C’est Magnifique: Two Tres French Classics

Posted on by Diversions LA

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Are you looking for a little Gaelic love? Then you can’t go wrong with a stop at either Dominique’s Kitchen, above, a favorite near the sea in Redondo Beach; or a visit to either Normandie Bakery and Cafe Josette, or Chef Josette on Melrose, two delightful mid-city locations.

Starting at the beach, Dominique’s Kitchen offers a homey blend of traditional French dishes and a cozy, candlelit dinner setting.

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Paris-trained chef Dominique Theval serves generous and affordable portions of dishes he creates daily from scratch. We began with a popular starter at the restaurant, a white bean salad with kale, lemon juice and olive oil topped with parmesan cheese slivers,  and accompanied by several crisp, house-made crostini for dipping. Both lemon and garlic made the white beans zing. It was a vibrantly tasty accompaniment to our European bottled beers, along with the delightful, airy house-made French baguette, served cut up and warm, fresh from the oven.

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A small but elegant wine and beer list adds to the dining pleasure.

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We also sampled what is perhaps the restaurant’s prize appetizer, a classic escargot imported from Bourgogne, France. The snails are baked in a succulent garlic butter. Chewy, hearty, and rich –  the dish is served in-shell.

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For our entrees, we chose a pasta and a fish dish.  One of the most popular pasta dishes is the thick and creamy lobster ravioli in a rich lobster and champagne reduction. The dish was crowned with an unlikely combination of broccoli florets and pecans, which worked exceptionally well.

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We also went with an impressively ample organic Scottish salmon, served atop an Italian white bean stew with tomatoes, black olives, and basil. The filet was elegantly prepared with a juicy garlic and olive oil infusion. Also on the menu are roasted chicken, a Prime cut of steak, a delicate sole, and an array of pasta dishes including a very French version of macaroni and cheese. Cheese fondue is also offered.

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There are a number of lovingly prepared desserts on the menu as well; for us the standout was the white and dark Belgian chocolate mousse, a lovely mix of chocolate flavors; although the light and fluffy lime panna cotta with pineapple mint compote was also a sound choice.

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One good Gallic experience deserves another, and we also dined at one of the dynamic Josette LeBlonde’s eponymous cafes. We visited her original Cafe Josette location, which abuts the Normandie Bakery, where beautiful desserts, breads, and authentic French foods are made and served. The dining location here is resolutely casual, with sidewalk tables brightening an otherwise semi-industrial neighborhood. Her Melrose location is dressier and sleeker, but still a friendly, warm, and welcoming cafe.

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She creates perfectly made delicate chocolate and pain au raisin croissants, macaroons, such as her savory tomato basil or pea flavors, and more traditional flavors such as raspberry, strawberry, pistachio, and delectable caramel. Her signature crème brulé, meringues, and velvety Passion cake are astonishingly lovely.

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Moving beyond pastry, she’s renowned for her pâtés. Versions she creates include everything from pork and duck to vegetarian pâté.

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Her menu features favorites such as escargot, merguez, coq au vine and bourguignon.

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Her mergez may be the most unusual dish on the menu, one which may not be familiar to many in Los Angeles. It’s a spicy red beef or mutton-based sausage that originated in North African cuisine. But there are also  seafood pasta, chicken crepes, French onion soup, quiche, and a carefully-curated selection of cheeses and pâtés on the menu, along with those incredible desserts.

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We had a  zucchini quiche,  crisp and perfect, cheesy but not heavy, with a light, lemony couscous and rosemary onion potatoes on the side.  We also had a smooth, satisfying eggs Benedict made with perfect, tender salmon.

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And yes, here, too, there was escargot, fragrant with butter, parsley, garlic, and Pernod.

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Perhaps best of all was a vegetarian pate, light and redolent of tarragon, and served along with a more traditional duck liver pate.

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The chocolate mousse was rich, dark, and topped with chocolate shavings. We took home a brioche and a croissant: both ooh la la worthy indeed.

So – there’s no need to go to Paris for terrific French food. We have several authentically magnifique destinations right here in SoCal.

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Dominique’s Kitchen – 522 S Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Chef Josette Bistro  – 3022 S Cochran Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90016 and 707 N Stanley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Genie Davis; photos: Jack Burke and Genie Davis

Manhattan House Redux: The Sweet Summer Menu to Savor

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Chef Juan Torres, right,  restauranteur Brett Schwartz, left

What can we say about Manhattan House? Located in Manhattan Beach, this is a restaurant that as we’ve said before, could hold its own in DTLA, or the heart of the “other” Manhattan. Sophisticated, fresh, farm to table cuisine; a buzzing atmosphere; and a terrific, supportive staff combine to make a stellar dining experience.

