Packed and crazy loud
THIRTY years ago, Guy Gabriele, a Frenchman who was born in Tunisia and raised in southern France, opened a little creperie in Manhattan Beach called Crepe Pierre. Soon it evolved into a restaurant, Cafe Pierre, and it’s been a fixture on Manhattan Beach Boulevard ever since.
It’s a popular spot -- a “we won’t seat you until your entire party’s here” kind of spot on weekends, when the place is hopping.
The room has recently been redone, and the vibe is more 1980s California than France. It’s angular, bright and shiny, with deep red walls and banquettes, lots of mirrors, gleaming blue panels on an arched ceiling. When it fills up, watch out -- the sound is crazy loud, bouncing off all those hard, shining surfaces like mad. Everyone shouts to be heard.
The menu is new too. A “market menu” section features some compelling dishes such as a starter of citrus-cured sardines with onion relish and caper berries, or pappardelle with wild boar ragu. “Cafe Pierre ‘originals’ ” include poulet a la moutarde, steak au poivre and other traditional dishes, along with an escapee from the ‘80s, ahi tuna tartare with wasabi vinaigrette and chili oil.
By far the best dishes here are the most traditional. Yet another section on the menu offers “Mamma Rina and Pere Antoine secrets,” named for Gabriele’s Italian-born parents. What a treat to find pieds de cochons (pig’s trotters)! They’re wonderfully rich, served with a terrific little frisee salad, crisp, nicely dressed haricots verts and a sauce gribiche.
Gabriele’s father was a charcutier, and Cafe Pierre’s charcuterie menu really shines. Sure, there’s speck from Alto Adige and Fra Mani salumi -- skip that, though; delicious as they are, you can find them elsewhere. Instead go for the fromage de tete -- trim slices of house-made head cheese (kind of a fresh sausage, with pork suspended in aspic) that’s absolutely fantastic, served with cornichons. The house-made duck rillettes are just as good.
A recent Saturday night dinner started out swimmingly, with all that great charcuterie and sardines and a wonderful bottle of Nicolas Joly Sancerre, but after that the evening turned into something of a nightmare. The kitchen and wait staff seemed to be overwhelmed, and we waited more than an hour and a half for our main courses, with nary a word from the wait staff about what was going on. It was a battle getting someone’s attention for more bread or another bottle of wine. In fact, the wait between courses was so long that the four of us finished the bottle of red we had ordered to go with our main courses long before they showed up, and we had to order another. The place was so cacophonous we could barely hear one another, so it was painful passing the time in conversation. The main courses, when they finally arrived, were ho-hum at best; desserts seemed like a punishment, simply because we had been there so long.
Altogether, it was exhausting.
I’d go back, though, if I were in the neighborhood. But I’d go early, before the noise overwhelmed the place, and sit at the bar. I’d go with a pal, order a glass of wine and that fabulous fromage de tete, maybe the pied de cochon, then we’d segue into a couple of cheeses, some Pata Cabra goat cheese from Spain, a gooey wedge of pungent Epoissesfrom France.
Sounds like the perfect ending to a day at the beach.
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Cafe Pierre
Where: 317 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach
When: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays; 5:30-10 p.m. Sundays to Wednesdays; 5:30-11 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays. Full bar. Valet parking, or park in the lot behind the restaurant.
Price: Dinner appetizers, $5.50 to $15; charcuterie, $7 to $9, or $27 for a combination plate; main courses, $16 to $32; desserts, $8
Info: (310) 545-5252; www.cafepierre.com