Silvio’s goes upscale, new BBQ in old Ruby’s, micro food hall on PCH, and other dining news
Meat Central: There’s a lot of activity involving barbecue of various sorts in the South Bay, with one opening this week, one a few months down the line, and another relaunch of a local favorite. The established place is the former Silvio’s Brazilian Beach BBQ on the Hermosa Pier Plaza, which is now Silvio’s South American Lounge and Grill. As the name change suggests, the restaurant will be widening their focus to include Peruvian, Colombian, and Chilean items. The core menu is still there, including the popular Carnaval Plate sampler for two, but new chef Paul Bentsen, formerly at Baran’s 2239, may bring some modern flourishes. It will be interesting to see how the place develops, because a lot of South American food establishments have been opening in the area (20 Pier Ave., Hermosa)… The waterfront location is obviously a big draw at Silvio’s, and another grilled meat emporium will be opening by the surf in Redondo. The former Ruby’s will become our local specialist for Santa Maria barbecue, a style with a history that may go all the way back to the cattle ranches of Mexican California. The usual meat is beef top sirloin or tri-tip and sausage rubbed with salt, pepper, and garlic and roasted over red oak coals, typically accompanied by pink beans, rice, and mild salsa. The new restaurant will be operated by a team led by Jeff Jones of Quality Seafood, and the name hasn’t been revealed yet. Watch for an opening around the end of the year… Finally, the much-anticipated opening of Holy Cow BBQ in the former Pho Show is scheduled for this weekend. The menu goes a bit beyond Texan specialties, and I remember having some fine Southern desserts at their Culver City location (1617 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., RB)…
Closed Before You Knew It Was There: The upstairs lounge at Esperanza was a semi-secret place that was popular for private events, and when those weren’t booked it was by far the finest watering hole in Manhattan Beach. The space was cool, comfortable, and sophisticated, with a low enough volume level that you could enjoy conversations with your companions and the knowledgeable staff. Alas, the city has ordered it closed until a problem with their permits is sorted out. It’s unfortunate, because many in the community loved the place and had family events there… I was one of them. Here’s hoping they work things out and reopen soon…
Departures and Changes: Manhattan Beach’s M & Love Vegan Café closed at the end of June, something I missed reporting in the previous edition of this column. I’m sorry they didn’t make it, because they did have some interesting ideas. The new tenant will be a second location of the Little French Bakery, the Redondo hole in the wall that often has long lines for their excellent sandwiches and baked goods. I have been driving to Riviera Village for LFB’s pastries and bread since they opened, and it’s wonderful to see them being so successful… Elsewhere along Highland, Marine Ramen has closed, though it took a while to figure that out because their hours have always been erratic. Their prospects were not helped by the owner’s abrasive and sometimes confrontational attitude toward customers. A new tenant may be in place, since a sign announces that it is now a private club for members only… In Hermosa, something is happening at The Stanton, which has been closed for some time following the departure of Chef Chuck Kallal. It’s unfortunate because the food and service were very fine on my most recent visit. The sign on the door boasts that “We are preparing to announce some exciting news,” but it has been there for a while and there’s no news yet. Does anyone know? My email address is at the end of this column, and I do appreciate tips…
Big News, Small Hall: The former Mama D’s on PCH in Redondo is about to become a “Micro Food Hall,” run by Local Kitchens, which has eight locations in the San Francisco Bay area. It’s a stand-alone food court concept with a distinctly eclectic style; one of their brands, “Senor Sisig,” will take care of your craving for Filipino fusion style pork snout and chicken liver burritos in a way that no other local establishment can touch. The “Sushirritos” and the magnificent Humphrey Slocombe ice cream might be an easier sell here, if they’re available. I haven’t been able to get a response from anyone at the company about whether the offerings in Redondo will be similar to the ones at their Bay Area locations… And in my most recent edition of this column I noted that Colombian restaurant Encanto had posted that they hoped to be open by the second week in August. That day has come and gone – I have heard that they expect to be serving by Labor Day weekend, but haven’t gotten that confirmed yet…
From Halls To Malls: The Del Amo Mall has several new restaurants on the way – Keisuke Ramen, featuring Japanese noodles by a chef with French training, sounds intriguing and is opening soon. Another upcoming attraction is Market Broiler, a classic full service seafood restaurant, plus locations by chain organic Sweetgreen and mall standard North Italia. The Luna Grill is open, serving standard Middle Eastern kebabs, falafels, pita sandwiches, and the like – they share the perennially crowded parking lot with Lucille’s BBQ, so the curbside pickup option will be a great convenience (21540 Hawthorne Blvd, Torr).
