The East Hamptons have landed in the South Bay with the opening of a new restaurant in Redondo Beach that offers coastal inspired food along with live music.
“Montauk is what we call sophisticated coastal dining. The idea behind it is for us to put a more elevated fine dining concept in the traditionally casual Redondo Beach area,” said Lavae McClinnahan, founder of the Montauk, a 160-seat restaurant that soft opened Oct. 23 at 1611 S. Catalina Ave., in the city’s popular Riviera Village restaurant and shopping area.
McClinnahan said the goal is to combine the elegance of East Hampton, New York, with the laid-back charm of the Southern California coastline. This means an exterior clad in marble and gold trims, an interior with white-linen tables, dark wood tones and a more laid-back patio with a coastal feel that includes banquettes and an herb garden that’s used in the menu.
The restaurant, which is named after Montauk, a hamlet in East Hampton, also has a jazz lounge where McClinnahan plans on having live jazz music nightly.
Food highlights include flounder en papillote, filet mignon with duck fat fingerlings, and mushroom tagliatelle made with house-made pasta, roasted garlic crème and baked Maitake mushrooms, plus the Chilean Seabass with Peruvian pommes purée and saffron ginger glaze.
“This dish is very robust in flavor but it’s not one of those dishes that’s too fishy,” he said.
One must-try dish according to McClinnahan is the seared duck breast, made with grilled peach and herb salad and duck fat potatoes.
“Yeah this dish is crazy. Our duck is very lean but it’s a filling dish,” he said.
The menu also offers a selection of caviar, seafood platters, and for vegans there’s a beet tart with pesto.
“We’re definitely adding some flair to Redondo Beach,” McClinnahan said.
Montauk is at 1611 S Catalina Ave., Redondo Beach. For information, call 213-596-2699 or email info@montaukinredondo.com