I had been to Hot’s Kitchen in Hermosa Beach just once before, and after almost three years in business I can report that the restaurant is kicking. The ambiance is the key thing here, and when I wrote my first review I think that I upset the publicist by saying that the place was way too loud for my liking, and that the acoustics were horrible. Nothing has changed, so I guess beach crowd diners are used to that kind of atmosphere.

Let’s just concentrate on the edgy food prepared by chef/owner Sean Chaney at the Ballast Point Beer Dinner where he was ably assisted by Chef de Cuisine John Komolos. The six course feast was 90% sold out, and first course saw a Charcuterie plate accompanied by a delightful and sweet tasting Pescadero Pilsner with only 4.6% alcohol. The mini-charcuterie featured the ubiquitous deviled egg, cordobesa & finocchiona salami, pawlet cheese and a selection of olives.

Pan Seared Hake w/organic sea beans, piopini mushrooms and yuku kosho followed and was served with the Brother Levonian Saison beer, a complex and hard to find beer with hints of honeysuckle and orange blossom. Hake is an African fish rarely seen on menu’s in these parts, and is somewhat of an acquired taste but worked well on this occasion.

Best part of the meal was probably the Spanish Burger, a first time item at Hot’s that will now be part of the regular menu. The beers started getting stronger however, and the burger was paired with  Sculpin I.P.A. with an increased 7% alcohol content and a lot of body.
Roman style Carbonara with an embedded fresh quail egg was a unique presentation indeed, and was paired with Habanero Sculpin beer infused with the heat and flavor of Habaneros which added to the overall palate confusion of the pairing.

My guest from Peru was completely confused by this time, and the Mystery Meat with a morello cherry sauce, tuscan kale and a granny smith apple chutney had him completely flummoxed. I nevertheless finished the plate easily to discover that it was beef tongue, yet another acquired taste like the hake earlier. This was paired with a Hoppy Red Ale with a caramel malt base.

Final course was a Port Float with manhattan beach creamery toffee caramel swirled ice cream with a Victory at Sea Imperial Coffee Porter. A most unusual ending to a very eclectic meal that certainly stays in the memory of culinary experiences.

Check out their upcoming beer dinners as people are likely to come to see what chef Chaney is likely to come up with next time.

Hot’s Kitchen
844 Hermosa Avenue
Hermosa Beach, CA90254
Tel: (310) 318-2939

Open 7 days  11am-10 pm
Parking-Small Lot, Street parking or City Parking lot north of pier.