Search Results: richard foss

Dinner and a show, Trinidadian street food, one less Hawaiian, and more restaurant news

By Richard Foss / July 15, 2020

A Little Dinner Music: The live music scene was one of the many casualties of the pandemic, but one restaurant is working on a way to bring back the excitement of new tunes and the joy of a good meal, together. Baran’s 2239 has partnered with One Talented Universe, which has a high-tech performance space…

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We’re open! We’re closed! We’re confused!

By Richard Foss / July 2, 2020

Bending Time And Space: The march of public dining into parking lots, parking spaces, alleys, and courtyards continues, sometimes on a grand scale and sometimes small. A stretch of Richmond Street in El Segundo has become an outdoor plaza, and restaurants everywhere are eyeing every possible space where they might be able to put a…

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Favorites fold, newcomers delayed, others are barreling ahead [dining news]

By Richard Foss / June 10, 2020

Like Moles In Bright Sunlight… We are all emerging from the spaces in which we have hunkered down to a new and strange world. The servers who greet us are smiling behind their masks, but we can see by their eyes that they are pleased to welcome us. They’re particularly happy to be at work…

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New beginnings, new menus, old ideas [dining news]

By Richard Foss / May 20, 2020

Signs Of Life: For two months the news has been all about closings, but a few entrepreneurs are bucking the trend. Little Simmzy’s just opened in The Point in El Segundo, an offshoot of the popular Manhattan Beach burger and beer joint. This highlights the unexpected resilience of this development – despite the fact that…

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Pop-up poke, a new pizzeria, Goat Hill migration, take-out ecology, and more dining news

By Richard Foss / April 23, 2020

Life Beneath The Surface: The “For Lease” signs are down at the former Ragin’ Cajun on upper Pier Avenue in Hermosa, which will soon become another branch of El Tarasco. This looks like a savvy move, which will give them dine-in space without much competition in food style or price point in the immediate neighborhood.…

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Brave plans for new eateries, unusual strategies for established ones, and more Good Stuff

By Richard Foss / April 15, 2020

For the first time since I started writing this column almost 20 years ago, there isn’t a single restaurant opening to announce. That’s not particularly surprising given the current circumstances, but it’s still sad. There are new places on the horizon, of course, since construction work has continued at many projects that were already in…

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Restaurants get whiplash, pivot to take-out and delivery

By Richard Foss / March 18, 2020

Things have been moving so fast recently that it might be good to start with just one fact for perspective. One week ago, you had well over two hundred options for dining out around the Beach Cities. Today you have none. The change happened so quickly that even the most agile restaurant owners had trouble…

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Vegan pub, Big Wok’s big move, TedX food in Redondo, and more dining news

By Richard Foss / March 4, 2020

In A Class By Itself… The downstairs space at 934 Hermosa Avenue has been many different restaurants, including an Irish pub, Italian café, and most recently Banzai Beach sushi and Japanese food. That establishment closed a few weeks ago, and the new tenant is serving a cuisine unlike any other in the South Bay. Veggie…

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Eruption in Redondo, a bittersweet farewell and a quadrennial wine dinner [dining news]

By Richard Foss / February 12, 2020

Starting The Year Running: Once in a while a neighborhood erupts in openings, and it seems to be Redondo’s turn. Starting in the south, after a long remodeling job, Matty’s Crawdaddies is serving in Riviera Village. They are seafood-centric but serving much more than peel-and-eat shellfish. You can get scallops, shrimp, chowder, a Connecticut lobster…

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Decadence switched, Front Porch opens, Serbian in Segundo, Tunisian feast, and other restaurant news

By Richard Foss / January 15, 2020

This is usually a quiet time on the restaurant front, when the tourist trade is at its ebb and dinner specials prop up a slow season. That is not the case this week. The South Bay restaurant scene has been rocked by the announcement of the imminent closures of Chez Mélange and Abigaile. (See related…

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Barsha serving again, other restaurants delayed, Mickey’s raising funds for ALS, and more restaurant news

By Richard Foss / December 18, 2019

Eating My Words For Lunch: In last week’s review I made a rather large goof, so I’m starting this week’s column with a retraction. I said that Caffe Tre Venezie was the only Italian-style coffeehouse in the South Bay, which it isn’t. Redondo’s Roman Aroma has a similar dedication to authentic Italian coffee, panini, and…

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Openings delayed and otherwise, new bakery and coffee coming to Hermosa, dining events, and more restaurant news

By Richard Foss / November 20, 2019

Building Permit Blues: There are multiple restaurant projects around the South Bay that are running behind schedule due to conflicts with city and county departments, and that’s not unusual. Pacific Standard Prime is one of several works in progress that was close to opening until a review of their plans forced them to make changes…

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Fish Shop down, Riviera House in business, Avenue A back up, wine events, and other dining news

By Richard Foss / October 23, 2019

Too affordable for Manhattan: The Subway on Manhattan Avenue, the last franchise fast food place in Downtown Manhattan Beach since the Wahoo’s across the street shuttered, is closing this Friday, the victim of a rent increase. I’m not sure what will replace them but I’d bet they’ll something more expensive than five dollar sandwiches… Bobo’s…

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East Hermosa chic, changes at Basque Kitchen, Asian street food, and more dining news

By Richard Foss / October 2, 2019

East Hermosa Star: Barsha is open at the corner of Aviation and Prospect, giving Hermosa one of only three Tunisian restaurants in Southern California. The décor is a mix of California contemporary design and North African elements, and it’s beautiful. The unusual cuisine is likely to bring in people who usually speed right through East…

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Marvelous Manhattan, Molto Italiano, and Oktoberfest in September

By Richard Foss / September 11, 2019

Big news on Manhattan Avenue: The construction at Fonz’s was announced as a facelift for the old business, but this week it was revealed the space will become a new restaurant. Famed chef Josiah Citrin of Melisse will open a new seafood-centered restaurant called Coast. If all goes well they’ll be serving by the end…

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Ishibashi Orchards bridge to the past

By Stephanie Cartozian / September 4, 2019

The former Ishibashi orchards are once again producing fruit and produce for Peninsulans

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