Chinese Under The Radar: The Beach Cities gained a new Northern Chinese restaurant, but you probably don’t know that unless you have ventured way to the back of Plaza El Segundo. The Northern Café Chinese Dumpling House opened back in April, but I just found out about it. I have visited their other locations in Westwood, Gardena, and Rancho Palos Verdes, and had very well done renditions of traditional dumplings and noodle dishes. This is a tough location, and I hope they make it (700 S. Allied Way, ES)…
Event Alerts! Two restaurants turn 46 this year, but one is celebrating their 45th, too. Captain Kidd’s turns that corner this Thursday and will continue the celebration with live mariachis on Friday. Beer drinkers might celebrate with a new brew made specially for the venue, the Captain Kidd’s South Bay Blonde… Hennessey’s wanted to have a big 45th anniversary celebration last year, but the pandemic got in the way, so they’re making up for lost time on September 17. There will be beverage samples, food specials, and music by Martin Sawyer in the afternoon and Celtic band Sportive Tricks in the evening. I’ve seen Sportive Tricks many times and they always deliver an energetic and passionate show, and I highly recommend attending.
The Shin-Sen-Gumi chain is a youngster by comparison, but they’re celebrating three decades in business in style at the Torrance Civic Center on September 3. There will be tastes of traditional Japanese foods, live entertainment and anime cosplay, and other activities. The festival lasts from 11 a.m to 8 p.m., and there’s plenty of free parking in the city lots. Admission is one dollar, and yes, you’ll probably spend more once you’re there, but it does sound fun. Information is at this link. (3330 Civic Center Drive, Torr)… There will probably be some Japanese food at the 12 Annual Gardena Food, Wine, and Brew Festival too, but since one of the sponsors is Giuliano’s Italian Bakery and Deli, we may suspect that much more will be on offer. The date is September 24, and admission is $25 and includes a souvenir, glass but not anything to put in it – drink tickets are sold separately. Reservations and more details are at Eventbrite.com… And if you enjoy learning new techniques to make your party platters beautiful, Cathy Herrera at Platters2Gather is hosting a charcuterie workshop on September 11 at Agave Azul. You won’t be learning to make the salamis, cheeses, and other items, but how to cut, sculpt, and arrange them so they’re a work of art. To see some of their pretty plates, check their website at platters2gather.com. Price is $75 including ingredients, materials, and a glass of Champagne, reservations are available via Eventbrite…
Odds And Ends: It’s news when a dining establishment doubles the size of their menu, and Proudly Serving on the Redondo Boardwalk has done just that. It’s not very big news, because the total number of items is now six. To their burger, fries, and cookies they’ve added grilled cheese, chili, and tater tots. The place is still popular with people who have trouble deciding what to order… And a word to restaurant owners: If you’re going to close early or take a few days off, you really should block that time off in your reservations system, and second, put a sign on the door apologizing to customers. I have received several complaints about restaurants that routinely close without warning or apology, some after accepting bookings for the evening. Many complaints were about the same Hermosa Avenue eatery, which I observed to be closed at 7:30 last Sunday when their website and posted hours say they’re open until 9. If you want to indicate to customers that you don’t care about them, this is certainly the way to do it…
And In Closing: If you know a restaurant opening I might’ve missed, a culinary event that should be covered, or just about anything related to food that I should cover, please send the information my way. I’m at richard@richardfoss.com. And as long as you’re on the internet, check out past restaurant reviews on our website at easyreadernews.com/restaurants. ER