A Basq Kitchen - Redondo Beach

I am so suspicious of pier restaurants. I usually avoid those top-dollar tourist traps at all costs, but we had to eat somewhere. We had other options, but A Basq Kitchen's soft sea breeze is impossible to resist...And three Asian women dining at Oriental Breeze just feels so wrong.

Yet nothing feels wrong at A Basq Kitchen, and the Traditional Basque Sampler is very right in flavor AND in price. Three hungry ladies and we were still stacking generous leftovers into boxes at the end.

The Charcuterie & Cheese Plate covers all the bases; chorizo and jamon Serrano round out the requisite meats while manchego schmoozes with bleu and brie.

Piperada Vasca is a sippable stew, hot contrasts cold as pulpy, earthy peppers mix with a topcoat of cold-cure, chewy jamon. Break it up with plump House-Marinated Olives when the stew gets too heavy.

The Basque stew is surprisingly deep, a heavy daily special with meaty chunks. The Potatoes Bravas are an aside, home fries in a mayo-esque sauce. Just don't fill up on the potatoes of you'll neglect the triangle sandwiches of Tortilla Vasca Pintxo in the back.

So many tapas, so little time. It made sense to split the sampler that night, but we dallied over much of the menu, especially those Spanish classics like paella, pulpo, and bacon-wrapped dates. The sampler was a fair sample, but it would only be fair to sample some more.