|
Friday,
April 11, 2003
Coach’s
Bar and Grill
BY CHRIS COGNAC
-----------------------------------
Friday, April 11, 2003
Hot tip is tri-tip at Coach’s
-
I got a letter from Hawthorne reader Maxine Brown a few weeks
ago telling me about Coach’s Bar and Grill, which is run
by her sons, Steve and Dave. I followed Maxine’s “hot
tip” and tried it out.
Coach’s is easy to miss, really easy to miss. It’s on
Inglewood Avenue at 137th Street in Hawthorne, not near any stop
lights or places of interest that would make you look over and
see the place.
There are certain types of places that make America great, places
where there are pictures of the local high school teams on the
wall, places that have golf and horseshoe tournaments, places
where the waitresses greet you by name and give you great service,
real neighborhood places. Coach’s is that kind of place;
I felt good the moment I walked through the door.
I brought my partner, Scott, along with our 20-year-old assistant
Kimberly. She tests the healthy stuff because she has a boyfriend
and eats only salads.
I was surprised to see that Coach’s has a pretty diverse
selection, ranging from the artery clogging “Big Rich”
one-pound burger ($5.50), which Scott ordered,
to the grilled chicken salad that Kimberly got.
We ordered some soup to begin with — I asked if it was homemade
and was told that the soups are all homemade.
I got a bowl of a tasty tortilla soup
($3) — a nice start and filling too, because it came with
a lot of chicken. Scott had a bowl of clam
chowder. It wasn’t bad, but a little thin. We agreed
that the tortilla soup was much better.
Scott got a monster-size, two-beef-patty
heart-stopper with toppings between the
two patties. I was impressed with the size. It was almost
as good as the reigning champion “royal burger” at B&R
Old Fashion Burgers in Hawthorne. Coach’s burger is great,
but it does not have that sloppy goodness of a “royal burger.”
I got a tri-tip sandwich on a French roll
($5.50). Now that is the hot tip. I declare it the
best tri-tip sandwich in the South Bay. It was fantastic;
tender, juicy, quality beef cooked just right, with a little barbecue
sauce on top.
Sandwiches are served with onion rings, fries or curly fries.
I really liked the big and crunchy onion
rings with lots of flavor. The curly fries are good too,
and you can get ranch dressing to dip them in.
Kimberly’s grilled chicken salad ($6) had lean white meat,
served on a nice fresh green salad. It’s served in a big
round bowl, which cuts down on the mess and really lets you dig
in. I must say that I was impressed with the salad.
I have been to Coach’s many times since, and it’s now
one of my regular lunch spots. It’s a great place with a
little bit of something for everyone: carne
asada taco’s ($1.50 each), half a sandwich and salad
($4), a pastrami sandwich ($5), grilled
chicken, bacon and avocado sandwiches ($5.50).
Check out Coach’s for lunch someday. It’s a great little
place with lots of “hometown” atmosphere.
AROUND THE SOUTH BAY
I read in the Daily Breeze that the Shellback Tavern in Manhattan
Beach will be torn down within the year and could be replaced
by an “upscale” Italian place. Great, like we need another
“upscale” place down there. I can find plenty of places
to pay $17 for spaghetti, but places such as Shellback (great
chili sizes by the way) are what made the beach cities what they
are, or used to be before the mansions came in. We need to do
our best to keep these “local” places that give the
South Bay its identity.
The Chart House (where I was a crew member at one time) seems
to be doing things right again, after several years of “corporate”
misguidance as to what the Chart House was all about (steaks and
seafood). It has been purchased by Landry’s Seafood Restaurants,
Inc. and seems to be heading in the right direction. I have now
lifted my three-year, self-imposed boycott.
The “West Coast Roast” barbecue competition is coming
to the Hawthorne Air Fair on Aug. 16, so if you think you have
great grilling skills, then start practicing. The winner will
be the West Coast champion and travel to Memphis, Tenn., to compete
in the World BBQ Championships.
Reader Bill Stine of Torrance wrote telling me about the Cimarron
Cafe in Torrance and asked if I would review it. I know of it,
but have not eaten there in years. So Bill, drop me an e-mail
at chris@culinary detective.com. I will come and eat with
you and your friends at the Cimarron Cafe one day.
Coach’s Bar and Grill,
13708 Inglewood Ave., Hawthorne, CA - Phone: 310-970- 0033. Hours:
11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Tri-tip sandwich, $5.50; Big-rich burger,
$5.50; grilled chicken salad, $6.
--
|
