[Torrance] Restaurant Christine

[CarrieWas218]

I love my old friends, I really do. But I should know better than to trust people who don't eat out very often to pick the restaurants... Wife was very excited about finding a place they thought I would enjoy; fusion food, 4-star Yelp reviews, can accommodate Wife's vegetarian needs and Husband's seafood love. My only criteria was a place somewhere between my LAX hotel and their Garden Grove home. We had planned on Long Beach, but Wife was so excited about finding Restaurant Christine in Torrance.

There was an amuse of strawberry soup -- a bit on the thick and yogurty side, more like Keffir. Husband and I shared everything that was served, while Wife stuck with the purely vegetarian offerings.

The first dish was a sampler of Ginger Kobe Beef & Pork Shu Mai with 3 Dipping Sauces served with a side of slaw. Quite honestly, if there was kobe beef in these dumplings, it was wasted. All one could taste was the sickly sweet sauces and heavy, fried wrappers.

Next, fully shared by all, was a Grilled Pear & Maytag Blue Cheese Salad, Baby Greens, Kiln Dried Cherries, Candied Pecans, and Black Currant Vinaigrette. I will give them points on having fresh ingredients, but again, the sticky sickly sweet glaze destroyed what could have been a lovely dish.

Another dish shared by The Husband and I was something I quite frankly can't even remember. I've perused the online menu and nothing even rings a bell. How memorable is that?

The Husband was very excited about the Crayfish and Avocado Tower with Nappa [i][sic][/i] Cabbage, Mango, Sesame Crisp, Thai Glaze. No one has seemed to tell these people that towering food on this scale hasn't been made since the late 1990s. Why would anyone pair creamy, mild avocado with a creamed crayfish? Two creamy components on an insipid sauce with just a few house-made sesame crackers does not an enticing dish make.

It was hard to watch The Wife get so excited about the main entrée we ordered for the table, Mushroom Raviolis with Roasted Garlic, Zucchini, Portabella Mushrooms, Sundried Tomatoes, Fresh Sage, and Pecorino. The ravioli were monstrous -- at least 3" across -- and buried under a melange of vegetables and pasty mushroom soup. We each only had one bite, leaving it mostly uneaten.

I was ready to leave, the Husband and Wife both wanted dessert and I *was* enjoying their company, so two were decided upon. The first was a crepe filled with cheese (I think?) and doused with Grand Marnier which was set aflame. It was terribly alcoholic and -- AGAIN -- sickly sweet.

The real catastrophe was a ginger-scented creme bruleé. For starters, it was not bruléed nearly enough but even worse, when the spoons broke through the sugar, we were met with a soupy mess. When the waitress asked how we liked it, I pointed out that it wasn't exactly cooked properly. Her response was that it was supposed to be creamy. Uhhhh..... Wrong.

So many of the "fusion" flavors that were presented reminded me so much of what was being prepared and served at The Cheesecake Factory in the late 1990s. So ill-conceived with sauces that are too thick and sweet and horribly unbalanced. It was a Thursday night and the place was PACKED. Now I dearly love my friends and I can't wait to see them again. But this time, I'll pick the restaurant....

[DrBruin]

Hi Carrie,

Loved the review since it paralleled my experiences at the restaurant.

I also am perplexed at the love of this restaurant by locals. I live in Torrance and this is one of the fancier places in this city to go to, with the other one being the Depot. Of course, you can head off to one of the beach towns for good eats or head into Palos Verdes for one of the restaurants at the new Terranea resorts.

My experience was similar. We were started off with an amuse of mushroom soup. Not sweet, but not tasty.

I ordered the lobster and arugala salad for an appetizer, which was okay but the lobster was hard to find. It was overly dressed.

My wife ordered the cioppino, which the waiter said "is made to order." The portion was huge. It wasn't spicy (my wife asked for it to be mild). The seafood to me didn't seem fresh when I tasted it. The broth had a strange taste too, one that I couldn't exactly delineate because my palate was destroyed by my dish.

I ordered the brick flattened rosemary chicken. The portion was huge but the skin was not crispy, more on the gelatinous rubbery side. On the rosemary usage, I'd have to say the level of rosemary was a 14 on a scale of 10. It was just too darn strong to enjoy.

I've also been there for banquet events and had their Prosciutto Wrapped Filet Mignon Medallions
Sage Bread Pudding, Again the sage was so pungent that it really ruined my enjoyment of the beef. Fortunately, I wasn't paying. I was invited there last night for a free business dinner/banquet, but I passed.

I will say that I've had their chocolate obsession for dessert and their banana creme bruleé, and have enjoyed both desserts in the past.

If you're looking for other places to eat in Torrance, let me know.