Oktoberfest at Rock & Brews (El Segundo)

El Segundo is really quite an underrated area. I especially like Main Street, which is a cute little downtown area that has quite a number of bars walking distance from each other (Main Street Tavern, Rock & Brews, Richmond Br & Grill, Second City), in fact, we did a bar crawl in Main Street one night and had a blast. Main Street is also a great place to stop by before/after you pick someone up from the airport - it's actually our airport routine. Since it was October, we decided to hit up our old favorite Rock & Brews for a drink when I flew into LAX.

Through October 28, Rock & Brews is hosting their Oktoberfest from Thursdays to Sundays. They have German beers in addition to their extensive craft beer list.

The place was renovated about 6 months ago, now with a more open concept with an open air beer garden. Owned by Gene Simmons (from Kiss) and Southbay restauranteur Michael Zislis (Rock n Fish, Shade), the bar definitely has a rock and roll theme- rock videos on the TVs, band posters on the wall and rock music playing in the background. It's not overly gimicky though.

They have a  nice outdoor space, with a stage where contests are held later in the evening such as the beer stein drinking and stein holding competitions, they will also have you do the chicken dance.

Rock & Brews has a decent selection of draft craft beers (~30) and lots more in bottle. They were serving beers in a big steins but we had to drive home so we decided to go with a regular glass of Mama's Lil Yella Pilsner and a glass of vino.

I love pretzels and am always on the search for the best one - having had my fair share around town, I can honestly say that this is consistently the best pretzel I've had, Some places (like Bru Haus in Brentwood, farmers market) are inconsistent (soft sometimes, but doughy on other occasions). Even Rockenwager's pretzel are sitting in the bakery case and not fresh out of the oven. Rock & Brews has always been fresh and soft. Also, I love when pretzels are served with cheese, in addition to spicy mustard. Bru Haus has a cheese dipping sauce but it is loaded with peppers that give it an overbearing tangy taste that I do not like. I really liked Rock & Brews Beach House Amber biercheese sauce. They used to melt cheddar on top of their pretzel which was fine but a bit messy, but I much prefer the biercheese dipping sauce. It was slightly sweet with a somewhat chalky consistency, and was topped with caramelized onions which added a nice sweetness to the sauce. The Bavarian pretzel was also fresh & soft (as usual), piping hot from the oven.

They currently offer more German beer fare as part of Oktoberfest such as schnitzel and sausage samplers. Unfortunately we were craving their regular fare.

Fish & chips, unfortunately was actually not that impressive. Guess we should not have ordered fish at a burger/brat restaurant. Somehow, the fish tasted rather bland. I would have liked for the Bass Ale batter to be flakier or crunchier.

Thankfully, the slow roasted pulled pork sandwich delivered. I loved the smokey bbq which had a spicy kick to it. There was a lots of pulled pork in the sandwich and the meat was tender. Although I didn't notice at the time, the meat was actually rather salty as I was left parched for the rest of the night. I did enjoy the fresh bun which was lightly toasted with some oil. The spicy BBQ sauce was smattered all over the bun. So delicious.

Rock & Brews is really a fun place to grab a drink, a bite and enjoy the California sun. Love the casual vibe and the fun atmosphere. Definitely get the Bavarian pretzel when you are there, and if you stick with the sandwiches, burgers and pizza, you will be happy.

Rock & Brews
143 Main Street,
El Segundo,CA 90245
(310) 615-9890
www.rockandbrews.com

Mama D's, Hermosa: Good ole no-frills Italian food

There are quite a number of Italian restaurant in Hermosa Beach in the South Bay. One of my favorites is Zane (great ciopinno). There's also Bottle Inn and Fritto Misto. But the one that is close to my heart is the casual, no-frills, homey Mama D's. Located a block from the beach, this restaurant almost seems out of place in the area. It's does not have a beach vibe and is not at all collegiate. Mama D's also has a location in Manhattan Beach.

The menu is rather large, with the usual Italian staples. Many dishes are served with a side of pasta, and you can choose from a variety of pastas and sauces. They also have gluten free and wheat pasta options. Hey, every bit helps.

No fancy wine glasses here. They have no corkage Mon-Thur, and a modest $7 fee per bottle on weekends.

Their bread and garlic dipping sauce is to die for. Definitely plan on garlic breath afterwards. The waitress does a great drop of refilling the bread basket.

