The Very Good of Two Worlds

Periodically one of us will discover a new restaurant (we all like to eat), pick a night and go eat there.  Sometimes it's nothing more than a bargain at a place we've already eaten  (PRICE ALERT:  Spumoni, corner of Prospect and Aviation, Hermosa Beach - Monday nights, the food is 50 per cent off.  But you better be hanging around the parking lot at 4:45 for their 5 p.m. evening open.

Our foursome consists of two guys (Dee and Mouton) who were our neighbors when we all lived at the Peppertree, on PCH.  Thirty-six years ago.  We are not flighty about loyalty.  If we like you, we like you!

One lives in Long Beach; the rest of us here in Hermosa and Redondo so last night's dinner and a stop in at The Bar That Could Get Us Over the Loss of Suzy's (to Barsha.)  Long Beach stayed home.

The bartender at New Suzy's recommended that we have dinner next door at Hop Saint Brewing Co. and then come to him for a postprandial libation.  The bar has their own kitchen but tactfully, he didn't mention it.

Cut to Saint Hop.  I've reviewed it before (when it was new) and it's still concrete floors, very high ceilings and casual seating i.e. on wooden benches and tables for the food.  Bring your own cushion.  Wood benches are not very forgiving to the butt.

Quoting from the tab:
Vienna Lager Batch #1  $7
Pure Intention Beer $7.50
Grayson Chardonais $16 (two)

For apps with our drinks:
Pulled Pork Poutine - imported from Canada, this dish there is French fries, slathered in a rich brown gravy and smothered with Cheddar cheese curds.  Here at Hops, it's chunks of very crisp potatoes, called "torn potatoes"   ("Dry," Richie complained) with a beer cheese layer on the bottom of the skillet serving dish.  The pulled pork was scattered over the potatoes and the whole thing was topped with a tomato-based thick, slightly spicy, sauce  $11
Deviled eggs with pulled pork beds, chive spears - tasty.  $8 for four.  The men halved #4.
Roasted cornbread with a seasonal fruit jam (like icing on a cake) deliciously flavored and moist. The sugar in the jam caramelized nicely.    Most often, cornbread will explode all over the place with the first fork poke.

Entrees
Burger  $15 - very big, thick hamburger patty, lettuce and so on
Smoked ribs $15 in a fennel caramel sauce.
Killer Shrimp in a habanero cream sauce.  $16.

I thought everything I tasted was quite good.  And, aside from the huge mound of chunked potatos, portions were filling, but not swamping your innards.  And yes, I had enough left to take home for dinner tonight.  Buy a half pound of shrimp and add it to the sauce of which I have plenty and dinner is served.

Then we walked next door to the New Bar and having timed dinner and so forth to 7 p.m. for "Jeopardy" switched to wine, asked the bartender nicely if we could have one of the TVs on Channel 7 for Jeopardy with the closed captions; he happily acquiesced and we watched it from our bar stools!

A lovely evening altogether.