North of the Redondo Pier

The longer I live in Redondo Beach, the more I realize what a wonderful place this would be as a pre- or post-cruise stop when embarking from Long Beach or San Pedro. Or, with the lovely Portofino waterfront resort and other fine accommodations, this is definitely a worthy destination for an extended stay, too.



While I love our former hometown of Manhattan Beach, there really is only one restaurant with a commanding ocean view, The Strand (formerly called Beaches). Nothing wrong with that, and there are lots of great eateries with peeks at the ocean from some of their tables, but Redondo Beach has lots of waterfront restaurants.

Normally, Julie and I don't go out much for dinner. Happy hours with cheap food while we nurse a cheap drink, yes. Full on meals, very seldom. Since moving to Redondo Beach, we've had more people come visit us, primarily due to curiosity about where we moved, I assume, prompting us to browse menus of potential destinations while strolling around. Joe's Crab Shack quickly became a favorite, as it merits repeating regularly. We used to take our mothers to the one in the Long Beach Marina before they passed away, so we already harbored fond feelings toward this waterfront chain. The Redondo Beach branch has lived up to our expectations, with great food and friendly service in a relaxed setting. Joe's menu features huge buckets of crustaceans and  gourmet seafood entrees, but there are also lots of delicious, filling meals for about $10 to $13.

While entertaining guests like friends Mike and Linda Rood or our daughter Gina justifies a meal in a full service restaurant, Julie and I rarely go out to eat by outselves when not on vacation (unless you count breakfast on the road at McDonald's or lunch with In-and-Out), but Redondo Beach may change that, because we feel like we're on vacation all the time. With our proclivity for thrift, however, I doubt we'll be deigned the new F. Scott and Zelda among the Redondo high society set.

Walking home last night from dinner at Samba, looking at the lights of the nearby Palos Verdes Peninsula, I thought about a simlar nighttime stroll with Julie on Ka'anapali Beach, and while we were definitely more chilly than we've ever been in Hawaii, the sound of the waves breaking nearby and the beauty of the night helped Redondo hold its own.

I hope you'll excuse my self-indulgence in again praising my new home town, but if you've been here for any time at all and for some reason are incapable of taking in the beauty for yourself because you're too busy texting or exercising without noticing where you are (and I pity you if that is the case), then you will at least make a mental note of all the people stopping to take photos, whether with smart phones or 35 mm cameras sporting an assortment of lenses.  On the way to dinner, a woman stood at the gate of a residential complex snapping a photo, and hearing me comment to Julie about how many people I notice taking pictures, she turned to us and said, "I've been here 27 years, and I still keep taking pictures."

Many visitors to Redondo Beach hang out on the pier or the stretch of beach immediately south of it.  There's a grassy park above that beach where families hold ocean-view picnics, and the farmer's market winds down a path between the park and the beach on Thursdays.  South of there is where Julie and I prefer to go to the beach, boogie boarding or just strolling the strand.  When our oldest daughter Gina came for a recent stay while doing some research with USC, she joined us on several walks here, as well as up to Hollywood Riviera cafes and shops, which I'll most likely describe another time.

Immediately north of the pier is a stretch of waterfront bars which I can imagine breaking into donnybrooks of flying chairs and overturned tables should the wrong intent be inferred, which along with the fresh seafood vendors makes for a lively area that I call Poor Man's Marina (the boats are generally seaworthy but left in a rather rough state, presumably in a rush to hit the bars).

Once north of that area, you come to Rich Man's Marina, where pristine boats could easily compete for Prettiest In Show ribbons. This is where the gorgeous Portofino Hotel is located. 

Right at the crux of the two marina are Samba and Delzano's.  We haven't tried Delzano's yet, but taking advantage of a 2-for-1 promo we chanced upon, we indulged in Samba, a Brazilian churrascaria.




As Atkins Diet advocates (if not strict practitioners), we've been tempted by the promise of sabers full of charred meats in unlimited quantities brought to the tables, and Samba fulfills that promise. It was all delicious, including a wide variety of side dishes. On an episode of "No Reservations" set in South America, Anthony Bourdain chided his brother for the folly of eating any starches or veggies when so much great meat was available, but I have to say that the diverse side dishes really rounded out the meal. We were surprised to find a short line to be seated in this tough economy, although once we tasted the food we weren't surprised to see a much longer line when we left.

While we waited for our table, we sauntered into the lovely bar, where several large screens and one enormous screen showed the Sunday night football game. During games, domestic bottled beer is $2.50, so I went with a Michelob Ultra with a lime in it. In a world of imports and micro-brews, I'd forgotten how good this Atkins-friendly beer is. We enjoyed out wait for the table, ensconsed in the modern but comfortable, white leather sectional couch. Our "date night" proved to be thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.