Mediterraneo
By Richard Foss
Note: Written in 2005
I have been writing about South Bay restaurants for almost twenty years, and I can generally tell when a place fits into the community. When Mediterraneo opened in Hermosa, I thought the place was doomed unless they changed the menu. The Pier Plaza party crowd couldn’t possibly support a restaurant with a selection so uncompromisingly eclectic that you couldn’t get a plain steak, burger, or simple roast chicken. Well, three years later Mediterraneo is doing just fine, and if they decide to serve crow I guess I’m going to have to try their preparation.
The menu of Spanish tapas and Italian fare is going over just fine with a crowd that doesn’t seem to be the usual bar-hoppers; while the restaurant has a lively buzz; it never seems as raucous as its more party-hearty neighbors. This is a good thing if you ask me, as I happen to like dining in places where I can converse with my companions without shouting. I prefer to dine on the front patio, which is both the quietest area and has an enviable view of the local streetlife.
We started a recent meal with an assortment of tapas, some the traditional Spanish bar snacks, others modern adaptations. The traditional items included anchovy fillets, grilled sausages, sardines wrapped around green olives, a potato omelette with garlic mayonnaise, and a plate of Manchego and Cabrales cheeses. The pork sausages were good but not outstanding; though spiked with a dash of red pepper, they seemed to be missing some herb or spice that would take them that extra inch/step. The potato omelette was far better, a quiche-like delight with a generous dollop of fresh garlic mayonnaise to round out the rich, cheesy flavor. Still, for us the highlight of the traditional items was the fish.
I’ve been partial to anchovies and sardines ever since I discovered that when fresh and well-prepared, they taste far better than the canned stuff I grew up with. Yes, the sardines in particular are oily and rich, but that can be a very good thing, especially when paired with a sharp flavor like green olives. The tangy, spicy combination works beautifully, a pair of big flavors very nicely balanced against each other. The milder anchovy filets and a piece of good crusty bread were fine complements to a glass of white wine, and when paired with the cheese made a meal that any Southern European peasant would recognize immediately as a taste of home.
This being California rather than Spain, we enjoyed world-class wines rather than something Uncle Jose makes in the family cellar every year. On this visit, we decided to order flights of wine – three small glasses of different Pinot Grigios for my wife, three California Pinot Noirs for me. I like flights because they allow me to comparison-shop different wines, and as often happens I found a wine worth seeking the next time I was at the store. Two, actually – the Taz Pinot Gris and the Calera Pinot are on my shopping list now.
Our Californian location also dictated that there would be some non-traditional tapas available, and we tried prosciutto-wrapped roasted dates stuffed with Cambazola cheese and a plate of sautéed scallops and shrimp in a spicy basil cream sauce. The dates were a wonder, sweet, meaty, fruity, and gifted with a dash of blue cheese funkiness all at the same time. I’ll eat these any time, even though I’m not usually a great fan of dates. The scallops and shrimp worked in a more conventional way as Mediterranean comfort food, satisfying and a great dip with the bread.
The preceding sounds like we ordered a vast quantity of food, but we didn’t – what I’ve described was a pleasant meal for three, composed of many small plates. It was also a small bill, since the price of each item ranged from three to seven dollars except for the shrimp and scallops, which were twelve dollars for a good-sized portion. Our meal of many small plates ran less than fifteen dollars a person without wine, which was very reasonable given the quality of the experience. Conventional Italian main courses are available, and we’ve had a good linguini Pescatore and homemade four-cheese ravioli with basil, but the tapas are what keep us coming back to Mediterraneo. A sunset meal on the plaza here is one of the more enjoyable experiences Hermosa has to offer, and reminds me of lazy suppers overlooking another sea, where wine, music, and streetlife are a celebrated part of the culture.
Mediterraneo is located at 73 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach. Handicap access good, parking lot nearby but no complimentary validations. Full bar. Call 310-318-2666 for reservations.