Cafe Pierre Procures 2.5 Stars

SIV gives her stamp of approval this week which translates into 2.5 stars for Cafe Pierre and its new chef Remi Lauvand. The restaurant is "turning out a spirited bistro menu that should attract a slew of new customers. Add an excellent wine list with very fair prices and crisp professional service and Cafe Pierre is poised to enter its fourth decade in good shape." The jars are a big hit and include unexpected delicacies like deboned pigs feet, and SIV also loves the "delicious" and "gutsy" brandade. "Main courses may read as predictable or classic, depending on your point of view, but each is cooked with such technical skill that they grab your attention once again...The wine list, too, is excellent, with lots of great bottles to try at very good prices." Overall, SIV feels content with this 30-year old Manhattan Beach staple. [LAT]

The Elsewhere: Food, She Thought likes The Gorbals, Gastronomy tries Zeke's Smokehouse, Exile Kiss visits The Golden State, Caroline on Crack discusses beer cocktails at Essex, Potatomato hits up Mercantile, E*star LA eats lobster and clams at The Water Grill, and ShopEatSleep goes to OC for Chef Chen.