Love & Salt UPDATE - Manhattan Beach

I feel guilty making this post. They shuffled tables to accommodate us with just one hour notice on a Sunday night, and the service was just stellar. The food was fantastic, though the light and my cell phone skills made it not so photogenic. 

Right off the bat, the bread was addicting; this thick, crusty, super-chewy core of Fett'unta, a hit in the mouth of gooey garlic, soaked with olive oil, grilled to a juicy crackle. I could have had just this for dinner,

But save some to dip in the broth after these soft Salt Spring Mussels. Savored with sausage, uplifted with some leeks, the plate may be blurry, but the sea-sweet quality is clear. 

Whole Roasted Branzino has a crispy skin and the flesh is white as snow. The taste is so pure, fresh as the day it docked, on a soft bed of lentils, a sweet contrast to bitter Brussels. 

They sure can cook their carbs. A simple-sounding Rigatoni all'Amatriciana is anything but, with a deeply textured pasta, tangy tomato smoothed out with a salty guanciale, creamy with pecorino smear. 

Break the egg on their signature Duck Egg Pizza, and smear. Let the gooey yolk wrap around the bits of bacon-pancetta, and let it run through the shaved potato. 

Complete the perfect meal with a dessert of Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch. The crispy wafers with layered chocolate make a high-end Nutty Buddy, and I can't imagine anything better. 

I was fond of Love & Salt the first time, but I didn't fully appreciate it until now. The consistent delivery of fabulous flavor and quality is indisputable, and they're stood the test of time. Their food is as relevant now as it was when they burst in brand-new, and I will never stop loving Love & Salt!

Love & Salt - Manhattan Beach

Love & Salt is, like all things in Manhattan Beach, NICE. Not the most memorable of experiences but more lovely and less regrettable.

Everything is pretty, from the open kitchen gleaming with stainless steel to the Cold Pressed Coffee in a rustic glass jug with a delicate mini-pitcher of milk. The neutrally bold cold brew is a blustery wake-up call, but it's hard not to resent the six-dollar price tag.

The Whitefish Dip is much more reasonably-priced, and boy, does it deliver. A cool puree finishes almost creamy on perfect mini-bagels. The dip highlights the whitefish, bringing out just the tiniest hint of fresh-off-the-boat fishiness. The dip may channel an ocean surf, but it's the bagels that steal the show. They're soft yet crispy, toasty and seedy and absolutely perfect.

The Duck Egg Pie is every gooey, hearty pizza ingredient I can think of, plastered on the best crust I've had in years. Mozzarella is a stringy, cheesy delight, while Parmesan makes a staunch statement. Rosemary adds the fragrance, and pancetta makes everything that much better. It is irresistibly decadent once you break the egg.

I should have quit while I was ahead. Everything was a hit until the Warm Italian Donuts turned a sweet finish bitter. They were very delayed and didn't arrive until everyone was done with their meal. Haste makes waste, and in their eagerness to serve our final dish, I don't think they let the donuts cook all the way through. The lemon curd finished acerbic and bitter, and the dough in the center was raw. The nutella was better, but the dough was overly dense, like it wasn't given a chance rise...and shine.

So sad to end on a sour note, but the rest of meal is worth a visit. The bottomless boozy brunch is a definite plus, and there is ALWAYS room for another pizza.