Restaurant Christine

Grabbed dinner with a friend on a Wednesday night. Cute place. Service was great, although they kept interrupting my conversations which was a small disappointment.
Ordered the mushroom ravioli and they were beyond delicious! Lots of various mushrooms; however, because mushrooms give off a lot of water, the sauce seemed watered down. They could use a little more cheese but since it’s Asian fusion. it was not bad.
My biggest disappointment was that the waiter took my plate before I was even finished! I’ve never had that happen before.

Lied to employees and closed without notice, leaving employees who have been there for YEARS out of jobs. Classless, shady business practices. But it’s turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the employees who have moved on to bigger, better things. They didn’t know what they were missing until they realized that you can make money, be treated with respect AND appreciated for your talents!
Check out the brand new, beautiful and delicious Lou’s on the Hill in the same complex, now open for lunch as well as dinner. — a class act through and through!

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED.
The owner and Chef Christine closed for «repairs» last Monday. Really it was to clear the place out. On Tuesday she called the employees and let them know the restaurant would not be reopening. Sad. No notice, no severance and us customers had no idea! Brutal!

Long overdue update… we went here around the holidays w/​the family. Nice atmosphere. The waiter cracks me up all the time… we love him. He’s such a clown.
This time, we decided to order 1 appetizer, 1 entrée, and 1 salad per couple. The amount of food was perfect. We started off with the melon and prosciutto salad. Delicious and artfully plated as always. Next was the ahi tuna tacos. Very interesting with a crisp shell and some spiciness. Mango slaw was an unique touch. For our main dish, we got the butternut squash ravioli and chimichurri marinated hangar steak. Very robust flavors. Pic is kinda dark.
We finished off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a crème brûlée. Wow, the crème brûlée was much better than expected. Nice and dense with a crisp caramelized sugary top. DH also got a burnt caramel milkshake. It was too sweet, even for me.
Overall, good local spot for a nice meal. However, it’s not spectacular enough to go out of my way to eat here… stick to the recommended dishes and don’t over-​order.

I went here for the first time with a couple of people that are regulars. The food and pricing was satisfactory; however, the service was absolutely horrible. We asked for water 4 different times. The server (a long time female waitress) seemed overwhelmed, unfriendly, and having difficulty accomplishing more than one task. There were plenty of servers/​helpers walking around, yet it wasn’t clear why we couldn’t get good service. I wouldn’t write this review if I wasn’t told by those that we were with that this is «normal»…poor service from the same woman.
All in all, the experience was so frustrating, that it wouldn’t matter how good the food was.

I love this place. It’s quaint, staff is always very friendly, knowledgeable and the food is amazing. The Asian Grazing Sampler is my absolute favorite. It’s a great local restaurant down the hill. I highly recommend it.

I was very disappointed and will not return. We came to celebrate a special day and received very poor service. The price for what you get is way too high and the atmosphere is one of a cheep diner. I wouldn’t come back unless the food was free since it was okay in taste but still not worth the cost.

Came here last night for work holiday dinner and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food! I was able to try the warm mushroom goat cheese salad which I HiGHLY recommend (can be eaten as an entrée). I’ve never had a mushroom salad like this one before. Also had the Sesame glazed salmon which was cooked to perfection. Wasn’t such a fan of the Mediterranean platter appetizer– not much on it.

The food ruined my dinner. Service was fine but what came out of the kitchen did not resemble what was on the menu. Both the quality and the execution of the plates were severely lacking. I ordered Chilean sea bass that was cold, without any cooking color, and tasted like a microwaved frozen fish stick. My wife’s plate was no better.
First and last time.

Been going there since they opened and keep going back. First, best bartender in the world, Jen, is a joy. The food keeps getting better and better and you wonder how it can. I don’t like figs, but the party I was with ordered the prosciutto wrapped figs with the current dressing that was out of this world. We couldn’t stop eating it. The staff treats you like family and it shows in the way everybody in the restaurant is enjoying themselves.

