MANHATTAN BEACH POST
ADDRESS: 1142 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
WEBSITE: https://eatmbpost.com/
Manhattan Beach Post has been a restaurant on my list to try for quite some time, going back to January of 2020. My friend Angie and I were down in Manhattan Beach and looking for a place to get some dinner, with Manhattan Beach Post being our top pick. We were turned away at the door, however, since the restaurant was booked up with reservations that entire night. I’ve remembered since then, and this time around, I had booked a reservation for the night before I was flying out of LAX to head out on my trip to Seattle.
It was a Saturday evening when I stopped into the restaurant, with a 5:30PM reservation. The lounge area where a lot of people were congregating while waiting to get seated was already pretty packed, presumably with others that also had a similar reservation time. I got the feeling that they were staggering the reservations to get seated in the dining area to not overload the kitchen, since it was about another 10 minutes before I ended up getting shown to my table.
The inside of the restaurant definitely has a very earthy feel to the décor overall, utilizing a combination of wood and stone along with a beige-brown centric color palette. There were also artificial plants that were hanging down in various areas of the dining room in addition to the planters at various locations along the walls. In talking with my waiter Tony, he mentioned that the restaurant menu is seasonal, so there are a number of different dishes that would rotate out, with a select few that would remain year-round.
Since it was the night before an early morning flight out for a trip, I didn’t want to overstuff myself with a bunch of food. But at the same time, I also wanted to get a sample of a couple of items to get a good sense of variety. Apparently, they were very well-known for their bacon-cheddar buttermilk biscuits, but a full plate of them I probably wouldn’t have been able to finish all on my own.
There were a number of other options that I was looking through on either their small plates or shareables section that sounded pretty good, including the hanger steak, turmeric spiced naan, and marinated tomatoes. But it was Tony who drew my attention to the seared diver scallops, saying that it was his favorite dish on the menu. After looking through the description and spotting “bourbon glazed pork belly,” I saw all I needed to be convinced. I decided to go with another seafood pairing with the scallops, opting for the Hawaiian Kampachi crudo.
There is good reason why this place always seemed to be so popular and filled up with reservations. Manhattan Beach Post has been on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list ever since 2019 and has remained on there every year since (with the exception of 2020, when the Michelin Guide skipped because of COVID). I’m definitely glad that I managed to book the reservation this time around to be able to see what the place is about.
My Hawaiian Kampachi crudo arrived out to the table not too long after I ordered, and it was definitely quite a bit of fish for one person. (Luckily, all-you-can-eat sushi had trained me well.) Each slice of fish was marinated inside a ruby grapefruit citronette that pooled at the bottom of the plate. Accompanying the kampachi and citronette were pieces of yuzu fruit, garnished with shaved fennel, pink peppercorns, and drops of basil oil.
All of the individual ingredients did well to try and balance each other out and not overpower each other. You definitely got a strong tart flavor from the citrus that was on the plate, between both the yuzu and citronette. The ruby grapefruit provided a slight sweetness that mixed well with the tartness, and the citric acid was certainly the strongest presence felt in the dish. I thought that it was a nice way to get my palate started with flavor profiles that were very much a contrast from my other plate of food.
It was the scallops, however, that really stole the show for me. Three diver scallops, seared on both sides, were placed on top of pieces of bourbon glazed pork belly, all resting on a bed of sweet corn puree. A pickled green tomato succotash was added on top, along with some grilled peach slices as well that served to provide a barrier between each scallop. Savory, sweet, smoky, and umami were all of the primary flavors that encompassed this dish, especially if you were able to construct a well-rounded bite with all of the ingredients.
The sear on the scallops was just right, with the green tomato succotash providing a slight texture contrast with the softer scallops and corn puree. The natural sweetness of yellow corn came through in the corn puree, and although I was initially skeptical about the peaches and how they would mix in with the flavors, they ended up working really well. It was honestly one of the best dishes that I had eaten in quite some time, with the flavors all harmonizing together and the presentation of the dish really popping from the color contrast with the dark plate.
If the other dishes at the restaurant were on the same level as what I tried, it’s easy to see why Manhattan Beach Post has been named to the Michelin Bib Gourmand each year since 2019. The presentation was great, the quality of food was excellent, and the atmosphere had a relaxed feel that could fit both a casual outing or celebrating a special occasion. If you do end up wanting to give the place a try, be sure to make your reservation ahead of time. The experience will be well worth it.
Let’s now take a look at the Manhattan Beach Post Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Hawaiian Kampachi Crudo **
Sliced Hawaiian Kampachi marinated in a ruby grapefruit citronette, topped with yuzu fruit, shaved fennel, pink peppercorns, and basil oil.
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** Seared Diver Scallops **
Pan-seared diver scallops with bourbon glazed pork belly, placed on a bed of sweet corn puree, topped with pickled green tomato succotash and grilled market peaches.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Manhattan Beach Post:
Food: 5 / 5
What more can I say about that seared scallop dish? The quality of the ingredients was excellent and the flavor combinations were great. The rest of the menu also offers a great array of other meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes to try on subsequent visits.
Atmosphere: 4.75 / 5
The earth element definitely factored into the décor style, and I think that really gave a nice feel to the restaurant as a warm and inviting space. There was also a nice blend between the natural lighting from outside as well as warm temperature lighting to help establish the ambiance.
Service: 4.25 / 5
My waiter, Tony, was good about coming around the table on several occasions throughout the meal to check and see how the food was. I definitely appreciated his recommendation on the scallops as well, since it turned out to be my favorite dish of the night and it wasn’t originally on my radar. Given how many people got seated around when I did, I also thought the kitchen did well to keep pace with the orders.
Price: 5 / 5
The seared scallops priced in at $33, while the Hawaiian Kampachi crudo was $18. For the quality of both of those dishes, those are prices that I would gladly pay again. Given the location of the restaurant as well, I also thought that the pricing was definitely reasonable.
Overall:
19 / 20
(95%)
Categories: California, Restaurants
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