We were delighted to meet the restaurant’s new chef, Juan Torres. His take on the restaurant’s cuisine will veer into the Italian-inspired, while keeping the focus on seasonal ingredients.

“We are going to be introducing six fresh pastas made in-house every day. We’ll also be including whole animal butchery twice a week. I’ve been training our staff on the pasta as we speak, eight hours a day we’ve been working on it,” Torres attests.

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We began our meal with cocktails: the gorgeous La La Land and the spicy The Thriller.  The latter features a heady mix of Karma tequila blanco, Cointreau, fresh kumquat and serrano chili, and lime juice, served on the rocks. I thought La La Land was something special, a smoky flavor permeating the Grey Goose La Poire, with lemon, vanilla, Chartreuse, and dill, served up.

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Each made a great companion to our first courses:  a lush heirloom tomato burrata salad, with balsamic and EVOO;  and a crisp, deliciously spiced yellow tail crudo, which thin shavings of fresh zucchini, onion, and red pepper.

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Both were beautifully presented.

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Gluten free and vegan never tasted as good as with the roasted cauliflower, a heady mix of the cauliflower with crispy buckwheat, celery, pomegranate, pine nuts, and a lemon caper vinaigrette. Light yet entirely fulfilling, it’s a perfect summer dish.

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The house take on beet salad is no slouch, either. A variety of golden and red beets accompanies pistachios, mixed greens, armidda, and a light balsamic dressing.

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But perhaps the most sublime dish is the saffron risotto with sweet corn and basil. Golden, delectable, and rich, it is not heavy, suffused in flavor, and wonderfully aromatic.  Truly something to savor – and I don’t say that lightly.

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Squid ink pasta with was an intense dish, earthy, hearty, and seemingly infused into the house-made spaghetti noodles. With it, we tried the La Vida Pura, another perfectly suited on-the-rocks craft-cocktail, this made with Del Maguey ‘Vida’ mezcal, grapefruit juice, passion fruit, mint, and Peychaud bitters.

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We finished with a whole branzino special. A perfect fish, rubbed with garlic salt and pepper, grilled over zucchini and a lettuce and tomato salad, it was flavorful, tender, simple, and utterly beautiful.

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But let’s not forget dessert: two very different dishes here. We had the restaurant’s signature Panna Cotta, creamy and smooth, a blend of vanilla, raspberries, and basil.

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And we were able to try a brand new desert, a light, fragrant granita, with rose’ jelly. Slightly astringent, it was both refreshing and unique, the rough texture of ice contrasting just about perfectly with the smooth jelly beneath it; the flavor sophisticated and edgy.

Be aware that because specials, fresh ingredients, and seasonal favorites come and go, you may not find the same dishes daily.  But rest assured, what you do find will be delicious.

There is only one more thing to say: no matter where in LA you live, you should spend an evening at Manhattan House. There’s plentiful, free lot-parking, too. Dinner nightly; brunch on Sunday.

Manhattan House is located at 1019 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, just off Sepulveda Blvd.

  • Genie Davis; photos by Jack Burke

Primo is Prime Italian South Bay Style

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The beach cities south of LAX have too-long languished without a wide choice of fine dining experiences. But that’s all changed now, with a bevy of epicurean delights springing up all over the South Bay.

Among them is Primo, a homey, welcoming, yet upscale setting with warm staff and authentic Italian cuisine. Proud of it’s many imported Italian ingredients, the restaurant offers something for everyone, from delicate pizzas to hearty fish and meat dishes.

