Beach April 2016

Sports Bar Food
Shark’s Cove
When Taylor Kiedrowski,
manager at Shark’s Cove, is
asked why the South Bay
loves her restaurant’s food,
she doesn’t mince words.
“Because we don’t serve
[crappy] sports bar food,” she
said — meaning the litany of
frozen, flash-fried, sauce-covered
monstrosities that one
might find at corner pubs.
Shark’s Cove, Keidrowski
said, hangs their hat on fresh,
attractive plates one wouldn’t
normally expect to eat while
watching a ballgame. Roasted
brussels sprouts, grilled artichoke
and steamed clams are
among the options.
She also touts the bar’s rotating
selection of draft beers, as well as the friendly regulars who aren’t afraid to poke fun
at a reporter over his choice of baseball headwear.
“That’s why we’re here,” she said, laughing.
309 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (310) 545-2683.
SharksCoveMB.com.
Southern
Ragin Cajun
When the craving for
Louisiana food hits, the Ragin
Cajun is the first place we think
of. Many locals learned about
Cajun food from their experiences
at the original location on
Pier Avenue in Hermosa. Redondo’s
rustic roadhouse keeps
dealing out the rice and beans,
gumbo, po-boy sandwiches,
and other fare that are dear to
a Southerner’s heart. It’s home
cooking from the home we
wish we had, where there’s always
a pot of something delicious
simmering on the back of
the stove. Then again, that home might not have had a moonshine bar or the ability to make
a great hurricane cocktail, which they can certainly do at the Ragin Cajun, so going there
for lunch, brunch, or dinner is even better.
525 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Redondo Beach (310) 540-7403.
Comedy Club
Server
Chris Sutter,
Old Venice
To say that Chris Sutter enjoys working at Old Venice would be a massive understatement.
“He was handing out menus before
we even hired him,” said
owner Julie Hantzarides. “He’s got
this infectious personality. He’s so
positive and it feels good to be
around him.”
Sutter’s worked at Old Venice
for little more than a year and a
half, but the joy’s still there. Upon
learning he was voted as the Best
of the Beach, he smiled, then kept
a stiff upper lip — until he walked
around a corner, and silently
pumped his fists in celebration.
“Everybody should enjoy going
to work as much as he does,” Sutter’s
father, Darryl, said.
1001 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach; (310) 376-0242;
oldveniceonline.com.
Dance Club
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Art Gallery
Ocean Bar
Ocean Bar manager Greg Simms promises a good time, with class.
“We have a stricter dress code than most, and we’re a bit higher end,” he said.
His bar, upstairs from Abigaile Restaurant and featuring a rooftop deck, turns from laidback
lounge and restaurant to dance club on Friday and Saturday nights, featuring rotating
DJs from across L.A. and Las Vegas.
He doesn’t deny that the bar can get crazy, but he promises a much more laid-back vibe
than one might get by going a block to the west.
“This,” he said, “isn’t a ‘bro bar.’”
1301 Manhattan Ave., Hermosa Beach. (310) 798-8227.
Underage Band
Riley Arts Gallery
Ninety percent of the pieces in Kim Riley’s gallery come from local artists. And unlike
many lesser galleries, Riley features more than just images of beaches and piers.
“We like to have stuff that no one else has,” she said, including vintage prints from Disneyland,
as well as classic concert and movie posters.
Riley Arts Gallery features the work of John Van Hamersveld, Brent Broza, Tom Everhart
and architect-turned-artist Michael Murphy.
Kim Riley’s ethos is to feature art that she enjoys as much as her customers do.
“That way, if -- for whatever reason — I have to close up shop, I’ll have a lot of art that I
like to look at.”
1007 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. (310) 372-3681.
RileyArtsGallery.com
Comedy Club regular Jay Leno with club owner Mike Lacey.
Comedy and Magic Club
Chris Rock had a problem, Comedy and Magic Club owner Mike Lacy recalled.
The comic legend was workshopping material for his Oscars hosting gig, hopping from
club to club throughout L.A. But as soon as he stepped off the stage, his jokes had spread
across social media, spoiled by audience members and their cameras.
Then, he got a tip. Jerry Seinfeld told Rock about the Comedy and Magic Club, an intown
place with an out-of-town feel, as comedian Craig Shoemaker calls it.
In two weeks, Lacy recounted, Rock got more work done in Hermosa Beach than he had
made stick in two months.
“It really pays tribute to the South Bay — the people here are so good, they get it, they’re
smart, and they’re not jaded,” Lacy said.
That’s why big-name comedians, like weekly performer Jay Leno, come back, time and
time again.
“It feels more like a cool theater that’s focused on the art form, supporting their efforts,
than a club,” Lacy said.
1018 Hermosa Ave, Hermosa Beach; 310-372-1193.;
ComedyAndMagicClub.com.
11Echo
11Echo lead singer Kira Levin’s secret to her band’s success is simple. They get their audience.
“We connect, we’re engaging with them and playing songs that everyone can sing along
to,” she said. “It’s just fun to get into it.”
It’s heads-up thinking from a 15-year-old Mira Costa student, but she and her bandmates
are no strangers to self-aware musical thought.
“I really pride myself on how much I know about what’s going on,” keyboardist and
UCLA student Cole Riddle said, rattling off a treatise about jazz great Herbie Hancock’s
catalog.
Together, Riddle, Levin, drummer Justin Lin, bassist Max Rohde and guitarist Noah
Viklund are the first underage band to play at Fiesta Hermosa, covering popular rock tunes
spanning the decades.
The downside to being an underage band is, as members grow older and move on
(Viklund is heading to Boston’s Berklee School of Music; Lin attends the Orange County
School of Arts in Santa Ana), it’s increasingly difficult to perform shows.
“We’ll continue to gig when everyone is together, though,” Levin said. “We’ve all got
breaks together, so we’ll do whatever we can to keep playing even though we’re apart.”
11echomusic.com
52 Easy Reader / Beach magazine • April 14, 2016
April 14, 2016 • Easy Reader / Beach magazine 53