Last night was epic as only the South Bay can be on an April evening. Spring Break made it hard for some of us to stay at work and easy for some of us to encourage playing hooky. But the question: where to go in the South Bay where you can get great food and great cocktails in a great setting and still watch the sunset? Answer: The Chart House! I have to admit, I am a recent, reluctant convert to the Chart House, since I had worked there back in the day and sincerely miss the Hawaiian shirts and the maps on the tables. But we ended up there a few months ago by default, and were pleasantly surprised to stumble into a fantastic Happy Hour. We’ve been back a few times since, and it was the first place that came to mind last night.
Not a great shot, but you get the idea!
We walked in, and surprisingly, it was not that crowded. We got there after 6pm, and really expected more of a crowd, especially with sunset about 45 minutes away from perfection. The bar tables closest to the fireplace were completely empty, and if you sit in the chairs at those tables, you have an amazing view of not only the sunset, but the marina to your left, and Hermosa Beach to your right, and surfers right in front of you. Our favorite bartender, Mike, was at our side within minutes of us sitting down, ready to take our order. But we needed a few minutes to look over the menu, there’s that many choices. So, the official details…Happy Hour at the Chart House runs Monday- Friday, from 4:30-7pm. That extra half-hour makes a huge difference if you’re trying to get a full day’s work in! They offer five specialty Martinis for $6, five specialty cocktails for $5, selected wines, well drinks and Premium drafts for $4 and Coors light draft for $3. As far as food goes, they offer a variety of small plates: Bruschetta, Fried Artichokes and Artichoke Spinach dip for $3, Firecracker Shrimp, Fried Mushrooms and Ahi Nachos for $4 and Prime Rib Sliders, Fish Tacos and Oysters on the Half Shell (3) for $5. What they offer is good but I do wish they offered a few more things that weren’t fried. (Hint to the management – bring back the fresh Artichoke!) Oh well, onto our evening…
The Chart House Cosmopolitan and the Mango Mojito, hand-crafted by Mike.
As we said, Mike was right there to take our order, and here we have to give you a caveat. We’ve been here when Mike was the bartender, and we’ve been here when Mike wasn’t the bartender. The difference was huge, and we actually mentioned it to the manager last night. Mike’s cocktails are perfectly executed. We’ve had his Cosmopolitans and Lemon Drops in the past and they were superb, even to Miles’ critical palate! Last night we went with the Cosmo and the Mango Mojito. Based on a previous visit (when Mike wasn’t the bartender), we asked Mike to make sure they weren’t too sweet. We can’t say for sure what he did, or didn’t do, but they were excellent! The Cosmo had just the right amount of tart and sweet, and the Mango Mojito was crisp and refreshing,with just a hint of Mango and the right amount of mint. Gazing out at the sunset, it was easy to imagine ourselves on vacation, not ten minutes from home!
With the drinks handled, it was time to turn our attention to the food menu. We’d had the Fish Tacos before, and being underwhelmed by the Cajun seasoning, we went for the Prime Rib Sliders and the Firecracker Shrimp. We were a little hesitant about the shrimp, as they are fried, but we were more than pleasantly surprised. The tempura was very light and crispy, and they were set on a drizzle of what they call Dynamite sauce. From the taste of it, it is a blend of Sriracha sauce and something, mayonnaise, maybe? Whatever it was, it was deliciously hot without burning your palate.
Firecracker Shrimp
They drizzled it with straight Sriracha and together with the perfectly cooked pieces of shrimp, it was heaven! The Prime Rib Sliders, while tasty, really paled in comparison. They came, three on a plate, perfectly cooked and tender, topped with grilled onions, but they seemed to be missing something. It could be that the Horseradish sauce got left off, but that was easily remedied by dipping them into the leftover dynamite sauce. Voila! Another taste treat!
Prime Rib Sliders
We were still hungry, and the end of Happy Hour was approaching. We decided to get one last thing, and chose the Ahi Nachos. Oh My!!! Definitely the favorite of the evening! Not really Nachos, so much as four slices of perfectly seared Ahi, each on its own fried Won Ton, with a bit of pickled ginger and drizzled with Wasabi creme. The flavors worked so well together, it made out tongues tingle! Can we say it? Another little orgasm in our mouth! That seems to be the our Benchmark, and this hit it! Really, really excellent! Before it came, we were lamenting yet another fried item, but honestly, the crunch of the Won Ton is what hit it out of the park! It really took some willpower not to order another serving!
The Ahi Tacos! Oh My!!!!!
So the nitty gritty – four wonderful cocktails, three great (for the most part) appetizers, two happy bloggers and one spectacular sunset for less than $40! Hard to beat, especially on a night like this! Oh, and a reminder…our hunt for a good deal doesn’t include cheating the bartenders out of a tip! Remember, they are serving you great cocktails at greatly reduced prices! Be generous, especially when you get great service!
The Chart House in Redondo Beach is located at 231 Yacht Club Way in Redondo Beach and their phone number is (310) 372-3464.
Happy Hour in the South Bay 