Maison Riz
Beach food
At the top of the pier, and its game
I usually avoid writing reviews on places just after they open, because some places take a little time to figure out just what they want to do. Some of them never do get it right, and when I go back months later they haven’t learned things they should have known on opening night. Others manage the turnaround, sometimes spectacularly. As an example, I just had an excellent meal in a restaurant that was so bad on my previous visit, I walked out halfway through dinner.
I visited Maison Riz last June and had half of the most ambitious and least successful dinner of my entire life. Every dish was ornately composed and beautiful, but the flavors were out of balance and overpowering; raw seafood was drenched with citrus oil and fragrant herbs to the point that it smelled like cheap perfume, and a “Caesar salad” included shoestring potatoes and was served on a bed of pesto sauce. Despite the restaurant’s concept as Japanese/French fusion, a hallmark of both cuisines – the willingness to let the flavors of good fresh ingredients shine – was missing. My companion and I asked for the bill halfway through dinner and walked to Kincaid’s to have something uncomplicated and tasty.
A year went by and I heard rumors of a change in chef, and a change in style, so I decided to give the place another chance. The décor hadn’t changed. It is stylish and relatively formal for a place on the Redondo Pier, but the room had been split into a high-end dining area and a more casual lounge, known as Maison Riz Petite, with a separate menu of tapas and a few entrees. Those small plates were so interesting that we decided to dine in the lounge, which had the same ocean view from the tables along the north side. We settled in and pondered the menu for some time, deciding to try a few of the more interesting small plate items to test the kitchen and find out what the portion sizes were so we didn’t over-order.
Bartender Rachelle Reyna and chef Jack Tran.
Mindful of my previous experience at the restaurant, we started with two simple items that actually reflected Japanese and French ideas: asparagus with lemon in a rice cracker crust, and tempura shrimp with a dill cream Pernod sauce. The asparagus raised our expectations. The presentation was novel, the thick crust of seasoned rice cracker crumbs making the fat asparagus look like little Christmas trees. The flavors were uncomplicated, asparagus, lemon, and crunchy rice with the barest hint of spices, but it all worked perfectly.
The tempura shrimp were even better in concept, a true mix of Japanese and French ideas, but there was one flaw in the execution. The four plump shrimp were delivered already sauced, so the crispness of the tempura batter was lost by the time they arrived at the table. The flavors were very complementary, and I’d happily order this again but I will request the sauce on the side.
We continued with a plate of miso-marinated baby back ribs crusted with rice crisps, which sounded so odd that our curiosity was aroused. These had a nice, sweet miso flavor and were very tender, but nine dollars for six small ribs seemed a bit excessive – I’ll order these again happily but before 7 p.m., when these and most other starters are half price.
We paired our starters with a “lychee pomerita” from the cocktail selection and a glass of Excelsior Chardonnay. The wine list here is short but specials are often offered, and it’s worth asking your server if anything interesting is open.
Our server Rico had made such good suggestions so far that we decided to trust him to select the next item. He threw us a curve ball by bringing something called Cajun pork chop sushi. This was not, thankfully, raw pork over vinegared rice, but a scallop roll, topped with ahi tuna that had been dusted with mild Cajun spices and then torched. Though no actual pig bits were involved, the meaty ahi might have been mistaken for tender pork. Whether I would have made that connection without knowing the name of the item is open to question, but the similarity was there. It was a fun novelty item, a tasty nibble from a talented kitchen.
For main courses we picked braised pork belly with mashed potatoes and Japanese mustard and a plate of shrimp ravioli. Both were high style comfort food. The mashed potatoes were shaped into cones next to a pile of shredded Japanese spicy radish. The raviolis were surrounded by a ring of tangy pesto sauce so emerald green that it looked radioactive. The red sauce over the raviolis was fruity and delicate enough not to overwhelm the seafood, and I liked it a little better with just a dab of the more strongly herbed pesto. Our server mentioned that he doesn’t serve many orders of either entree because most people who dine in the lounge make meals of tapas. They’re missing a treat. Both of these were very good and, at $13 and $15 for full portions, a deal besides.
We had saved room for dessert because we head heard about the “orange jewel wedge,” a whole orange hollowed out, filled with a mixture of fruit and gelatin, and then chilled. This was a visually spectacular item, with layers of fruit and berries making each wedge look like a smiling face. The taste was striking too, all delicate sweetness and coolness. We also tried apple crisps — small fried pastries on a bed of crème anglaise, served with strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries over fruit coulis.
As with the shrimp that started our meal, I would have preferred the sauce on the side. It would have been a less interesting presentation, but would have allowed me the dab of sauce I wanted rather than the bottom piece being thickly coated. It’s a small quibble, but I’ll order the sauce on the side when I come back.
At $127 for two people with one cocktail and three glasses of wine it was a bit of a splurge, but for this quality of food and service with an ocean view, it was a bargain. I was very glad that I gave this place a chance again, and I expect to return and try the more lavish experiences offered on the tasting menus. I’m ready to trust a kitchen that has found its groove and is delivering some of the most interesting food I’ve had anywhere in the South Bay, at any price.
Maison Riz is at 112 Fisherman’s Wharf on the Redondo Pier, in the former site of New Tony’s. Open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch, daily for dinner. Parking in pier lots, wheelchair access good to most areas, vegetarian/vegan items available, full bar. Reservations recommended. (310) 379-1300. B