory courses followed by a peanut butter and chocolate grilled cheese sandwich. It’s a fittingly whimsical menu to accompany the irreverent characters behind the popular “Reckless Love” red blend and other wines. Call 310-791-4849 for reservations…  Deluca Trattoria occasionally offers “Hunter’s Dinners” of game meats, and the next one will be on February 25. Bison tenderloin, squid ink pasta with venison sauce, and a whole roast piglet will be featured items in a six-course meal with wines. The cost is $125 plus tax & tip – reserve by February 22 by calling 310-640-7600…

This Gets A Paragraph All To Itself…For a really adventurous evening you might consider a trip to San Pedro on February 27, when Babouch restaurant will offer Moroccan-Mexican fusion. And yes, you read that correctly – among the items is a smoked lamb and chicken tagine with mole sauce. As if that wasn’t enough chef Christoff Elce is sequencing rock music of different eras with each course.  It’s an amazing idea and a bargain too – dinner (food only) is $18 per person. It’s a bid to attract a young and adventurous audience to a somewhat staid classic restaurant, and it’s likely to be a wild night. You can see the whole menu and buy tickets on the Eventbrite website and enter “Babouch.” If you see someone there wearing a serape and a fez, that’s probably me, unless other people had the same idea…

Standing Up For Sitting Down… My recent musings about high tables sparked more emails than anything else I have written in years. An interesting theme developed, with restaurateurs and diners both suggesting that one particular demographic prefers perching to lounging. As one reader put it, “People who are out socially, perhaps to meet someone, prefer high tables.” Barstools do give people on the prowl a place to see and be seen and make more of everyone’s body and clothing visible, the better to show off their stylish threads. The people who most dislike high tops are older people and parents with children, so the furniture choice may act as a way of effectively sorting those demographics away from the dating crowd. I now think of high top tables as something like peacock feathers or the bowerbird’s mating dance, a part of the human mating ritual….

Proud Bird To Emulate A Phoenix… The aviation-themed Proud Bird restaurant served steaks and seafood from 1967 to last week, when it closed for what is expected to be a ten-month renovation. It will be reborn with a new look and a multiethnic style, with several cooking stations serving what is described as “diverse artisanal cuisine.” The menu and décor were more than a bit dated, so this will be a welcome transformation…

Any new restaurants I should know about, any events, any sartorial combinations worse than a serape and fez? I’m at richardfoss.com…

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