Dash For Dash Dashi: After three years of delay due to permit problems, Dash Dashi Sushi, Grill, and Sake Bar is open in the former Mama D’s on Manhattan Avenue. The menu includes a wide variety of sashimi, small plates, and inventive rolls, with only a few large entrees. They’re serving lunch and dinner daily. The curious can see their menu at dashdashi.com (1127 Manhattan Ave)…
The interior at Dan Modern Chinese Restaurant in Manhattan Beach. Photo by Richard Foss
Hidden Chinese: Thanks to a main entrance that faces the mall, the new Dan Modern Chinese restaurant is about as hidden as a restaurant can be in a major shopping center. They opened without fanfare at the end of November, serving mainly noodles and dumplings, with a smattering of Taiwanese dishes and Chinese favorites. The shrimp noodles had the springiness you only get when they’re very fresh, and fans of the style may be expected to make it a place of pilgrimage (3160 N. Sepulveda #140)…
News from North Manhattan: Marine Ramen looked like they might be getting a foothold in the odd little building at the corner of Marine and Highland, but after four months in business they suddenly closed. When reached at his other restaurant in Culver City, the owner said they have no plans to reopen, so this location is vacant once again… A few blocks away, on Rosecrans, the former Mia’s Kitchen is transitioning to Pantry By The Yard, which is not named for selling sausages and other items in three foot lengths. It’s a project by celebrity chef and baker Sherry Yard, and will sell gourmet food to go. They hope to be open soon after New Year’s, so watch for the paper to come off the windows as you drive by (312 Rosecrans) The same group opened a commercial bakery in El Segundo, specializing in cakes and cookies, but everything there is by special order only…
Taiwanese comes to Hermosa: Food in Taiwan is different from China thanks to periods of occupation by the Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese as well as commerce with Southeast Asia. A modern version of that cuisine is coming to the former Laurel Tavern in Hermosa thanks to a new restaurant backed by the Simms brothers, noted for Simmzy’s, the Arthur J, and Tin Roof Bistro. The restaurant will be called Ryla, and the chefs will be Ray Hayashi, who has been the Simms’ R&D chef, and his wife Cynthia Hetlinger. No word yet on how soon they’ll open, but work is in progress…
Buonaparte Advances On Redondo: After years of operating a successful location on the Pier Plaza, Café Bonaparte is opening a second bakery-café on Avenue I in Redondo, adjacent to the Rex Steakhouse. A manager at the original location said the menu and style will be about the same as the original location, but declined to speculate about how soon they might open…
Action on The RB Pier: Life is coming back to the Redondo Pier, starting with the renovation of the former Barney’s Beanery into a new El Torito Cantina. A manager said that the cantina will not have the same menu as the existing El Torito next door and may have some more adventurous and authentic dishes. Several other spaces in the pier area are being marketed, and it seems likely that some new signs will go up in restaurants that have long been desolate…
And In Closing… Have you seen a new restaurant that I haven’t heard about, a local event either live or virtual? Do you have a favorite bakery, or perhaps another artisan producer? You can reach me at [email protected]… ER