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When we first heard that Chef David LeFevre left downtown’s Water Grill late last year, we freaked out a little. Where else could we enjoy LeFevre’s sublime cooking? And how long would we have to wait?

But almost immediately LeFevre announced that he would be opening his own restaurant, so our fears were allayed. That new place turned out to be MB Post in Manhattan Beach, and it hasn’t disappointed.

Housed in the beach town’s historic post office on Manhattan Avenue, MB Post is much more laid-back than Water Grill. With its rustic interior, bench seating and rockin’ soundtrack (think Elastica, Guns N’ Roses and the Beastie Boys), MB Post is much more LeFevre’s personal speed. But just because the white tablecloths are gone doesn’t mean the quality of the food has suffered; in fact, this menu is interesting, playful, and most of all, delicious.

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Cocktails and the Taco de Atun Crudo from Ortega 120

The 4th annual White Light White Night fundraiser event, which benefits Walk With Sally, a non-profit organization that provides free-of-charge mentoring support programs and services to L.A. children who are living with or have lost a parent or sibling to cancer, is taking place Saturday, July 10, at 6:00 p.m. at the South Bay BMW lot and rooftop in Torrance. This year’s event will feature a concert from Rocco DeLuca, an auction, and food and drink from South Bay eateries, including Ortega 120 and the new outpost of Gonpachi in the Miyako Hybrid Hotel.

Last year, the event raised more than $100,000 to sponsor children through the Walk With Sally program. The goal for this year is to fund 60 new kids in addition to the 43 existing mentorships; there are currently 59 children who are waiting to take part in the program.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.WalkWithSally.org. General tickets cost $100 per person, and VIP tickets, which allow access to the silent and live auctions, cost $150 per person.

I don’t make it down to the South Bay very often, so whenever I’m invited to a dinner in the area, I try to get over the “it’s so far” feeling that inevitably creeps up and go. This time the dinner was at Cafe Pierre in Manhattan Beach, a contemporary French eatery on Manhattan Beach Boulevard. This was a meal full of firsts for me, and I discovered I liked things I never thought I would like.

We were served a bunch of potted meats to start. This is when I tried head cheese, trotters, rillete and beef tartare for the first time, and none were as scary as I thought they would be. I actually surprised myself by really liking the hand-cut beef tartare, which came with judion beans on the side. I also had escargot and bone marrow as starters, too, both for the first time as well. While neither were as that scary, I didn’t enjoy them as much as the beef tartare, which had a fresh taste to it, contrary to what I had imagined raw beef tasting like.

I think this is head cheese, but it could have been trotters or rillete

Beef tartare

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Cocktails and the Taco de Atun Crudo

I rarely go to the South Bay. I can count the number of times I’ve been there on one hand. So when Mexican restaurant Ortega 120 invited me and a bunch of food writers, including fellow blogger e*starla, down to Redondo Beach for a meal and tequila pairing, I was a little skeptical. I mean, it just seemed so far (melodramatic, I know). But far be it from me to turn down free food and tequila, right? I’m not gainfully employed at the moment, after all.

So when we arrived at the homey-yet-stylish restaurant via chartered passenger van (tequila pairings, remember) and I saw the extensive menu, I was immediately excited. And co-owners Demi Stevens (mixologist) and Tommy Ortega (chef) didn’t disappoint. Neither did the night’s tequila sponsor, Partida. Let me tell you why.

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