The Strand House is a seafood-driven, coastally located restaurant that overlooks Manhattan Beach.
“It’s not a bad office to work in,” touts Chef Chris Park as he looks out the window onto the beach.
The menu focuses mainly on California influences and has recently received a multitude of local recognition from the people.
“Ironically, we got, through the People’s Choice, Best Steakhouse. Although we’re a seafood-driven restaurant, it’s nice to know that people are enjoying all the offerings on our menu,” he explained. “We were also voted third Best in Nation, but Best in California: Best View.”
When people first arrive at The Strand House, their breath is immediately taken away by the ambiance, then by the food and service.
“I think people enjoy our restaurant for a multitude of reasons. We have great service paired with a friendly and warm staff. We have fun, diverse items on our menu that people can enjoy, and we really like to pair that with great alcohol. Our cocktail program is amazing, and we have an extensive wine list for you to pair all your food with. So overall, I think it’s a complete experience here,” Park said.
Another important aspect of the establishment is in its name, the word house.
“The big thing for us is that we love people to treat this like their home. When you come to someone’s home and you have dinner, you don’t just eat and leave, right? All throughout summer and for most of the year, Friday, Saturday, and even Sunday, during brunch, we have live entertainment downstairs. There’s a DJ, he’s rocking music. It’s a good place to meet and stay with your friends, have cocktails, have some fun dancing, we always set up a dance floor, and it’s a high-energy vibrant time.”
Park’s love for the culinary arts came at an early age. His grandmother would have him sit on the countertop as she was cooking, making him taste the food to see if anything extra was needed.
“It was kind of palette training. She would ask me if this needs more salt. I’m Korean, so we use a lot of soy. So she asked me, does it need more soy? More garlic? And getting more nuanced as I got better at tasting food.”
His grandmother also inadvertently taught him the importance of whole fresh ingredients. She had a garden at home and during the summer months would pluck fresh produce to add to her meals.
“It was truly an experience and really a great learning opportunity that I didn’t realize I was taking advantage of,” he said.
His familial influence, along with his passion for watching cooking shows on PBS lit an inspirational fuse within him.
“Just the passion and verve that they had for food, really drove it home for me that maybe this is something that I can do, and kind of knew from a very young age,” he said. “When I got the job at The Strand House here, it was a dream come true for me. Three years in at The Strand House, I think that this is a very, very lucky situation that we have here. It’s the perfect storm of all good things… We have a great customer base, a lot of regulars. We have a great staff, and we have great management. We get a lot of support when we need things.”
If ever anyone needs anything, Park touts the restaurant’s owner, Michael Zislis, of the Zislis Group for being very supportive. The Strand House and the boutique hotel and the restaurant management company have come together to have a strong community presence. The restaurant holds fundraisers and donates to local community causes. Recently they held an event to help Torrance Memorial Medical Center build a new emergency room.
The restaurant continues the community feel with its generational menu, which includes touches from previous chefs.
“We have had a lot of great chefs come through the building. I hope that my legacy, whatever that I leave here, can add to that list,” he revealed.
As for the menu, for the starters their “runaway hit” is the tuna tostadas.
“One of our customers told me the other day, that he’s probably eaten a million of these,” he exclaimed. “It’s probably one of the best reviews I’ve had for a dish when you’ve had a million of something.”
For entrees, those looking for a lighter but satisfying fare may enjoy the seared scallops with tajarin alongside artichoke pesto pasta.
“This dish came up again, like how we like to work with our team and stuff like that. It was a collaboration with myself and one of my sous chefs, but the main flavor is from my team, and it’s something that I like to foster with them, you know, bring them up and really promote them and really try and give them the best that they can get out of this place so that when they go on, they’re successful in their future.”
Other “show stopping items” on the menu are the tomahawk ribeye, which is made from Australian beef and the seafood tower.
For those that have a sweet tooth, The Strand House provides fresh fried donuts. The flavors change monthly to match the seasons.
“Right now we’re serving peach and key lime on top of our three mainstays of chocolate, crunch, vanilla and salted caramel.”
The eatery’s chocolate Dubai dish is very popular. It’s a fudgy chocolate cake, Kataifi, ganache, pistachio and strawberry crumble, chocolate ice cream.
Another popular item is the restaurant’s burrata and heirloom tomato salad.
This segment of California Cooking aired on Episode 192.
Park taught us how to make it and now you can too here:
Burrata and Heirloom Tomato
Courtesy: The Strand House
Ingredients:
Fresh heirloom tomatoes cut into big chunks
Burrata
Aged balsamic vinegar
Arugula and frisee
Shallots cut into rings
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Instructions:
- To make shallot jam, cut shallots into rings. Add shallots, balsamic vinegar and pinch of sugar into a sauce pot.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until shallots are tender.
- Puree in food processor until homogeneous. (optional).
- Season tomatoes with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and mix.
- Arrange the tomatoes around half a plate in a semi circle.
- Add dollops of burrata on top of tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil.
- Add dollops of shallot jam and drizzle everything with aged balsamic.
- Dress greens with olive oil, balsamic Vinegar and season with salt.
- Garnish tomatoes and burrata with greens.
- Enjoy!
