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MANHATTAN HOUSE eat here now T he name Manhattan House may evoke visions of the New York skyline – and in fact a vibrant photographic image by artist Pete Halvorsen shows both that sky- line and the restaurant's location in Manhattan Beach. The piece hangs over the fi replace in the rustic yet chic dining room, and serves as a kind of emblem for the hip yet fresh fare served. While you will see a sophisticated food style that would fi t in well in Manhattan, this is a quintessentially Cali- fornia spot, casual and comfortable with food expertly prepared. Calling themselves the "neigh- borhood restaurant for food lov- ers," the gastropub changes up its menu regularly, and highlights their "seed to plate" mandate. In fact, one of the many cool things about the dining ex- perience here is the fact that the restaurant plants their own seeds, growing seasonal ingredients in local community gar- dens. The gardens themselves are created in partnership with local elementary schools and the non-profi t Growing Great. And, the spot even features dishes that are grown, created, and cooked by Manhattan Beach elementary students. All this aside though, how is the food? In a word, tasty— from craft cocktails and mocktails through full dinner fare, brunch, and snacks. We've dined for dinner several times, and there are plen- ty of vegetarian options on the menu. Bearing in mind that the menu changes seasonally, we began with a wonderful special, an asparagus, fava beans, fi ngerling potatoes and spring greens salad. There are always specials like these, but the regular menu offers many beautiful veg choices too. Try the crisp radicchio salad with honey dates, ricotta, and fat golden raisins; or a local beet salad with pistachios, mixed greens, balsamic, and Pecorino. Both are fabulous and fl avorful. Dairy can be removed upon request. A vegan roasted caulifl ower pops —featuring an edgy and fl avorful crisp buckwheat paired with celery, a little zingy pomegranate, pine nuts, and a lemon-caper vinaigrette. An- other fi ne vegan option is the simple but perfectly prepared warm mixed summer vegetable dish: eggplant, asparagus, rainbow heirloom carrots, and zucchini. We're especially partial to two toast items—perhaps due in part to the fact that the sourdough bread is made in house—and available by itself, too—and really terrifi c. The wild mushroom toast features shiitake mushrooms and Taleggio cheese; the English pea toast combines delicate pea tendrils and basil pesto with ricotta. One of my favorite main courses replaces all dairy with vegan cashew cream in lieu of cow's milk cheese: the grilled eggplant Parmesan. The tomato basil sauce is rich and fl a- vorful, and of course the Manhattan House homemade breadcrumbs offer another way to devour their bread. For dessert, how about the Malbec poached pears, or the house cake, which changes nightly—we had an olive oil cake made with kumquats and candied pistachios. Gluten-free S'mores are hard to turn down too, made with dark choco- late, house-made graham crack- ers, and bruléed marshmallows. Fresh, innovative, and beauti- fully prepared vegetable dishes close to the sea? That's Manhat- tan House. We'll take the nearby sunset skyline over the Big Apple any day. Manhattan House is locat- ed at 1019 Manhattan Beach Blvd. in Manhattan Beach. Local home delivery available. http://www.manhattanhouse.pub/ By Genie Davis Fresh and Fabulous from Seed to Plate Photos courtesy of Manhattan House October/November Our Annual Celebration of Good Food and More! • Delicious Vegan Thanksgiving Options • Mysteries of Tea • Best Healthy Non-Dairy Choices Ad Space Reservation: 9/20 Ad Artwork Due: 9/25 On the Street: 10/2 310.425.3056 sales@wholelifemagazine.com 16 wholelifetimes.com