New Tony’s aka Tony’s Fish Market [RESTAURANT REVIEW]
One of the most enduringly popular restaurants in Redondo Beach isn’t listed in the phone book – at least, it isn’t listed by the name that everybody actually uses. Tell any local that you went to New Tony’s and they know exactly where you’re talking about. If you just say you went to Tony’s, people will want to know which one.
Not that there’s a huge difference in style or cuisine between the two. New Tony’s, also known as Tony’s Fish Market, has a few Italian dishes on the menu, but otherwise these two classic steak and seafood joints are almost identical. In fact, New Tony’s was built to handle the overflow back in the days when there was a one to two hour wait every night to get into the original Tony’s.
The intervening half-century has seen a change in tastes, and when we went for a stroll on the pier last week there were tables available at both establishments. We decided on New Tony’s simply because we fancied watching sunset beach walkers, and were settled into a table with a view of the breakers and a fat, contented seagull. Our server brought bread (rather ordinary bread, alas), and we pondered the menu and the specials board. Except for the blackened fish and the offer of salsa on the side, the selections might have been from any year since 1952. We debated ordering oysters Rockefeller or clams casino, enjoyable but quite unfashionable starters, but after our server assured us that the portions on dinners are quite substantial, we decided against it. We decided on a crab Louie salad and dinners of sand dabs, shrimp with linguine, and a charbroiled fish sampler.
Everything but the salad came with either soup or salad, so we chose clam chowder, smoked salmon chowder, and a caesar salad with anchovies. The smoked salmon chowder was stunning, a velvety, lightly smoky stew with just a hint of sweetness. We all agreed that we’d happily enjoy a bowl of this at midday for a light lunch, and might even come back for dinner and get just the chowder and a salad. The clam chowder was nearly as good, the large chunks of clam well complemented by a creamy, buttery broth that had plenty of herbs and a nice dash of white pepper. It was far above the standard-issue South Bay chowder, worthy of a special trip.
The salad was unfortunately not up to the same standard, as the dressing was on the timid side. When our server came to take our plates and we mentioned that we would have preferred a more robust dressing, she told us that she can have the kitchen add anchovy and garlic, and many people ask for it. This would have been very useful information at the time we ordered, and we wondered why she hadn’t mentioned it earlier.
We had only a few minutes between finishing our starters and the arrival of our dinners to contemplate the ocean and sip our wine. Both the by-the-glass and the bottle list were very fairly priced but didn’t offer many interesting choices; while we were very happy with the somewhat retro room and the classic food menu, we’d like to see a bit more adventure on the wine list. On the bright side, the corkage charge is a reasonable nine dollars, so if you have a bottle of something that goes great with seafood you can bring it along.
Our dinners arrived hot and nicely plated, the char-broiled shrimp with linguine looking particularly appetizing. The linguine had been tossed with summer squash, spinach, olive oil, and garlic and would have been a nice vegetarian meal even without the large shrimp that crowned the dish. With the shrimp it was pure comfort food, the mild flavor of the vegetables with garlic and herbs a great mix with the lightly charred shrimp. Any Italian restaurant in town would be happy to claim it as their own, and none of them has an ocean view to compare.
The sand dabs were a nostalgia-invoking choice – I remember catching them from the Manhattan Beach pier as a kid and never knowing quite what to do with them. If anybody in my family had been able to make them taste this good, I might not have hung up my pole those many years ago. The ones at Tony’s came from Catalina rather than Santa Monica Bay and are probably all the better for it; they were light and flaky, with a slightly crisp crust that was a good contrast to the flaky interior.
The grilled combination plate was a nightly special that included scallops, shrimp, salmon, and swordfish, all fresh. Each was simply char-broiled, and though the swordfish was just a bit dry it was a nice way to enjoy the textures and subtleties that simple preparation can reveal. Like the other fish entrée it was served with a choice of rice pilaf, baked potato, or sliced tomatoes – we picked the potato and pilaf and found both decent but not noteworthy.
The crab Louie salad was a fine choice for a light main course, a good salad with a mildly tangy dressing topped with a large portion of fresh Dungeness crab. It’s a classic dish that doesn’t need updating, and nobody had tinkered with it – greens, olives, asparagus, and egg in that odd dressing made of mayonnaise, ketchup, and pickle relish mixed together. I’m already planning to return and get it again, with oysters Rockefeller to start.
Desserts were offered, and though we could have made room, none were particularly enticing – they tended toward the heavy and sweet side, with no simple fruit tart or slice of pie. While my taste in savories encompasses the classic items, my companions and I prefer more light and modern desserts.
Tony’s Fish Market (which is New Tony’s real name) is an enjoyable outpost of old-school dining, a classic restaurant at a very reasonable price – full dinners start at fifteen dollars and don’t top twenty-five, which is quite reasonable for the pier location. It’s a great place to savor the style of another era, served fresh every day.
Tony’s Fish Market is located at 112-A Fisherman’s Wharf, on the north end of the Horseshoe Pier. Open daily for lunch and dinner, full bar. Wheelchair access good to most of restaurant – Mention when you reserve to get appropriate space. Parking in structure nearby. Call 310-376-6223 for reservations.