 In 1982, restaurateur Michael Franks joined forces with chef-partner Robert Bell, invading the laid-back South Bay city of Redondo Beach with an innovative brand of nouvelle cuisine adjoining the nondescript Palos Verdes Inn. Now the restaurant is enjoying smart digs a few miles away, featuring a contemporary dining room and a more casual gastropub named Bouzy. Well worth a drive from anywhere in L.A., Chez Mélange continues to be a thriving South Bay institution, and the founding duo is working harder than ever. The menu is indeed a mélange, and focuses on local, seasonal ingredients featuring a good mix of salads, pastas and other Cal-Med-Asian specialties. You might begin with truffled pappardelle or seared foie gras with sweet corn agnolotti and a splash of pomegranate before moving on to striped bass with beet risotto, bacon-wrapped scallops with an apple reduction, or even veal schnitzel. Finishes include Tuscan olive oil cake with fig compote and crème brûlée. To drink, there’s an eclectic, carefully constructed wine list. The dining room is a contemporary setting with colorful modern art punctuating soothing earth tones, while a sleek lounge features a wall of candles. At convivial Bouzy, named after a village in the Champagne region, folks concentrate on unpretentious burgers, flatbreads, chili, and jalapeño-spiked mac ‘n’ cheese in a festive space clad in brick and illuminated by Edison lights, or on the gastropub’s laid-back patio.
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