Old Torrance is not widely known for cutting edge restaurants and I was happy to learn of the opening of Restoration Kitchen. Their award-winning chef, Camden Hershberger, hails from Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills.
Restoration Kitchen occupies a small space located about a block away from Torrance Bakery. They also have outdoor seating streetside. The interior is modern decorated with items from Napa and Sonoma wineries.
Italian cuisine is the dominant theme on the menu. Unexpected Asian ingredients are inserted into the dishes. An example of this is the Braised Pork Belly where they use udon to replace spaghetti noodles. Blistered shishito peppers and pickled greens adds to the Asian tastes of this dish.
Crab cakes made with lump blue crab.
My wife loves crab cakes and because the menu listed “lump blue crab”, I was optimistic. They did not disappoint as they were mostly crab versus bread crumbs. Underneath the crab cakes was a bed of the French sauce gribiche. I enjoyed this much more than the traditional tartar sauce.
Slow Roasted Beet Salad with arugula, Burrata and candied walnuts
The Slow Roasted Beet Salad primarily consisted of arugula. It was topped with sliced beets and had a nice dollop of fresh Burrata cheese. Candied walnuts lined the perimeter. I thought this dish had a very nice balance of flavors. .
Oxtail Ragu with rigatoni, fried sage and parmesan
For our entrees, we ordered the Oxtail Ragu with rigatoni and the Certified Angus Skirt Steak. The oxtail came in a thick and hearty sauce and I liked the fact that it had almost zero fat. Rigatoni was placed on top of the ragu and dusted with fried sage leaves and fresh parmesan. The heartiness of this dish warmed me up.
Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri and brussels sprouts
My wife’s Certified Angus Skirt Steak was prepared Argentine-style. It was served pre-sliced mixed in a delicious chimichurri sauce with crispy brussels sprouts. She is a steak lover and that dish made her happy.
Other dishes on the menu included: steamed mussels, seared Atlantic salmon, chicken madeira meatballs and a couple of different flatbreads.Dessert options include a choice of pumpkin bread pudding or chocolate pot de creme.
Consistent with the decor, their wine list is largely made of Napa and Sonoma boutique wineries. I selected The Pessimist, a red blend, from Daou Vineyards. The fruit forward nature of this wine went quite nicely with our dishes.
They take advantage of the fact that Torrance produces some extremely good craft beers and currently they offer selections from Absolution Brewing, Strand Brewing, Scholb Premium Ales and Smog City Brewing.
The restaurant has a very limited number of seats and due to its popularity, reservations are strongly recommended.
Restoration Kitchen, 1437 Marcelina Ave, Torrance, CA
http://www.restorationwinebarla.com/
Hours: Mon. – Thu. 5:00 p.m. – 9 p.m. Fri. & Sat. 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Closed Sunday.