MB Post chef David LeFevre turns 40, plans guest-chef dinner

MB Post chef David LeFevre turns the big 4-0 today and to celebrate he's planning a very exciting edition of his "Can You Dig It?" guest chef and featured farmers series.

On July 16, he'll welcome Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (Animal, Son of a Gun); Matt Molina (Mozza); Steve Samson and Zach Pollack (Sotto); and Zoe Nathan (Rustic Canyon, Huckleberry), who will create a five-course menu featuring fresh produce from Coastal Farms, Windrose Farms and Harry's Berries.

Why? Because 40 goes great with green.

On the menu:

Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo: Gem lettuce, pickled beets, bread crumbs, green garlic crème fraîche.
 
MB Post: Hamachi grilled over white oak with summer tomatoes and bitter green pesto.
 
Matt Molina: Orecchiette with sausage and swiss chard.
 
Steve Samson & Zach Pollack: Veal cheek alla vaccinara, bitter chocolate agrodolce, semolina gnocco.
 
Zoe Nathan: Fresh corn cake with sweet rose creamery corn ice cream and strawberry rhubarb compote. Cookies served with spiked milk.

The cost is $80, or $115 with wine pairing (tax and gratuity not included). Reservations are available for two seatings, 5:45, 6 and 6:15 p.m.; or 8, 8:15 and 8:30 p.m.

Manhattan Beach Post, 1142 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. (310) 545-5405; www.eatmbpost.com.

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-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Chef David LeFevre inside his restaurant MB Post. Credit: Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times.

South Bay dining: Readers write in about their favorite restaurants

I wrote a story for last week's Food section that talked about some exciting new developments in the South Bay's dining scene. I was careful to mention in the story that there were many restaurants in the area that residents have long loved, but due to space and the nature of the story I couldn't list every single one of them. I expected to hear from readers about places I missed, and, boy, did I.

People are passionate about their favorite restaurants, and your letters reflected that. Readers wrote in mentioning 11 different places that they felt I was wrong to have omitted. They are: Talia's, Mangiamo, Darren's Restaurant, Sashi, Fonz's, Gina Lee's Bistro, Chef Melba's Bistro, J. Trani's, Restaurant Christine, Admiral Risty and Petros. I received the most letters about Talia's and Mangiamo, with Darren's and Gina Lee's Bistro coming in at a close second.

We all define fine dining a bit differently, and as one reader pointed out, "A great restaurant is many things in addition to food and drink. It is a home away from home, a place for friends and family to gather and a place for building memories that sustain us in the years to come."

That's well put. In fact, this weekend I spent the night in Redondo Beach for my birthday and had dinner with two of my best friends at a cozy restaurant by the beach called Captain Kidd's. It's just a little fish market with counter service and long communal wooden benches for dining, but I had a great plate of clam strips that reminded me of my college days in Boston, as well as some yummy grilled mahi mahi and a plastic cup of red wine. It was the perfect birthday dinner for many reasons, but the time, place and people with me had as much to do with my experience as the food.

So, here's to all of you who wrote in about your favorite restaurants. May you enjoy many more fine meals at them.

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-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Captain Kidd's Fish Market in Redondo Beach. Credit: Jessica Gelt

M.B. Post to open next week; bring on the beach-y cocktails (plus, more openings)

M.B. Post, the restaurant from former Water Grill chef David LeFevre, is expected to open Monday in Manhattan Beach. It's just steps away from the water, so where better to enjoy a summer cocktail (ok, it's still spring, but there's no need to get all literal at a bar)?  

The cocktail menu -- created with the help of general manager Jerry Garbus and augmented with LeFevre's nectars, salts and jams -- is a combination of updated classics and beach-y remixes. (Cocktails to go with English pea soup, olive-oil-poached tomato and creme fraiche; or pomegranate couscous with lavender feta, marcona almonds and mint; or spring garlic bacon tart; or Alaskan halibut cheek and chips with Meyer lemon remoulade; or grilled veal short rib with sesame soy glaze and spicy kimchi....) 

The Manhattan Avenue is a sweet-savory version of a Manhattan: rye whiskey, Vya sweet vermouth and sea-salt-caramel-vanilla-bean bitters. It gets strained into a martini glass partially rimmed in bacon dust, garnished with a cherry soaked in a peaty Scotch. 

The Greyhound gets taken a few steps further than the Salty Dog; the Old George (pictured) is Chopin potato vodka and fresh grapefruit juice poured over basil and ice, topped with a raspberry-pink-peppercorn jam and candied grapefruit in a glass partially rimmed with kosher salt. 

