Beach April 2018
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Breakfast Muffin<br />
Servers<br />
Good Stuff server Gaby Donato, with a Coconut Pineapple muffin<br />
Good Stuff<br />
There’s no one muffin to single out at<br />
Good Stuff. The muffin menu at each<br />
restaurant seems to vary by the whims of<br />
the management, but that’s part of the<br />
charm.<br />
“It depends on the suggestions we get,”<br />
Athena Marin, the manager of Good Stuff<br />
Redondo <strong>Beach</strong>, said. “Some days, I’ll ask<br />
if we can do an Oreo Banana muffin, and<br />
we’ll have it the next morning. We always<br />
switch it up.”<br />
The combinations can sound odd, but<br />
work. Take, for instance, the coconut<br />
pineapple muffin. The exterior is chewy,<br />
with a slight crunch along the sharper<br />
edges, while the interior is soft, moist and<br />
gently sweet, with small chunks of pineapple<br />
throughout. Served warm with a pat of<br />
whipped butter on the side, it was reminiscent<br />
of the best aspects of a vanilla wafer.<br />
The holidays can see even stranger combinations,<br />
such as St. Patrick’s Day’s cantaloupe-flavored<br />
green muffin.<br />
“It sounds different, but it was good, and<br />
very sweet,” Marin said.<br />
Good Stuff<br />
1286 The Strand, Hermosa <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 374-2334<br />
1617 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. Ste. 102<br />
Redondo <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 316-0262<br />
131 W. Grand Ave., C, El Segundo<br />
(310) 647-9997<br />
Promenade On The Peninsula,<br />
550 Deep Valley Dr., #151<br />
Rolling Hills Estates<br />
(310) 544-8000<br />
EatGoodStuff.com<br />
>> Runner-up: The Kettle<br />
1138 Highland Ave., Manhattan <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 545-8511<br />
thekettle.net<br />
Contemporary American<br />
Good Stuff<br />
Good Stuff’s roots trace back to a burger stand in West LA, and have spread to the South<br />
Bay, where its menu has evolved with the increasingly health conscious local residents. The<br />
menu has a variety of Blue Zones-inspired options, as well as flavorful wraps, bowls, salads<br />
and entrees that range well beyond what you’d expect for beach-side fare.<br />
Burgers are still an option, but even those options have evolved. The traditional burger<br />
hangs out alongside a Guacamole and Green Chile burger and a gluten-free veggie burger.<br />
Good Stuff<br />
EatGoodStuff.com<br />
>> Runner-up: HopSaint Brewing Company<br />
5160 W. 190th St., Torrance<br />
(310) 214-4677<br />
hopsaint.com<br />
Good Stuff Palos Verdes servers Hannah Saint and Tadeo Gonzalez. Photos<br />
courtesy of Good Stuff<br />
Hannah Saint,<br />
Tadeo Gonzalez<br />
Good Stuff Palos Verdes<br />
“They’re customer oriented, they’re very<br />
accommodating, and they’re comfortable in<br />
what they do. They both have a great sense<br />
of reading customers, knowing how much<br />
they want to be engaged,” Good Stuff owner<br />
Cris Bennett said of servers Hannah Saint<br />
and Tadeo Gonzalez. He said the two exemplify<br />
the Good Stuff ideal, with friendly<br />
smiles and “the ability to multitask,” allowing<br />
them to stay calm and comfortable even<br />
Bowls<br />
Paradise Bowls<br />
With locations just off the beach in both<br />
Manhattan and Hermosa, Paradise Bowls’<br />
superfruit bowls and smoothies are a hit<br />
among beach goers and particularly the fitness<br />
minded. Acai, pitaya and bee pollen<br />
are popular ingredients, alongside more<br />
common berries and citrus fruits.<br />
“We’re a family-owned business, so we<br />
see plenty of family, friends and regulars,”<br />
said manager Rachel Quane. “But summer<br />
is our busiest time… the line will go out<br />
the door.<br />
“People order, go to the beach for an<br />
hour, come back and enjoy their bowl,”<br />
Quane said.<br />
Paradise Bowls<br />
1246 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 374-5284<br />
919 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 798-7100<br />
Paradisebowls.com<br />
>> Runner-up: Rabano<br />
2516 Pacific Coast Hwy.<br />
Hermosa <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 318-1998<br />
rabano.co<br />
when the heat is on.<br />
>> Runner-up: Stephanie Hawks<br />
(Rock’ N Fish)<br />
120 Manhattan <strong>Beach</strong> Blvd.<br />
Manhattan <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 379-9900<br />
Rocknfishmb.com<br />
>> Runner-up: Phil Baranchik (The<br />
Strand House)<br />
117 Manhattan <strong>Beach</strong> Blvd.<br />
Manhattan <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 545-7470<br />
thestrandhousemb.com<br />
Crepes<br />
Creme de la Crepe<br />
While Creme de la Crepe has spread<br />
across Southern California, opening outlets<br />
as far south as San Diego, the Hermosa<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>-born restaurant is still the crepe king<br />
of the <strong>Beach</strong> Cities.<br />
Creme de la Crepe offers 38 varieties of<br />
fruit-filled breakfast crepes, decadent<br />
dessert crepes and savory crepes from<br />
morning to evening. The rest of the menu<br />
is filled out with waffles and quiches, sandwiches<br />
and salads, and house-special entrees.<br />
Creme de la Crepes<br />
424 Pier Ave., Hermosa <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 937-2822<br />
1708-½ S. Catalina Ave.<br />
Redondo <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 540-8811<br />
Cremedelacrepe.com<br />
>> Runner-up: Yellow Vase<br />
1805 S. Catalina Ave., Redondo <strong>Beach</strong><br />
(310) 373-0013<br />
31248 Palos Verdes Dr. West<br />
Rancho Palos Verdes<br />
(310) 377-8813<br />
yellowvase.com<br />
36 Easy Reader / <strong>Beach</strong> magazine • <strong>April</strong> 12, <strong>2018</strong>
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