Palmilla chef Christina Cipres is diplomatic when asked to compare what she serves with the fare provided by other restaurants on the Pier Plaza. “I’ve dined at a lot of the places in the pier area, including the taverns and pubs, and at all price points I’ve had very good food,” she insists. Nevertheless she draws a distinction between the high-end Mexican food she is serving and some of the other offerings in the area.
“We keep the integrity of the culture so they have a completely different experience when they come here. It’s almost like an oasis – when people come in, they find it hard to believe the contrast with all that’s happening outside our door.’
It’s not that Palmilla’s atmosphere is that different from the other eateries and nightspots, but that they’ve updated recipes that go back centuries, including in Christina’s own family.
“My mother came from Sonora, and this is the cooking I grew up with. I remember when I was just six years old, smelling the freshly cooked beans on the stove, made in a pot that was bigger than me. You don’t forget that – I never have and never will. We’re taking those flavors but plating them with some artistry, because there was so much artistry put in this location.”
Palmilla represents a trend among restaurants that opened in 2011: establishments offering a high-style take on traditional cuisine. Consider another newcomer just around the corner on Hermosa Avenue. Everything on the menu at Number Nine is traditionally Vietnamese, but served in starkly modern surroundings with flashy presentations. Oh La La in Redondo does the same with Provencal country food, and American Farmhouse Grill in Manhattan proves that American regional cooking can standup to the same respectful treatment. This last is a success story; their cramped previous location had the look of a rustic cabin, while the new place seats five times as many people in a fine dining atmosphere. Other chefs who open up small restaurants must be envious at the obvious success of the concept.
This isn’t to say that all the action is with traditional places, as some fearless innovators opened last year too. MB Post and the Strand House helped cement Manhattan Beach’s status as the town with the most options for adventurous dining, as owners with big budgets brought celebrity chefs with high-flying ideas. In both cases the restaurants themselves are architectural showplaces to rival any in greater Los Angeles, and whether you find the ambiance in the dining room exciting or just loud, you have to admire the ambition. Manhattan doesn’t have a lock on creativity in food or design, as evidenced by the fearlessly bizarre Hot’s Kitchen in Hermosa, which pillages traditions from around the globe with considerable success. Another kind of creativity is going on at Oliver’s, the strangely retro restaurant with an Oliver Twist theme and a menu that puts a modern twist on English tradition. It has been a polarizing place – people love the kitschy style or can’t stand it.
Compare the eateries that opened in 2011 with those of the past few years and several themes are apparent. The rush of gastropubs has slowed, though The Rockefeller and Umami Burger show that there is plenty of life left in the idea. It’s notable that all the gastropubs that opened in the past two years are still open and seem to be doing well, and that they’ve forced formerly stodgy places nearby to improve their menus to compete. The recent opening of a branch of The Counter in Hermosa shows the gastropub as franchise operation – while the beverage aspect may not be emphasized as much, they offer similar gourmet burgers and craft beers, and both they and their homegrown competitors seem to be here to stay.
Another striking trend is that for the first time in at least a decade, not a single new sushi bar has opened in the Beach Cities, and three locally famous Japanese restaurants have closed. Sushi Duke and Sushi Sei had devoted followings but were forced out by landlords who had other ideas for the respective properties, while the pressure of running two restaurants 70 miles apart was said to be the reason for the closing of Sushi Gallery Miki. In each case a non-Japanese restaurant moved in, and as far as I know no new ones are scheduled to open this year. With the sale of Sun & Moon and imminent conversion to a chowder house, the decline of the sushi craze seems to be at hand.
The tough economy may be to blame for the demise of these relatively expensive eateries, but others have weathered the year well by offering prix fixe dinners, midweek specials, and other promotions. The finest restaurants in the South Bay have offered bargains without sacrificing quality, figuring that the customers they gain will stay with them and spend more as the economy improves. The same trend is showing on wine lists around the area, with little-known but high quality bottles and by-the-glass selections offering an education to cost-conscious drinkers. Restaurants that used to rely on famous name wineries at premium prices have been forced to diversify, and increasingly well-informed customers aren’t letting them get away with serving junk.
Looking ahead, now that Redondo has made a commitment to redeveloping the pier and boardwalk we may expect a renaissance in the restaurant community there. Owners have hesitated to do anything other than basic maintenance given the uncertainty of their leases, but some have ambitious plans to upgrade their facilities. The sign announcing a new Indian Fusion restaurant in the former Brix location suggests that the potential of a location most people thought doomed, and the reopening of Uncle Stavros in Hermosa will mark the return of a family that last had a restaurant in the South Bay over a decade ago. It is an exciting time to dine in the South Bay, with more variety at better prices than ever before, and 2012 looks like things could get even better.
