RESTAURANTS OF THE MONTH FOR 2013

2013 is almost over and done with by now and this page presents an easy compilation of our favorite restaurants that we ate at, wrote about and will return to again in 2014 for a sandwich, a burrito, happy hour, and a burger or two.

HUDSON HOUSE

Restaurant of the Month: February
514 North Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach

Neighborhood gastropubs are well beyond the normal curve of trendy, tell tale signs of a foodie culture that likes to hang out in artistic pubs, liquor store kitchens that serve gourmet burgers, and tweet about favorite food truck locations are ubiquitous. The gastropub phenomenon could be a reaction to all the bragging on social media or maybe just a substitute from all the fried food & domestic drafts found at traditional sports bars. One thing is for sure, food is the new rock n roll. Las Vegas, the ultimate hipster destination, opened two gastro style pubs with the same moniker "Public House" in 2012, one at Luxor and the other at the more elegant Venetian.

Click here to read more about Hudson House.

PITFIRE PIZZA

Restaurant of the Month: March
401 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach

One of our favorite mom and pop pizza joints in the South Bay goes by the name of Niccolo’s (Hillside Gourmet Pizza) in Rancho Palos Verdes, it’s a classic mesh between a sit-down pizza parlor and eat by the slice family run business that’s been around for 15 years. It’s frequented by customers who grew up either in San Pedro or RPV and just happens to sit next door to an Italian bakery. Niccolo's is a testament to the fact that everybody loves pizza, kind of like everybody loves ice cream, because pizza is the greatest common factor among the communal food groups. Nobody leaves earth without knowing exactly what their favorite pizza topping is and many of us learned how to add & subtract fractions by eating pizza.

Click here to read more about Pitfire Pizza in Manhattan Beach.

BUFFALO FIRE DEPARTMENT

Restaurant of the Month: April
1261 Cabrillo Ave, Old Town Torrance

Old Town Torrance is a curious time warp beholden by one way streets, California bungalows, antique kitsch, and a Main Street U.S.A. vibe. The restaurant & bar scene tends to cater to business lunches and expensed dinners bankrolled by dueling car companies Honda or Toyota while the Old Town residents frequent a Foster’s Freeze at night or belly up to the Tortilla Cantina on weekends. It’s a locale ripe for a neighborly bar & restaurant and in 2009 Chef Michael Shafer built his own version of a down home American dream called the Buffalo Fire Department, otherwise known as BFD.

Click here to read more about Buffalo Fire Department in Old Town Torrance.

REDONDO BEACH BREWING COMPANY

Restaurant of the Month: May
1814 S Catalina Ave., Redondo Beach

Long before small plate tapas and locally brewed craft beer became trendy keywords for Google and content fodder for the blogosphere, a neighborhood pub in the heart of Redondo Beach’s Riviera Village was quietly serving thoughtful but unpretentious food in a casual beach side manner. In 1992 Michael Zislis, a leader and entrepreneur in the South Bay brewpub genre, opened the Redondo Beach Brewing Co. on Catalina Avenue cementing the concept that tasty beer and quality food are key to long term sustainability in the South Bay.

Click here to read more about Redondo Beach Brewing Co.

BALEENkitchen

Restaurant of the Month: June
260 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach

The nuances of another South Bay summer recycle again with predictable gloomy mornings, some warmer water, and a second helping of sunshine placed at the backend of the day. Summer in the South Bay, more than any other season, is less sea-change and more emotional change. The days are tacked together with happy hour cravings, daytime drink ideas, and potential dinner plans. Next to the Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach’s King Harbor sits a two-story, up-scale dining establishment with a lounge and a restaurant that is ready and able to capture summer’s mood. Harbor views of boats and the tops of sails, a revamped small plate menu, live music, and delectable entrees make BALEENkitchen a fundamental eating out summertime excursion.

Click here to read more about BALEENkitchen in Redondo Beach.

POLLY'S ON THE PIER

Restaurant of the Month: July
233 North Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach Sport Fishing Pier

Naturally, the smells, sights, and ocean weathered businesses that dock along Redondo Beach Pier are beholden to bounty of the sea and the fruit of the economy, but maybe there are other forces keeping matters afloat. Could there be an endemic sea salty God (or Goddess) hidden inside the deep recesses of the Santa Monica Bay governing the ethos of Redondo Beach Pier and its quintessentially charming and sometimes tacky vibe? Maybe. Some things will never change and that’s OK.

Click here to read more about Polly's on the Pier in Redondo Beach.

ROCK & BREWS PCH

Restaurant of the Month: August
6300 Pacific Coast Highway

There is a new celebrity at the edge of Redondo Beach’s Riviera Village that serves high end microbrews, open air arena rock in high definition and a menu that boasts some tasty licks to the tune of pizzas, sandwiches, and hamburgers. It’s now an international franchise that was born in the most humble of Midwestern look a likes, El Segundo. So, like many rock gods with small town roots, the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Palos Verdes Boulevard is now, so to speak, number one on the charts.

Click here to read more about Rock & Brews PCH.

COYOTE CANTINA

Restaurant of the Month: September
531 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach

Since about World War II, commercial rows of small, connected businesses & services have become permanent fixtures around the suburban landscape and why not, they’re highly functional. Strip malls offer numerous comforts like ample parking, convenient stores & eateries that cater to their neighborhood, a safe environment, and give small businesses room to grow. One of our favorite South Bay strip mall destinations for live sporting events & frugal happy hours sits on the second level of the Redondo Shores Shopping Center at the Pitcher House Upper Deck Sports Bar. Some of the South Bay’s best ice cream is served at Handel’s Ice Cream & Yogurt, which happens to reside comfortably inside a Redondo Beach strip mall.

Click here to read more about Coyote Cantina.

LA PLAYITA

Restaurant of the Month: October
37 14th St in Hermosa Beach.

Most people overlook the small Mexican restaurant known as La Playita, even though it has one of the best locations in the South Bay. Situated on the edge of a green park with the sand of Hermosa Beach just beyond, this hidden gem also has some of the best food in town. Located just 1/2 block north of the bustle of the Hermosa Beach Pier on a quiet side street, La Playita has a cozy mellow atmosphere, which makes you feel like you're looking out on a beach in the Mexican Riviera.

Click here to read more about La Playita in Hermosa Beach.

VEGAS SEAFOOD BUFFET

Restaurant of the Month: November
Del Amo Fashion Center at 3525 W. Carson St., Torrance

Lately, the southeastern flank of Del Amo Fashion Center is slowly taken claim as the hippest part of Torrance, kind of like a burgeoning west side for the South Bay. The proof is in the crowds as high end shopping destinations like Z-Gallerie, Anthropologie, and Lucky Brand attract wi-fi connected teens and dads with fohawks on a nightly basis. On weekends the two tiered, open air plaza is brimming with diners that have to choose between some good eats like Lazy Dog Café, BJ’s Brewery, RA Sushi, and others. Over the summer a new buffet style restaurant took over the space that was once occupied by a branch of Jerry’s Deli artfully named Vegas Seafood Buffet. It is a gluttonous, come hungry, Las Vegas style smorgasbord eating experience that mixes Asian, American, and Brazilian tastes without the typical long line or exuberant price.

Click here to read more about Vegas Seafood Buffet in Torrance.

Click here to check out Restaurant of the Month winners for 2012.