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Friends of the Vine: Best of the Beach 2018 Wine Bar
It’s just after 5 p.m. on Tuesday – shortly after Friends of the Vine opens – and already one of the wine bar’s regulars, Stella, is in her usual seat at the corner of the bar. “[She’s] the reason we’ve been open this long,” owner Fred Eguchi joked. Friends of the Vine owners Tracy and […]
Good Stuff Palos Verdes: Best of the Beach 2018 Servers Hannah Saint, Tadeo Gonzalez
“They’re customer oriented, they’re very accommodating, and they’re comfortable in what they do. They both have a great sense of reading customers, knowing how much they want to be engaged,” Good Stuff owner Cris Bennett said of servers Hannah Saint and Tadeo Gonzalez. He said the two exemplify the Good Stuff ideal, with friendly […]
Coyote Cantina: Best of the Beach 2018 Female bartender Kristina Cordova
Kristina Cordova has been working at Coyote Cantina for almost 16 years. That’s a long time in today’s economy, and even more uncommon in the restaurant industry. What keeps her coming back, she said, is the customers. “Honestly, I don’t feel like I’m going to work. I feel like I’m going to hang out with […]
Andy & Renee and Hard Rain: Best of the Beach 2018 Original Music Band
It’s become axiomatic that one must put in 10,000 hours to master any craft. Andy Hill and Renee Safier have probably doubled or tripled that number just as musicians and songwriters, but they’ve also put their time in on stage. They’ve been playing together since 1986 and — along with their band, Hard Rain […]
Original Ragin Cajun: Best of the Beach 2018 Southern/Cajun
They’re back in Hermosa, and back at the top of our poll. Stephen Domingue has been an ambassador for the authentic flavors and hospitality of Western Louisiana since 1992, and along with his sister Jeanine, they keep the place authentic. The Southern roadhouse on Pier Avenue is where most of us first tried this richly […]
Phuket Thai: Best of the Beach 2018 Thai, Southeast Asian
Even in the fast-moving South Bay restaurant scene, some things don’t change. Phuket Thai has won or been a close second in this category for over a decade. It certainly isn’t their location, which is in a nondescript multi-use building and lacks the gaudy architecture of Southeast Asia. Their curries have the characteristic Thai […]
Hermosa Beach Fish Shop: Best of the Beach 2018 Seafood (other than sushi), Specialty Salad, Seafood Soup
Hermosa Beach Fish Shop can do no wrong when it comes to all things seafood. Our readers voted them tops when it comes to fish restaurant in general, seafood soup in particular, and also for specialty salad because their grilled fish over a salad is a hugely popular item. Fish Shop’s strategy is to […]
Poulet de Jour: Best of the Beach 2018 Mediterranean/Middle Eastern, Rotisserie Chicken
We would like to inform our readers that people in the Middle East eat things other than roast chicken. We feel that this is necessary because the same two restaurants won in both of those categories, which we don’t think has ever happened before. The chicken at Poulet du Jour is, of course, worthy of […]
PF Chang’s: Best of the Beach 2018 Chinese
We’re more interested in bright, accessible flavors than obsessive authenticity in the South Bay, which is why the Chinese restaurant co-founded by a steakhouse owner gets the nod. Paul Fleming of Fleming’s Steakhouse liked Chinese food and teamed with a famous restaurateur to help create modern Chinese fusion, and they are credited with creating some […]
Addi’s Tandoor: Best of the Beach 2018 Indian
The cuisine of Goa, a former Portuguese colony in India, has been coming into the spotlight over the last few years because the Mediterranean-Indian fusion style is unique. We in the South Bay can proudly say we were first in the LA area to support it because we’ve been dining at Addi’s Tandoor for 15 […]
Dominique’s: Best of the Beach 2018 French/Continental
Chef Dominique Theval is the South Bay’s French treasure, a renowned culinarian who cooked in France and Asia before settling in Redondo. Nobody would have been surprised if someone with his resume had turned out ultra-fancy and fussy dinners with stratospheric price tags. Instead, he has championed country French ideas with Californian and Italian accents, […]
Hook & Plow: Best of the Beach 2018 Farm to table
The name says it, the menu promises it, and the kitchen delivers. The cooking here is all about subtly accenting the flavors of top quality produce, and they blend raw and cooked ingredients with skill and flair. A few items are always on the menu because things like furikake-dusted french fries and beer-braised pulled pork […]
Old Venice: Best of the Beach 2018 Restaurant dessert
Everybody likes dessert, but there’s a special joy when you eat it as the Italians do. Don’t wait until after dinner, when your taste buds have already had a workout. The afternoon is a perfect time for espresso and dolci, like crisp, freshly made cannoli or a rich tiramisu that has the right balance of […]
Palmilla: Best of the Beach 2018 Mexican (over $30), Sunday Brunch
The interior is startling, unlike any Mexican restaurant you’ve seen before, and that’s appropriate. It sets your expectations higher, and those expectations are met. Palmilla serves Mexican food with mellow but flavorful sauces that enhance quality ingredients like fresh seafood and prime beef. It’s almost counterintuitive that this works since our expectations are so different, […]
The Kettle: Best of the Beach 2018 Late night eatery
The restaurant that spawned a restaurant empire keeps doing what it does best – serve good American food at all hours. The restaurants that the Simms family has started, like Simmzy’s, Tin Roof Bistro, The Arthur J, and the Lazy Dog chain, all have their roots in the only place in the South Bay to […]