Mangiamo Manhattan Beach [RESTAURANT REVIEW]
Ask people to recommend a restaurant in downtown Manhattan Beach and they’re likely to mention one of the high-profile new places. This is understandable – those places have been in the news, and we look hipper if we recommend them. Ask those same people where they dine and you might get a different answer; they probably patronize one of the places they’ve enjoyed for years, where where they know the menu and servers and are known in return.
One of the downtown classics is Mangiamo, the restaurant and bar that is coming up on its thirtieth anniversary. As downtown Manhattan restaurants go, this place is low-key – the natural stone and dimly lit sign are reserved compared to many of their competitors’ showy frontages. The interior follows suit – though there is a lively bar in the front, the dining room is dark and old-fashioned.
The menu is more contemporary, though still strongly grounded in Italian tradition, so that there are modern side items alongside classic main courses. One of the few novel ideas is a mainstay of the happy hour menu, the smoked pheasant nachos. We ordered these, as well as a bowl of Manhattan-style clam chowder and a house salad that included artichoke hearts and bacon along with the usual greens and Parmesan.
While we waited for our starters, our server Jason brought bread and complimentary cups of their daily special soup, a cream of asparagus. I would have usually ordered the special, but it is so rare to see Manhattan-style chowder in Manhattan Beach that I wanted to try it. The flavors of seafood in a tomato and herb broth were rewarding in their own way but not comparable with New England chowder; these were sunny and light compared to the heavier, earthier flavors of chowders thickened with milk and potato. It tasted like a summer dish, while New England chowders are most satisfying when the temperature is heading for single digits.
The salad was simple but well-made – red and green leaf lettuces, tomato, artichoke, and bacon tossed with a fresh balsamic dressing and just enough Parmesan to make a difference. Had I made it at home, I probably would have used twice as much cheese and dressing, and it wouldn’t have been good.
We had asked Jason to bring glasses of wine to complement our starters, and he chose a house pinot grigio and a Chalk Hill sauvignon blanc. The pinot grigio was good with the salad but paled against the soup, and I preferred the Chalk Hill with both, while my wife didn’t think it played well with the salad.
As we finished the salad the nachos arrived – four large chips that had been broiled with smoked pheasant and Havarti cheese, then topped with avocado, mild salsa, and a mound of cilantro. Too much cilantro, in this case, but the excess was easily removed so we could enjoy the other flavors. Pheasant has more flavor, less fat, and a slightly denser texture than chicken, and it worked well here and made me wonder why pheasant isn’t on more menus. We shared a glass of Dr. Loosen’s Riesling with the nachos – it’s a sweet wine that pairs well with mildly spicy food.
It had been tough to decide on main courses, but we finally settled on a pasta puttanesca and roasted rack of lamb with blackberry essence. Puttanesca, meaning “whore’s pasta” because it is salty, spicy, and easy to make, is a classic Southern Italian dish made with capers, olives, chili, pinenuts, and tomatoes; Mangiamo’s version is unusual in that it is made with olive oil but no tomatoes. This accentuates the salty, slightly pickled flavors of the capers, garlic, and olives, making it a stronger, spicier dish. I’m not sure which I prefer, but it was certainly interesting to try this variation.
The rack of lamb had been seared with olive oil and herbs, then roasted and served with a glaze of berries and lamb reduction, a preparation I find superior to the veal glazes and mixed meat stocks that are often used and muddy the flavors. The berry sauce was used sparingly but effectively, a gentle finish rather than a bold flavor, creating a model of subtle flavoring. The lamb was served with eggplant cubes fried in panko with parmesan – a brilliant idea – and a harmonious rice pilaf, resulting in a pretty presentation for a remarkable meal.
Jason recommended a Frank Family Zinfandel and a super-Tuscan; we enjoyed the zin but found the Tuscan dry and austere, so he replaced it with a glass of Chianti Classico that we enjoyed much more.
Several desserts were offered, including tiramisu and several crème brulees, but we settled on a simple classic – a coffee beautiful (Tia Maria and Grand Marnier) and homemade biscotti. The biscotti might be improved by a little chocolate for dipping, but they were a light, crunchy finish to an excellent dinner.
Our dinner at Mangiamo cost $80 for food only, and the wines doubled it – more than an everyday meal, but this wasn’t one. It was a relaxed, romantic evening enjoying a Manhattan Beach classic, with a promise of a moonlight walk on The Strand afterward for perfection.
Mangiamo is at 128 Manhattan Beach Boulevard – open daily at 5 p.m., street parking only. Full bar, $25 corkage, wheelchair access OK. Menu at mangiamorestaurant.com, phone 310-318-3434. ER