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Innovative chef Michelangelo Aliaga decided to move to the beach cities with his wife and family after the birth of his twins. “In the process – some may say it was fate, that the opportunity to be a part of Primo’s start and growth presented itself and it was too good to pass up. What we do every day is more than just cooking. Each dish has our passion, our energy, and our love for Italian food,” he asserts. “We’re passionate about each product that we bring from Italy.  Many of the ingredients that we use in our dishes, such as our olive oil,  prosciutto, cheeses in all their varieties, and salamis, take months or even years to produce. That kind of devotion to food and its history is an experience told not by the chef but by all the people that make the ingredients are the best of the world, ‘the artisan producers.'”
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So with these ingredients in mind, how was the kitchen? Our meal began with craft cocktails that were light and refreshing, a great accompaniment to the fresh, hot bread and imported olive tapenade.
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A starter of octopus served over sliced tomatoes and potatoes provided a terrific contrast in textures, the cold cooked potatoes and thinly sliced tomatoes offering an excellent base for the tender yet chewy fish.
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The Cesare Salad featured whole, fresh anchovies along with a lovely, savory dressing. The quality of the cheese shavings was also excellent.
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Our first course was a thin crust pizza with goat cheese and imported Pecorino, salty and yet refined, with a crust that had the slightly chewy yet light texture of the dough, which had a hint of sweetness.
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Our secondi focused once again on the sea. My salmon with pistachio crust came with broccolini and fingerling potatoes; it was juicy and ample, a superior cut of fish that was fresh and flavorful.
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The signature Brodo di Pesce had a rich and spicy broth, tomato based, that served as a richly nuanced contrast to generously portioned chunks of tender fish, crab legs, and mussels. Again, a generous portion with plenty of texture and flavor. The crisp bread accompanying the dish was just right to soak up the last of the broth.
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Dessert was a highlight: house made, fresh spumoni gelato – gelato flavors change nightly. Along with chocolate, strawberry, and pistachio, vanilla was added to the traditional spumoni flavors.
The personable staff made the meal feel well-attended, but not rushed. Come for the food with its fresh, carefully curated ingredients, for the convivial atmosphere, and the dedication to innovative renderings of classic dishes in the kitchen. Primo is primed for success in the beach cities.
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Primo is located at 24590 Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance.

Manhattan House: Beach Town Chic

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The beach communities of Los Angeles – outside of Santa Monica and Venice, that is, is sometimes a desert. A food desert that is, although that’s certainly changing, one great restaurant at a time,  with a growing range of restaurants that offer superlative cuisine. Manhattan House is one.

What’s not to love about Manhattan House? This is a restaurant that features produce grown seed-to-plate in local community gardens, making the veggies and herbs always fresh and fine. Organic and GMO-free ingredients compliment seafood, vegetable fare, and meat dishes – creating a dining experience that’s delicious for everyone. And, one that is ever-changing. Nightly specials and a menu that varies with the season means you could dine here often and never get bored.

With a chic but rustic feel, the dining room itself is comfortable and stylish, with both booths and tables, as well as a friendly bar. And – it’s just blocks to the beach – with it’s own parking lot.

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The menu changes regularly, but always on hand are excellent craft cocktails, a solid beer and wine list,  a plethora of fine vegetarian and seafood options, and specials that sing with inventive touches. Chef Diana Stavaridis creates surprisingly beautiful dishes, including many ever-changing, seasonally-based specials.

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These included our starter, squash blossom with Dungeness crab, stuffed with lemon zest, pea tendrils, and avocado mousse, a terrific blend of flavors that was both delicate and satisfying. Perhaps even better was our salad, asparagus with large and lovely Fava beans, fingerling potatoes, and Parmesan cheese on spring greens.

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Our carnivore tried the lamb meatballs, which she pronounced succulent and juicy; we went with toast. Not just any toast – but the house-made sourdough, a bread so good the restaurant sells it as take-home fare.

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The wild mushroom toast is a potent, rich, and fragrant dish. Don’t be afraid to share. It features shiitake mushrooms and Taleggio cheese and it as hearty as any meat dish.

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Something lighter? The English pea toast combines delicate pea tendrils and basil pesto with ricotta and Parmesan. I’m sure it, too, is shareable – most of Manhattan House’s menu is designed to be shared over a series of smaller and larger courses – but personally speaking, this one was all mine.

Main courses?

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Pan roasted scallops with eggplant, pine nuts, breadcrumbs, and sun-dried tomatoes for me, with Spot Prawns & Polenta for my partner.

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On another occasion, we went with vegan entrees that are truly a garden of taste: the roasted cauliflower, a dish often overdone and over-fried in far too many eateries these days, was a much more refined dish here, with buckwheat, celery, tangy pomegranate, pine nuts, and a lemon-caper vinaigrette. Keeping it simple, the warm market vegetables, which varies seasonally, featured eggplant, asparagus, rainbow heirloom carrots, and zucchini.

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For dessert, of course we had to try the S’mores, unconventionally served as if the dish were a parfait, and here it is: layers of marshmallow brulee, dark chocolate, and gluten-free graham crackers in a lovely glass jar. The house cake the evening we dined was olive oil. I was skeptical, but with kumquats, candied pistachios, the cake was surprisingly light as air. Coffees are fine, too.

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Manhattan House is hugely popular – so do make a reservation, although bar seating, with small treats available on the menu such as nuts and olives, is a pleasant way to wait for a table should one arise.  Can’t wait? The restaurant is now offering local home delivery.

 

Manhattan House is located at 1019 Manhattan Beach Blvd. in Manhattan Beach. Dinner is offered 7 nights a week, with a Sunday brunch. The restaurant is participating in Dine LA so don’t miss the chance to check out the innovative dishes.