Thursday, October 29, 2009
Posted By:
Josh Korwin
Photo:
Josh Korwin
Red Car Brewery and Restaurant
Downtown Torrance, otherwise known as Old Torrance, is something of an enigma. At one point in the previous century it was the classic "American Graffiti" place for the youngsters to hang out. It's chock full of vintage signage and Eisenhower-era relics like Foster's Freeze, Fox's Drugs, and the Torrance Bakery. Now, despite revitalization attempts and a few well respected restaurants, its mostly diurnal population is anything but the hip crowd one would see strolling along Melrose. But many of the necessary raw ingredients for impending hipster takeover are present, and The Red Car Brewery deserves to be counted as one of them. It's independently owned; has old, atmospheric "reclaimed" architecture; serves its own satisfactory microbrews; and isn't located at the Del Amo Fashion Center. It's what would happen if you drained all of the PF Chang's out of BJ's. The food is fresh, flavorful, and simple--but certainly not braindead. Become a regular now, and in twenty years you'll be able to say "I was hanging out there before Old Torrance became cool."
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