Talia’s, Manhattan Beach
By Richard Foss
Note: Written in 2007
Continuity and consistency are virtues worth bragging about, and the rare restaurant that can boast of being under the same ownership for decades has something to crow about. Odds are good that you’re keeping people happy and earning return visits, which are the most sincere sign of customer satisfaction.
The owners of Talia’s obviously understand this, and at every turn they remind customers that despite the 15-month closure for remodeling, the place has been under the same ownership and chef since it opened in 1977. This is true, but misleading – in my opinion, the current incarnation of the restaurant is vastly superior to the old one. The room used to be fussily old fashioned, the cooking reliably good but unexceptional. Both are livelier and more interesting now; the management has kept all the old virtues and added considerable zip.
The restaurant has always been small, and the addition of a ten-seat bar where two tables used to be hasn’t changed the number of people that can be seated, but has increased the coziness factor. We dropped in on a Saturday night a little late for our reservation and were seated at the bar, where we enjoyed glasses of wine while we waited for another table to be ready. We would have happily had dinner right there except that the barstools had no backs and weren’t very comfortable, so we decided the ten-minute wait was preferable. We spent ten minutes examining the menu, which had plenty of items worth considering, and decided to start with one the most un-Italian item I’ve ever seen on an Italian restaurant menu: smoked pheasant nachos with havarti cheese, avocado salsa, and chipotle lime vinaigrette. Except for pheasant and the vinegar in the dressing, not one of the ingredients in this dish would be in a traditional Italian kitchen. I can only assume that the chef invented it one day at home and decided it was so good that he put it on the menu even though it had nothing to do with the restaurant’s theme. A good decision – there’s nothing Italian about it, but it’s a very tasty. I thought that the character of the bird might be obscured when set against all the other ingredients, but you could tell this was game, and it made a great starter. My only quibble is that the garnish of cilantro was applied with a heavy hand – a little was fine, but I wanted to enjoy the other elements of the starter.
We continued with a salad of julienned beets and creamy goat cheese, garnished with dried sour cherries and candied walnuts in a vinaigrette dressing. The salad was beautifully presented as a cylinder of beets topped with a layer of cheese, the nuts and fruit in vinaigrette lumped at each corner of the triangular plate. The garnish was pretty and a good pairing with the beets and cheese – I’d have happily just eaten those two items together, since the simple fresh flavors are so complimentary, but the fruit and nuts added a little creative flair.
We continued by sharing a plate of the best linguine carbonara I’ve ever had. I’m used to restaurant carbonaras that are smothered in cream and cheese, but here the dairy was used with a light hand so that the flavor of peas, onion, prosciutto, and a dash of spice are allowed to shine. The sauce was a light coating instead of a soupy mass, and we were delighted – we could easily have made a meal of this dish. Instead, we followed it with a specialty of the house – the 14-ounce bone-in pork chop seasoned with Aleppo pepper, sage, and garlic and finished with braised bacon, pomegranate, and pine nut relish.
I asked the manager the difference between Aleppo pepper and other types, and he didn’t know. Courtesy of the internet, I now know that it’s a mild red pepper which was developed in Syria. I have no idea whether it’s used in traditional Italian dishes, but it worked just fine in this one. The pork had been browned in olive oil and then roasted, which gave it a beautiful appearance and tenderness, and probably had something to do with the way that the spices were infused into the meat. The baked-in savory spices contrasted well with the fruity, zingy bacon and pomegranate relish, which had a perfect balance of sweet and smoky flavors. The pork was served with tiny Red Rose potatoes crushed with olive oil, arugula, and toasted pecans, another idea so good I’m going to have to try to recreate it at home. The portion was so large that we took some to go, and we were so full that we only briefly considered dessert. On seeing a massive plate of tiramisu delivered to the neighboring table, we decided against it – we just couldn’t do it justice and were already content.
We left with that sense of relaxed well-being that comes from a great Italian meal. Talia’s was always pretty good, but based on this experience they’ve ascended from a good everyday Italian place to a destination for gourmets. When an established restaurant makes a successful leap in ambition, applause is deserved, and I’m clapping now.
Talia’s is located at 1148 Manhattan Avenue, just north of Manhattan Beach Boulevard. Open daily except Monday, dinner only. Starters $9 to $13, entrees $20 to $30. Full bar, wheelchair access to most areas. Call 310-545-6884 for reservations.