Other cocktails on the menu include the Mo-Pho-Jito -- think mojito with the flavors of Southeast Asia -- silver rum, kaffir lime, mint and ginger nectar with a coriander honey gastrique. And what's a cocktail-menu-by-the-beach without a Margarita? M.B. Post's Avila's Heir has serrano pepper and yuzu-infused agave nectar.  

1142 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach; (310) 545-5405; www.eatmbpost.com. 

Also now open: 

The Malibu Inn: More drinks by the beach at the rock-n-roll Malibu Inn, which recently was renovated and this week reopened with a menu from consulting chef Angelo Sosa, a former "Top Chef" contestant. 22969 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu; (310) 456-6060.

The Fat Dog:A new gastropub, the Fat Dog, is open on Fairfax Avenue. It's dog-friendly. 801 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 951-0030; www.thefatdogla.com. 

M Street Kitchen and Stella Rossa Pizza Bar: The restaurant formerly known as La Grande Orange in Santa Monica is suddenly M Street Kitchen, with an adjacent pizzeria called Stella Rossa Pizza Bar. 2000 Main St., Santa Monica; (310) 396-9145; www.mstreetkitchen.com. 

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-- Betty Hallock

Photo: The Old George cocktail courtesy of M.B. Post

Chef David LeFevre's Manhattan Beach Post set to open mid-April

David LeFevre, former executive chef of the Water Grill downtown, is busy these days getting ready to open Manhattan Beach Post. 

It's in a former post office in downtown Manhattan Beach, at the corner of Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue, just steps away from the beach. "I’ve lived down here for over six years," LeFevre says, "and I really love the community, the lifestyle and really wanted to provide the community with some food I enjoy, the kind of food I’m interested in eating -– seasonal, soulful, it's pretty personal, a return to my roots." On the planned menu are "lots of vegetable dishes, seafood, we're baking our own breads," such as bacon-and-cheddar buttermilk biscuits with sweet Vermont maple butter, and pretzels with sea salt, caraway and horseradish mustard made in-house.

He goes on to list the kind of food that's on his mind: wood-grilled cauliflower with saltanas, capers and mint; salsify grilled with stewed prunes and sage; Kona kampachi with puffed rice and yuzu kosho; olive-oil-poached Tasmanian sea trout with kaffir lime; Moroccan barbecue lamb belly; Vietnamese lacquered pork jowl with green papaya and mint; Devil’s Gulch rabbit confit with grilled figs and sage. "So I want to do stuff that’s simple but not boring and that people aren’t doing down here. I really want a little foodie restaurant but make it accessible. We're planning to open mid-April-ish, knock on wood."  

Midnight happy hour at Cache; monthly winemaker socials at Cafe Pierre; lunch to go at the Farmer's Kitchen

Midnight in the garden of happy hour: It's midnight in Santa Monica and you're looking for $4 beers and $7 cocktails. It turns out there is such a thing. Cache restaurant now offers midnight happy hour with $7 signature cocktails and chef Josiah Citrin's snacks-in-a-Mason-jar. Cocktails include: Garden Lemonade with thyme-infused vodka, rosemary and sage; the Kiwi Reve with vodka, St. Germain, kiwi, thyme (again! so French) and Bugey-Cerdon wine; and the Black Crowe with tequila, Cointreau, blackberries and lime. Well drinks and select wines by the glass are also $7, and beers are $4. Mason jar snacks -- eggplant tapenade, olives, duck confit, foie gras parfait -- are $3 to $8. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, midnight to 1:30 a.m. 3110 Main St., Santa Monica, (310) 399-4800.

Farmers market lunch: Lunching near the corner of Hollywood and Vine? The Farmer's Kitchen, a project of the nonprofit group that runs the Hollywood Farmers' Market, is now open for grab-and-go lunches from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. (It's open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays for breakfast and lunch during the Hollywood Farmers' Market.) The spring take-out lunch menu includes sandwiches such as organic roasted chicken and roasted market vegetable; salads such as baby spinach and strawberries; fruit salad; crudites; and fruits by the piece. 1555 N. Vine St., Hollywood, (323) 467-7600.

