Manhattan Beach (CA)

Driving from San Diego to LAX is a risky proposition.  According to various  locals, it could take 2 hours or all day. I chose to hedge my bets and go in plenty of time for my red-eye that evening. Lucky for me, there was a serious outlet mall in Carlsbad (right on the way).  One of my San Diego associates told me that if I have extra time, I should go kill it at Manhattan Beach, a high-rent beach neighborhood surprisingly close to the airport.  Perfect!


I found may way to the Manhattan of the left coast. It struck me as a laid-back, less-resortish version of Laguna... definitely more up my alley. Less loud "look at me" money and more "I just like the beach" money. I could be totally off-base, but that is the vibe I got.


I walk down to the beach, sticking my toes in the water despite the fact that I am the only one sans wetsuit within 30 feet of the surf. The water is bracingly cold, but I'm a happy Piscean Hoosier happy to get one last taste of the ocean before a summer filled with murky, muddy, lakes (better than nothing, but not the big blue Pacific).

Four Sisters--a beach eatery in Manhattan Beach, CA

When I think my feet may start turning blue, I head away from the beach and decide Happy Hour sounds good. I find a cute little place called Four Daughters (named after--you guessed it--the owner's four daughters) and settle into the bar. I order a glass of cheapish Cabernet (Santa Rita 120), Bang Bang Shrimp, the Sliders, and a house salad. Each of these items sets me back a whopping $4. I could get used to the beach!


Everything is yummy. There's a nice little jicama/cucumber slaw under the shrimp, the salad is very fresh, the vinaigrette is homemade, and even the wine is tasty. The thing that strikes me about California (broadly speaking) is that they really understand how to use vegetables more effectively. They always taste good, are fresh, and the variety here is incredible. You actually want to eat the garnish instead of just shoving it to the side of your plate.


Four Daughters is the near-perfect little beach eatery (4/5). My only knock is that the wine list isn't mostly California, which I truly don't understand with the gold mine of local wines in their backyard. Alas! The atmosphere is, well, beachy. The service is laid-back and friendly. The food is laid-back and friendly. In fact, all of Manhattan Beach seems laid-back and friendly. And, well, beachy. I will happily arrive at LAX with a few hours to spare in the future to make a little detour. Cheers!