For years I was a regular at Vinnie’s Pizza in El Segundo, a place that offered above-average pizzas, salads, and sandwiches in a slightly seedy atmosphere. When I heard that the place was changing hands, I was a bit sad – another old haunt gone, no doubt to be replaced by a more generic and soulless newcomer.
In short order the murals and posters of classic bands went up, a comfortable bar sprouted on the patio, and it became obvious that whatever was going in, it wasn’t generic. A veteran music promoter named David Furano had pulled decades of memorabilia out of his closet to decorate a music themed beer garden and restaurant, making a visually interesting space in which to have burgers, sandwiches, and pizza. He had teamed with restaurateur Mike Zislis, who has some experience with all these items, to create a space that works as a rock-themed gastropub.
The new place is several times the size of the old one – Vinnie’s never used the patio, but the majority of the seating here is outdoors on long benches at wooden tables with gas heaters to take away any evening chill. A wall of posters featuring Hendrix, The Who, and other artists living and dead dominates the scene, but the music is not turned to blasting levels; it’s high enough for atmosphere, too low for headbanging. The beauty of the poster and album art is as much a focus as the music, and the place can be approached almost like a gallery.
The menu offers about what you’d expect. The pizza oven was already in place and is being deployed with a variety of toppings, with burgers, sandwiches, and a smattering of salads and appetizers to round out your choices. There are a few details that show some extra ambition, such as gluten-free pizzas, the fresh hand-cut fries, and the specials that are always on offer. For Oktoberfest these included schnitzels, red cabbage, and homemade strudel, all of which were good enough that I wish they had a place on the regular menu.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, because most meals here are going to start with a beer and something from the appetizer menu. The beer menu is wide-ranging and fairly priced, with over 30 regular offerings and occasional guest brews at prices from four to nine dollars a glass. Most are in the five to six dollar range and the staff has been generous with tastings when I’ve been there, making this a good place to learn about exotica. There are also wines and soft drinks, of course, but at a place called Rock and Brews, it just makes sense to listen to rock and drink brews.
The appetizers are standard in concept – hot wings, calamari, garlic cheese fries, and the big German pretzels that are evidently becoming increasingly popular, because I’m seeing them all over town. I’m not thrilled with the pretzels because they’re often too salty, but I’m evidently in the minority. The calamari is more my style, served here with a fresh tartar sauce and cocktail sauce, but I actually prefer to start with the salads which are more creative and allow me to claim that I’m having health food in a place specializing in burgers and beer.
The most creative is the Farmer’s Market salad, with mixed lettuces, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion in a house vinaigrette. It has the freshness of a good Greek salad with the added sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes and is very well balanced – I could eat this with the calamari or some wings and call it a meal, one with plenty of                                                                                                                          textures and flavors. The blue cheese wedge with bacon, tomato, and walnuts never grows old, and those who like the classics will find that the Caesar here has a robust, abundantly cheesed dressing that hits the spot.
As for the burgers that this place was built around, they’re of the type that makes you feel like you will need to unhinge your lower jaw like a snake swallowing a bird’s egg. The “ultimate burger” is a glorious mess, a full half-pound of fresh ground chuck with all the usual trimmings and a dollop of thousand island dressing. It does hold together rather than fall apart on your shirt, but you should have a few napkins ready by the side of the plate, because you’ll use all of them. When I ordered one medium-rare the patties came out pink in the middle with a little char flavor on the outside, just as they’re supposed to be. The burgers come with regular or sweet potato fries, both fresh from the fryer and in impressive quantities.
Other sandwiches include either an Italian sausage or bratwurst or a messy but good meatball sandwich that is eerily similar to the ones served at Vinny’s – huge, messy, and liberally topped with spicy marinara and mozzarella. If you want to be able to pick up the sandwiches here, you might want to ask for light sauce with a little extra on the side – I did that and was able to adulterate it to my satisfaction.
The pizza menu is short but offers plenty of choice – short because there are only seven standard combinations, but with plenty of choices because you can also mix and match from any ingredients you see on the menu. I’ve tried a simple Margherita of tomato, cheese, and basil and another with shrimp, pesto, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes. These are thin crust pizzas but not cracker-like; there’s enough dough there to sink your teeth into, yet not so much that you feel like you’re eating a loaf of bread with toppings. One of these days I’m going to try the gluten-free version, made with seasoned potato and rice flour; I had planned to do that on my most recent trip but was seduced by the sight of one of the ultimate burgers going by.
Desserts are offered — that excellent strudel one evening, a slightly over-sweet bread pudding another night. A manager said that the latter is a work in progress, and they’re tinkering with the caramel sauce to get the balance right. I like that a modestly priced place like this is doing their own desserts at all – many places at a much higher price point bring everything in, losing some individuality in the process.
El Segundo has the last manufacturing and industrial jobs in the area, and opening a restaurant serving burgers, pizza, and beer may have seemed like an obvious strategy. Indeed, there are several places with the same concept within two blocks of Rock and Brews. Providing a higher standard of quality with fresh ground meats and hand-thrown pizzas, while keeping the price about the same as the neighbors and offering an inventive atmosphere, takes a little daring. The gamble pays off, powered by good food, good brews, and a dash of the magic that is rock and roll.
Rock and Brews is at 143 Main Street in El Segundo. Open daily 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m., parking lot in back. Wheelchair access good, beer and wine served, some vegetarian items. Phone 310-615-9890. ER