Kunin Wines at Cafe Pierre: Café Pierre in Manhattan Beach kicks off its monthly winemaker socials on Thursday, May 6, with Seth Kunin of Kunin Wines. Winemaker socials take place on the first Thursday of every month from 5 to 7 p.m.  Owner Guy Gabriele invites winemakers to showcase their wines at these casual tastings, and chef Remi Lauvand serves appetizers to complement the wines. Next month's featured wines include: 2007 Stolpman Viognier; 2007 Pape Star Rhone Blend; 2007 Paso Robles "Westside" Zinfandel; and 2007 Santa Barbara County Syrah. Reservations recommended but not required. $20 per person. 317 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, (310) 545-5252.
 
-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Cache restaurant by Gina Ferrazzi / Los Angeles Times.

Restaurant opening: Four Daughters Kitchen in Manhattan Beach

Clint Clausen, former senior vice president of restaurants for nightlife and dining juggernaut SBE, has opened a neighborhood restaurant called Four Daughters Kitchen in Manhattan Beach. The restaurant, named for Clausen's own four daughters, is currently open only for breakfast and lunch but is expected to be open for dinner in time for Valentine's Day.

The market-driven fare is mainly American comfort food, with items like eggs, salads, pastas and burgers taking center stage. For breakfast you'll find a variety of scrambles, including a bruschetta scramble with basil, tomato and mozzarella cheese and a rustic sausage scramble with roasted leeks, mushrooms, spinach and a sage cream sauce. There are also chocolate chip pancakes and chorizo and egg tacos.

Lunch items include chicken and tuna salad sandwiches along with Cubano, chicken chipotle and roasted turkey sandwiches, and a variety of burgers served with fries.

Four Daughters Kitchen takes its design cues from the nearby beach and boasts a breezy atmosphere with a wall of windows looking onto the street. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating for 60.

Four Daughters Kitchen, 3505 N. Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach, (310) 545-2444; www.fourdaughterskitchen.com.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Chef Remi Lauvand revamps menu at Cafe Pierre in Manhattan Beach

Chef Remi Lauvand (Citrus at Social, Miró, Sevilla, Montrachet), who popped into Breadbar last month as part of the Hatchi Guest Chef series, recently overhauled the menu at Cafe Pierre. Longtime friends Lauvand and Guy Gabriele (Zazou), Cafe Pierre's founder and owner, have worked together before, most notably when Lauvand tweaked a few items on the menu for the restaurant's 30th anniversary.

This time around, Lauvand is executive chef, and he's made major changes. He's trimmed Cafe Pierre's long menu to retain only a handful of dishes and made several additions including house-made jars of foie parfait, duck rillette, pig trotters, head cheese and bavette cuts of beef tartare. The menu also features a nightly three-course, prixe fixe market-driven dinner for $35.

On the libations side, Gabriele has hired Tristan Price, who previously poured at Pastis, Milk & Honey and Balthazar in New York, to revamp the cocktail menu and serve as head bartender. Price's custom cocktails include the French Pearl (Plymouth gin, pernod, simple syrup, lime juice and fresh mint) and the Badminton Cup (Gordon's gin, lime juice, simple syrup, fresh mint and cucumber), among others.

Gabriele and Lauvand are already scouting locations for a joint restaurant, possibly in Pasadena but potentially anywhere in the greater L.A. area.

--Elina Shatkin

Photo: Remi Lauvand / Fran Collin

Small Bites: Steven Arroyo sells Church & State, Mr. Cecil’s opens today in Manhattan Beach, Lemonade opens Thursday at MOCA

Beachy barbecue: California-style barbecue joint Mr. Cecil's California Ribs, which already has locations in West L.A. and Sherman Oaks, today opened its newest spot. Formerly Le Creperie Café, the downtown Manhattan Beach outpost features a bar and a new 60-seat dining room that dishes out beef ribs, St. Louis-style ribs, smoked tri-tip, catfish and more. 1209 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach. (310) 546-5400, www.mrcecilscaliforniaribs.com.

Church & State changes hands: Yassmin Sarmadi has negotiated a purchase of ownership from Steven Arroyo, co-owner, of Church & State. Thankfully, Walter Manzke is still the chef. 1850 Industrial St., L.A. (213) 405-1434, www.churchandstatebistro.com.

New museum cafe: Lemonade's newest location opens Thursday at 11 a.m. when it becomes the official cafe of MOCA in downtown L.A. 250 S. Grand Ave. L.A. (213) 628-0200, www.lemonadela.com.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Chef Walter Manzke (third from right) looks over a dish before it goes out at Church & State. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times