Seafood Lasagne was the special of the day. The dish is rich and very filling. It's a huge casserole of pasta, seafood and topped with their popular creamy pink vodka sauce. There's ample seafood including shrimp, clams, scallops and squid.

I opted for the Veal Marsala which was another giant portion. The thin veal cutlets were sauteed with fresh mushrooms and marsala wine. The dish was served with veggies and a side of pasta, with the pink sauce of course. To make it a bit healthier, I opted for the wheat penne pasta.

Freshly baked cookies came with the bill, and they were really good cookies. Crunchy on the outside, and warm with gooey chocolate chips in the center.

Mama D's offers good ole comfort food, at affordable prices. You definitely won't leave hungry. They load you up with bread and occasional food samples, and their portions are large. My chicken marsala made for a great dinner the next day. The service was also warm and attentive. This is the type of place that makes me want to go back and support the business. Truly a gem in the middle of a partying beach town.

Hits: prices, service, complimentary bread & cookies
Misses: you'll be painfully full
Rating: ***1/2

Mama D's
1031 Hermosa Ave
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(310) 379-6262
www.mamadsrestaurant.com

The Rockefeller: An upscale bar in Hermosa Beach (yay!)

Hermosa Beach is essentially a beach town where the standard attire is shorts and flip flops, bars are filled with partying coeds and most meals you'll get there will consist of potato skins and buffalo wings. I'm a Brentwood girl and my boyfriend is a Hermosa guy. Therefore, I was so excited to hear about our new compromise: new gastropub The Rockefeller a block from the Hermosa Pier. The Rockfeller is trying to target a mature crowd with their selection of over 30 craft beers, wine and upscale bar food.

The place is bustling. We attempted to check it out on a Friday early evening but it was already packed, so we returned the next day for lunch.

The menu is rather limited for a gastropub. Even though the menu itself looks long, half of it comprises of breakfast items and sides. The lunch/dinner items are mainly a small selection of starters, sandwiches, salads and a burger option.

The outdoor patio is the place to sit but the restaurant has a very open layout so the seats inside still get a good view and ocean breeze.

Special of the day was the deep fried risotto fritter which is essentially an arancini. The risotto was cooked nicely and mixed with wild mushrooms, salty parmesan and bits of truffle. My only critique was that the arancinis weren't hot and tasted like they had been sitting out for a while. I also wished the truffle flavor was stronger.

Giant onion rings were pretty good. They had a crispy breading and weren't greasy. Each side comes with a choice of dipping sauce which includes chipotle mayo, lemon thyme vinaigrette and roasted tomatillo. We opted for the lemon saffron sauce which was an aromatic citrus aioli.

The side of portobello mushrooms was served in a tin can. Similar to the onion rings, these weren't oily. The mushrooms had a nice textural breading (almost panko like) and were not mushy. The side of spicy ketchup had a tangy Worcestershire flavor.

Gourmet Grilled Ham and Cheese consisted of a selection of cheeses (aged cheddar cheese, jarlsberg swiss and mascarpone), black forest ham and pesto on whole wheat bread. The sammie was oozing with cheese and sweet caramelized onions. You can tell that they select good ingredients for their sandwiches, however the homemade pickle was nothing special and tasted like a jarred pickle.

The Grilled Chicken Sandwich was a refreshing and light sandwich. It had arugula, watercress and wild mushrooms. The chicken was cooked nicely and well seasoned. The mushrooms and salad was definitely very fresh.

The food overall was decent and tasted pretty healthy. However I found the menu to be limited and the food items did not seem to jive with what a normal gastropub would serve. They mainly serve sandwiches, salads and a burger. I fell that they should serve food that pairs well with beer, perhaps some flatbreads or gourmet mac and cheese. If they wanted to stick with sandwiches, perhaps a pulled pork sandwich would be more appetizing than a salmon or chicken sandwich. But at the end of the day, I am still glad that we have Rockefeller in the neighborhood. I think it has a lot of potential - it already has a great location, decor, layout and beer selections. Now all it needs is to throw some more beer-compatible hearty pub food items on the menu.

