Search Results: richard foss
An Institution Goes Dark… It’s a sad time for soul food lovers across the South Bay, as Flossie’s has closed after 25 years in business. This may be hard to tell for the casual passerby, as the dark windows always made the place look closed, but according to the sign on the door they have…
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Japanese Regional Culture in Your Neighborhood… If you know only one place in the Tohoku region of Japan, it’s probably Fukushima – and the people who call that area home would like to change that. Though the region is noted for its harsh weather and rugged terrain it has a rich culture and distinctive cuisine,…
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Doma Kitchen has reopened and the transformation of the space at the north end of the Manhattan Village Mall is startling. The former chain taco joint is now a pretty, sophisticated restaurant with original art on the walls and a pleasant outside patio. The food is every bit as good as in their previous…
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It’s Alive! The Boardwalk Is Alive! Three places have opened within a week of each other on the Redondo Boardwalk, adding life and color to the area. The Slip’s menu fits the Blue Zone standards for fresh and healthy food and the redecorated interior is quite pretty. It looks like they’re going upscale with their…
Read MoreThe big news this week comes from El Segundo, where several restaurant projects were announced. The most interesting is Sausal, which history enthusiasts will recognize as this area’s name during the Spanish rancho era. Chef Anne Conness, formerly of Tin Roof Bistro, will serve a menu derived from Early California recipes. The flavors of the…
Read MoreSome believe the trend towards fresher, healthier, more varied juices began in Redondo Beach with a mysterious surfer/juicer named Bruce in the 1970s. Forty years later, it has come full circle. A few years ago I was driving with a friend who saw a juice bar and asked, “What’s the deal with juice bars? I…
Read MoreOpen and Interesting… Bettolino Kitchen is serving in the former Gina Lee’s space on Palos Verdes Boulevard, and the early signs are good. The space has been freshened up with an open kitchen and communal tables, and the menu of modern Italian dishes fits the stylish, inviting room well. They’re open for lunch and already…
Read MoreFirst Looks…Orlando’s Pizzeria & Birreria in Redondo is off to an amazing start; they opened with little fanfare three weeks ago and there are already lines out the door at dinner. They serve much more than pizza – owner Orlando Mulé lived in Quebec for years and his restaurant offers poutine, Montreal smoked meat, and…
Read MoreThe New Year has brought news of a number of new projects, the most interesting of which promises a big change on the Hermosa Pier Plaza. Ron and Greg Newman, best known for the Sharkeez chain and Palimilla, have leased the spaces formerly operated by Fat Face Fenner’s, Paradise Sushi, and Froyo. Though these are…
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Restaurant openings, closings, first looks, and dining events in the South Bay .
Read MoreMaybe We’ll Change The Name To Little Italy… After years of a quiet but diverse restaurant scene, Riviera Village is lively and increasingly looking like a suburb of Naples. News is that Gina Lee’s, which has been serving Asian-inspired contemporary cuisine, will soon become a high-end Italian restaurant. Since Locale 90 and the Bottle Inn…
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People often ask me to predict what will be the next hot dining scene in the South Bay, and for most of the time I’ve been writing, I’ve had some kind of answer. I really don’t any more, because it’s like trying to find the hottest spot in an oven. The whole area is fermenting,…
Read MoreSomeone tried to explain the laws of probability to me years ago, why what may seem like bizarre coincidences are actually inevitable over a long period of time. With all the cards dealt in Vegas someone will get a royal flush on the first hand, and many other people’s sure thing will turn out to…
Read MoreOne Down, One Renewed… Two local Italian restaurants closed recently, one permanently, the other briefly. Calamari’s in Redondo opened strongly a few years ago but declined after a while. I stopped going there when a server became belligerent when we pointed out that she had delivered a pizza with the wrong ingredients to our table.…
Read MoreDrilling down into oil safety Dear ER: I’ve known John Szot for years. We don’t often agree on what makes the world go ’round, but I’ve respected his intelligence, candor, and willingness to point out when the emperor is naked. Recently, however, his enthusiasm for all things oil and gas has caused him to be…
Read MoreMail call Dear ER: Your post office story is so true (Postal problems,” ER August 21, 2014). About five or six weeks ago, we did not received mail for three days. I asked some of my neighbors if their mail was delivered? “No” was the answer. So I went to the main post office and…
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