Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/807384
30 / the tasting panel / april 2017 WHERE WE'RE EATING Brunch by the Beach OCEANFRONT ENCLAVE MANHATTAN BEACH IS A SOCAL FOODIE'S WEEKEND DESTINATION by Merrill Shindler C ome spring, a young food writer's fancy turns to . . . Sunday brunch by the beach. Or the lake, or the river, or a hot tub if that's what's nearest at hand. Water soothes, and brunch revives. And for those who live in Southern California, there are few brunch destinations more appealing than Manhattan Beach, where the tanned and toned go to surf and skateboard and bicycle and just laze away a football-less Sunday over a Ramos Fizz, a Bloody Mary (perhaps with bacon and shrimp atop it) and some eggs Benedict. Or more than eggs Benedict—for Manhattan Beach, south of LAX, is where brunch dishes go to be redefined in some of the edgiest restaurants in Southern California. Put on your Oakleys, rock some board shorts and a pair of Havaianas, and let's eat. Manhattan Beach Post has bacon and cheddar buttermilk biscuits with maple butter, Thai pork sausage with papaya salad (under the heading "Sumthin' Sumthin's") and corned beef cheek hash worthy of the gods at this former post office (hence the name), one block up from the beach- front promenade and the Manhattan Beach Pier—a rollicking space filled with remarkably lean locals, especially considering their diets of cocktails like the Reina Albahaca, made with sangria and Bertagnolli Grappino, and pork jowl bibimbahp topped with a fertile egg, sunny side up. If you order the pineapple upside down griddle cake, you may have to jog to San Diego to work it off. Some do. The Strand House sits even closer to the beach, virtually atop it, with a multi-floor setup that allows you to gaze as far down the coast as the curving horizon allows. And perhaps because it's even closer to the strand after which it's named, the dishes are, if possible, even more indulgent—a brioche with orange-infused syrup and almond frangipane, coconut chia pudding, a fresh baked cinnamon roll with maple-bacon ice cream, a Belgian waffle with blueberry ice cream. There's a breakfast pizza and chicken and waffles, too. And lots of eggs—of course there are. And how about a Sunrise Over Manhattan Beach cocktail of Prosecco, fresh tangerine juice and blood orange cordial? It's another Tequila Sunrise, Manhattan Beach–style. The style at Love & Salt is Mediterranean, as is much of the food in Manhattan Beach, which translates into non-traditional brunch dishes like an escarole chicken Caesar salad made with crunchy farro and fried capers, a wood oven meatball hoagie with burrata mozzarella and a Long Island breakfast sandwich of bacon, eggs, cheese and ketchup. A squiggling pasta called trottole ("spinning top") is flavored with roasted garlic and bone marrow. For $18, you can have a bottomless Bloody Mary, made with tequila and lager. And why not? Life is a beach. And if you don't feel up to the stress of finding parking near the beach, just a short distance from the pier you'll find Manhattan House, which has ample parking and a menu of dishes well worth the short drive— begin with a remarkably refreshing Cucumber Collins, made with vodka, cucumber and St-Germain, and segue into an avocado, bacon and ched- dar egg sandwich (a new take on a classic dish), Israeli shakshuka made with chili herb yogurt, short rib pastrami hash with buttermilk aioli and cornflake-crusted French toast crafted out of a house-baked brioche. Get the cheddar-packed bacon bites on the side. And be glad the car isn't a long walk. Located south of LAX, Manhattan Beach is home to some of the edgiest restaurants in Southern California, including Manhattan Beach Post. This establishment has got bacon and cheddar buttermilk biscuits with maple butter, Thai pork sausage with papaya salad (under the heading "Sumthin' Sumthin's") and corned beef cheek hash worthy of the gods. Love & Salt, also located in Manhattan Beach, offers non-traditional brunch dishes like an escarole chicken Caesar salad and bomboloni. PHOTO COURTESY OF MANHATTAN BEACH POST PHOTO COURTESY OF LOVE AND SALT