Hits: arancini, mushrooms, dipping sauce selection
Misses: not really a bar menu
Rating: ***

The Rockefeller
418-422 Pier Ave
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(310) 372-8467
http://www.eatrockefeller.com/

Poutine, bikes and beach- yes they go together

I'm a planner. I like to be prepared. I like to "train" for activities. I surfed everyday for weeks before my Costa Rica trip last year. I hiked every weekend before our Yosemite trip a couple months ago. I do a lot of squats before the start of every snowboarding season. So you would think I would be better prepared for our bike ride from Venice to the South Bay. Unfortunately, I hadn't gotten on a bike since my last ride to Temescal that ended with a lovely brunch at Bin 73. I was a bit nervous of our bike ride to the South Bay because I am deathly afraid of bicycles. But nothing that home cooked french toast and mimosas in the morning couldn't fix.

After breakfast, we rented bikes and made our way south. Here's another tidbit about me. I'm also very goal oriented. I need an end point, something to attain to. Something like a bar in the South Bay with mimosas waiting for me. We decided to bike to Redondo Beach Cafe. It's kind of a hodgepodge of things- it's a bit of a Canadian bar (with the Canadian Flag hung proudly on the wall) but it's also known for its Greek food, and their menu is also reminiscent of an American diner.

Mimosas and ice cold Molson. The mimosa was more OJ than bubbly. Guess that's what you get for $4.29. Their beers were $3.99 which included Blue Moon, Guinness and Heineken.

Their menu is extensive and they serve breakfast all day. There are a handful of healthy dishes which they have flagged and for which they list out the nutritional count. I like that they offered healthy options because often times, you really want to know what you're consuming.

Montreal smoked meat
Aged beef brisket on rye with mustard. Apparently this is a classic Montreal dish. For the growing boys out there, you can also order double meat. Looked just like a pastrami sandwich to me, although with a smokier flavor.

The sandwich came with a side of poutine. Our table was littered with bowls of poutine because my other friend ordered the poutine as his meal, and the owner generously brought out another order for free. I love Canadians. Poutine is french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. We ordered the traditional Montreal version but they also offered Italian poutine (topped with meat sauce) and another one topped with smoked meat. This photo doesn't do the poutine justice because it didn't capture the additional gravy that we poured over the fries. The fries were also pretty darn good. They were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Buckwheat pancakes.
This was listed as one of the healthy items with only 155 calories. I doubt that included the butter and maple syrup. There were 3 pancakes which was more than enough food. It didn't taste bland or dry so you would never know that you were ordering something healthy. I like that - when a restaurant can prepare something healthy but still tastes like something you would normally order.

Philly cheesesteak sandwich with grilled sliced beef, peppers, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese served on a french roll.
The thin slices of beef was nothing special, they were a bit dry, Thankfully the sandwich came with a side of jus which made it all better.

One of your friends in our party is Canadian so the owner brought by Canadian chocolate for us to share. I love chilled chocolate.

Service was good, our waitress came by right away when she saw my mimosa was running low. Plus, we got free poutine and chocolate :) The prices were also very affordable. This is a great place to grab a bite and watch the game as they had flat screen TVs with the football game on.

After refueling, we made our way back to the Westside. I think I can confidently say that I'm no longer petrified of bikes. Yes I am still a bit wobbly but I think I kicked ass on it and zipped back in just over an hour. In fact, I'm already thinking of my new bike purchase with a cute little basket and perhaps a bell. Maybe on a bike, I'll be more inclined to venture out of the Westside and visit the South Bay on a regular basis, where poutine and mimosas await.

Hits: poutine, service, healthy pancakes, prices
Misses: dry steak sandwich
Rating: ***

Redondo Beach Cafe
1511 S. Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 316-1047
http://www.redondobeachcafe.com/

If you want Thai noodles, go to Malaysian Restaurant, Belacan Grill

Driving in the South Bay on my way home from Huntington Beach, I passed by Belacan Grill, a Malaysian restaurant. Even though I just had lunch, I could not resist stopping. After all, its hard to get Southeast Asian food in Southern California. Besides, I could just buy takeout and have it for lunch the next day.

The restaurant is decent sized with a full bar and adorned with promotional articles for Malaysian Airlines. I examined the menu. Hainan chicken, rendang, fish head curry. I decided to order something that wasn't too pungent that would offend my colleagues if I heated it up in the microwave.


Curry puff came with two pieces. Curry puff is somewhat similar to cornish pasties in the U.K. Yes, I said that I was full, but it was freshly fried so I had to have one on the ride home. Curry puff is filled with spicy potatoes and onions, fried in pastry dough. There was a delicious place in Singapore called Old Chang Kee that served the best curry puffs and spring rolls. From what I remember, it was merely a stand where you would watch as an elderly gentleman would freshly fry up your order. Wow, looking at the website, the price is now $1.20. I think it was 50 cents back in the day. Belacan Grill's curry puff was delicious and very similar to the ones served in Singapore.


