9 Stories
by Richard Foss I am not a sports fan, but since so many people around me are, I have absorbed ideas from that sphere of existence. One concept from the award season has always seemed problematic, the awarding of the “most improved” trophy to athletes. Nominees must wince when they hear that they’re in the […]
In an era when most restaurants seem to have been designed by focus groups, some stand out for quirky ideas and eccentric execution. They’re someone’s peculiar vision, their passion project, recreating an arcane place or time, or a visionary chef’s fusion of two cuisines that nobody has put together before. Sometimes they’re a commercial success, […]
I sometimes hear from former residents of Manhattan Beach who return after years away to find long-loved restaurants have closed. “Café Pierre is gone? And Darren’s and W’s China Grill? What is left that I’ll still recognize?” When they drive past Ercole’s, Shellback, The Kettle, and Hennessey’s, they breathe a sigh of relief. The prices […]
In 1987 there were two Peruvian restaurants in Los Angeles, both located in unpromising strip malls. Mario’s, in a Hollywood strip mall, had been open for years. El Pollo Inka, in a Lawndale strip mall, had just opened their doors. Both were serving a cuisine that was puzzling to most Angelenos, and El Pollo Inka […]
by Elka Worner Foodies will now have access to the city’s best loved recipes from restaurants like Baran’s, the Bottle Inn and Radici thanks to the newly released “Top Dish Hermosa Beach Cookbook.” Leadership Hermosa Beach 2024 unveiled the 200-page book at a well attended event Thursday, June 20, at the Underground Pub & Grill. […]
For a major traffic artery, Aviation Boulevard has historically had remarkably few dining choices. There are bright spots at the Ocean Diner and the restaurants that share the Big Lots parking lot in Hermosa Beach, but from there north into Redondo Beach, the pickings were slim. Two bars serve a limited selection of sandwiches and […]
In the ‘80s I shared a somewhat decrepit old house in North Redondo with a couple of oddball roommates, and as a matter of course we scoped out all the restaurants within walking distance. We had cars, and they even ran sometimes, but it was fun to explore the neighborhood at ground level. We had […]
by Richard Foss The South Bay is full of older homes that have been added onto so many times that they acquire quirks – a switch somewhere that is on a different circuit than everything around it, pipes that come out of the wall and go right back in, a patch of wall where […]