MB Post

What do I consider "LA"?  I get irritated when people say they live in LA, when really they live in Sherman Oaks or Pasadena or Redondo Beach.  I've lived in LA my entire adult life up until now, and I really only consider LA to the area bordered by the 110, 10, 405, and maybe Sunset.  I'm a total snob, what can I say?  And truly truly truly, the real LA, the LA you see on TV is only the area of Vine up until La Cienega going east/west and Hollywood down to Wilshire going north/south.  That was my hood for the past 3 years, and only in that time did I feel the real action of LA's dining scene because that area is packed with some of LA's finest and most noteworthy establishments.  There, you'll find restaurants like The Bazaar, Grace, Hatfield's, Providence, Osteria and Pizzeria Mozza, Urasawa, Animal, Son of a Gun, AOC, and more recently Ink, just to name a few.  So once you leave this square, or even the larger LA I described, dining options that peak your culinary curiosity and find worthy of spending a little extra dime become slim.  That is until MB Post.

MB Post was recently opened by the former executive chef at Water Grill, which for all intents and purposes is your typical boring, albeit high end, high quality, American seafood restaurant.  Granted, I was only there for dine LA and my favorite thing of the night was dessert, I would still stand by my assessment.  Knowing that coming in, I was pretty surprised at how different, and particularly, how Asian-influenced MB Post turned out to be.  I don't know why Triple T and Smooth Obturator hadn't ventured here yet since they only live down the street from the place, but I guess it made for a funner experience since we all got to try it for the first time together.



Bacon Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuit maple butter
The biscuits came 2 to an order, so I sadly did not get my own.  Luckily Triple T doesn't eat for 2 like she should, so I still got plenty to try.  It was butter, bacony, and not too cheesy.  The butter was delicious and just a touch sweet.  It was good, don't get me wrong, but I wish I had those biscuits at Lucille's Smokehouse to devour right about now.

Jamon Serrano 12 month aged, redondo iglesias, assorted pickles
I sorta laughed at Smooth Obturator as he proceeded to tell me MB Post was known for its charcuterie. Pssh, the cured meats section of the menu only had 4 choices.  If you want to be bombarded with charcuterie, please come to Portland, namely Olympic Provisions.  It's on every menu, unless the specialty of the house is Beef Chow Fun or Pad Thai.  Anyways, I thought the jamon was just ok.  The assorted pickles didn't actually come with the ham; it was an additional order.  Man oh man were those pickles SOUR!  Like seriously my eyes were twitching and my tongue was writhing.

Blistering Blue Lake Green Beans thai basil, chili sauce, crispy pork
This was probably one of my favorite dishes of the night.  I don't get to eat green beans anymore because Dumpling Man no likey likey.  This was very much like fried Chinese string beans you get at a Chinese restaurant, but with a stronger fish sauce taste.  The nuts were a different addition but definitely  gave great texture and flavor.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts emmental, hazelnuts, sage
Brussel sprouts is such a hot dish at restaurants these days.  It's ironic because brussel sprouts is your prototypical hated vegetable.  I guess its a vegetable that just roasts up really nicely.  This dish was tasty with the exception of the cheese, which although not overpowering, was kinda strange to eat with the sprouts.  I don't usually eat cheese with my veggies.

Diver Scallops shrimp-ginger dumplings, katsuo dashi broth
The scallops were nice and the shrimp dumpling was tasty although the skin was a little too soft.  Dumplings? Dashi? It can't get more Asian than that.

Steamed Mussels green curry, chinese sausage, coriander rice
I wished the mussels were bigger and meatier, although I'm sure Triple T could have cared less since she's no fan of these guys.  The flavor was totally Thai with the scent of lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, and green curry.  The chinese sausage was sort of out of place.

Meyer Farms 'Never Ever' Skirt Steak grilled broccolini, red chimichurri
By this point we were getting pretty stuffed.  This was one of the more safe dishes of the night.  A well grilled skirt steak with a tangy herby sauce and some tender broccolini.

Vietnamese Caramel Pork Jowl green papaya salad, lime
I was soo full but I just had to have me some pork jowl.  This was that kind of "lip smacking" tastiness. It had that sugary caramelized fish sauciness.  And now thinking back, I don't remember any green papaya salad, so I think we got jipped.  This is a definite must get dish!

Spiced Apple Hand Pies salted caramel sauce
This was totally my doing because Triple T and Smooth Obturator had about enough, but these days, dessert is a total must.  These weren't that great unfortunately.  The salted caramel was a tad too salty.  The dough was a bit heavy.  The apples were just meh.  We only about half a pie or something like that.  Maybe we would have eaten more if it were a la mode.

MB Post was quite a surprise because 1) we weren't expecting such heavily Asian-influenced dishes and 2) the food was very solid.  Despite the Asian dishes, there's was still the biscuits, the jamon, I mean MB Post varies it up and it's not weird or anything.  I don't think a single dish really disappointed, excluding dessert maybe.  During the meal Smooth Obturator was telling Triple T how they need to make MB Post a weekly occasion, but by the end of the meal they were just too stuffed and weighed down to feel like coming back.  It's definitely not a weekly place, but it's certainly a place that should get you out of your LA bubble and come to the South Bay for some goodies.  MB Post certainly stands out in the Manhattan Beach area, which isn't really known for any high profile foodie establishments.  If you don't' eat here, at least stop by for some drinks cuz the scene is definitely poppin'!

MB Post
1142 Manhattan Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266