Char Kway Teow, a classic Malaysian/Singaporean dish. This is stir fried flat noodles with chicken, shrimp, eggs, bean sprouts in spicy dark soy sauce. My mom used to take us to Outram Park (in Singapore) for the best kway teow that I've ever had. Their version had cockles, fish cake and little chunks of lard. The kway teow at Belacan Grill was not authentic, in my opinion. Kway teow has that sweet flavor, most likely from the dark sweet soy sauce. I was disappointed with this dish because it did not taste one bit like the original. Instead, it tasted like the type of flat noodles you would order at a Thai restaurant. Except that at least at a Thai restaurant, their noodles are flavored with delicious fish sauce. Some reviewers online said that this dish from the restaurant was delicious, authentic and salty. Mine didn't have much flavor so I reckon that they must have left out the main ingredient. The dark soy sauce that gives kway teow that distinct flavor was likely missing in this version.

I'd really like to give Belacan Grill another chance. If it was an honest mistake, I can overlook it. But if they honestly believe that this is what char kway teow tastes like, then perhaps I've been eating something completely different my whole life.

Hits: curry puff
Misses: kway teow not the real thing!
Rate: **

Belacan Grill
2701 190th Street
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(310) 370-1831
http://www.belacangrill.com/

(Not So) Hawaiian Brunch @ Back Home in Lahaina

Weekend brunch in the South Bay can be a madhouse. As we drove on Highland Ave., we noticed tons of people spilling out of restaurants, waiting for a table. After getting a $45 parking ticket for an expired meter at El Porto just a few minutes prior, we were a little agitated and did not want to deal with the hassle. Sigh, but I want my breakfast food!


We decided on Back Home in Lahaina, a Hawaiian restaurant located away from the madness of Manhattan Beach. I have been there for dinner once and ordered their famous fried chicken. However it's been at least five years since, so I was game to try.


The decor of the restaurant is rather unique. When you first walk in, you can't help but notice the large tree in the dining room. You feel like you are in a rain forest.

I liked the multi-cultural condiments on the table; Asian Sriracha chili, all-American Heinz ketchup, Mexican hot sauce and Japanese soy sauce.

There were many interesting items on the lunch menu, including the fried chicken, spam dishes, kahlua pork, lau lau (fish steamed in ti leaves) and loco moco. It was about 11am and we had just missed the breakfast serving. We pleaded with the waitress to let us order breakfast items, after all, it is difficult to devour fried chicken or loco moco after a morning surf. She obliged. I quickly ordered a glass of mimosa and the french toast. Darren ordered the french toast as well, and Allan got the omelet.

The french toast was served with a choice of blueberry, strawberry or mango. The mango was swimming in some mystery liquid and it had an odd flavor. Was it butter or oil or syrup? I cannot tell. The mango did not taste fresh at all; it tasted processed. It is definitely disappointing if they chose not to use fresh mangoes, after all mangoes are currently abundant at the grocery stores. And cheap too! Mangoes were priced at three for a dollar at Ralphs last week. The bread was the saving grace; it was Hawaiian sweetbread, not to be confused with another favorite, the thymus gland. The bread was sweet and flavorful, and the french toast was coated with a generous amount of egg.


The omelet is served with either hamburger, Portuguese sausage or links, and comes with white rice and a macaroni salad. The omelet was nothing to write home about. It was dry and a little over cooked.
Overall, I think the breakfast items were underwhelming. I reckon that if we had ordered some Hawaiian dishes, we would have been pleased with our meal. Our bad.


There is a little store area at the entrance that sells Hawaiian fare such as snacks and t-shirts. I spotted the little melt-in-your-mouth cookies that I used to eat when I was young. It came in a package of 5. I was excited and in heaven. The boys didn't really enjoy it as much as I did. I also bought a box of Macadamia cookies. The cookies were buttery and crumbled in my mouth. It was a nice treat for my drive home.

Hits: Mimosas, sweet bread, potentially good Hawaiian dishes if we had ordered, snacks
Misses: funky mango, dry eggs
Rate: **

Back Home In Lahaina
916 N. Sepulveda Blvd.,
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 374-0111
http://www.backhomeinlahaina.com/