Its a shame, this is my Father’s favorite spot (I have no clue why). It is right down the street from my office yet we always end up at Mistos (5 Stars to Mistos). Christine, you are a gourmet chef, I know all about you and it’s very upsetting you let the quality of food you provide be served on some of your customers plates.
I ordered the Filet Mignon (bacon wrapped) medium rare. The steak was beyond rare, normally I would not mind but it was so rare I was worried I could get sick. Tha bacon was not cooked, period. Nonetheless I went at it, it was like chewing a flank stank but 10x worse. In all my years (Filet Migon is my favorite steak), I have never had a worse cut of meat. I was literally forcing each bite down my throat. So chewy and rubbery. Keep in mind this was probably a 4oz steak, I couldn’t even get half down.
I asked the waitress to cook the steak just a bit longer, that it was too rare, being with colleagues I did not want to seem as a complainer. That was before each person we were with started to complain about their food, too salty, too much cheese, nobody was happy with their plate. Anyways the waitress came back, she literally microwaved my entire plate, french fries, weird cheese ball and ALL. I couldn’t believe it. I seem to have heard that at that point microwaving the steak is all that you can do to cook it longer but microwave the WHOLE plate?
Anyways all of us ended up consuming approximately 25% of each of our meals. The left overs were thrown away (except my steak which I left for my dog). I love how Christine walked by our table several times when we were clearly done eating and all had full plates and didnt bother to ask us about the food. It was terrible Christine, time for improvement. I ended up taking my FM steak home for my dog and I’m curious to see if even he will eat it.
This is probably my 5^th time here, I dont come on choice but rather to meet clients etc. This is the last time I will be here and I will not let clients come here as well. Lots of room for improvement, I hope you take the initiative.

Came back for lunch, its busier than I thought for lunch but we sat on the patio near the back with a heater and enjoyed the atmosphere there. It can get noisy inside when its crowded. We asked to sit up stairs but they kind of frowned on it so we took the outside table.
Service was terrific this time around.. Food, was OK. We had:
Italian Pinot Grigio
Blackberry Green Iced Tea (LOVE THIS STUFF!!)
(Taco Tuesday) Salmon Tacos
French Dip special
Brocolli potato soup
Brocolli Potato soup was DELICIOUS and was smooth not chunky like other places. I detected shredded pieces of chicken and rice and I believe there was a bacon topping. We really loved it. It tasted more like split pea and didn’t have the super thick consistency of potato soup but balanced out the brocolli flavor so nicely!
The salmon tacos were more like a salad with some tortillas and a few slices of salmon. This was my boyfriend’s entrée and I was glad it wasn’t mine. The whole plate was covered in mixed baby greens salad. You could hardly find the tacos. I’m very particular when it comes to salad and very glad I did not order I would have had to send it back. Ask how much salad is on the tacos before you order, i wished I had taken a photo.
French Dip special with maytag blue cheese and horesradish. My entrée and it was DELICIOUS! I substituted the french fries for the soup and they were OK with that. The bread was fresh and toasted perfectly, the blue cheese melted and complimented the flavor of the sliced beef. The beef was tender not chewy and the au jus was perfect and not too salty. The slaw was flavorful, and more my type its not mayonnaise based.
We will continue to try other dishes here, as it seems we get either a hit or miss with each try and I am confident one day we’ll both pick hits! This restaurant is listed as a french restaurant but I don’t see a lot of french influence, more california fusion cuisine with a heavy of emphasis on pacific asian and garlic as most dishes list it as a main ingredient.$ 47+ tip out the door

Went with a large group and it seemed like everyone had a great meal. I had the spareribs/​filet combo which was good and a lot. The group also liked the pork chop, seafood skewer and dynamite.
Service was good, atmosphere is nice. We were upstairs. I’ve been here several times over the past 15 years and it’s never disappointed, it’s always maintained it’s quality and ambiance. A solid choice if you’re in the area.

We had not been back to Christine in a while, and I am happy to say the food remains top notch. I would give them a 5, but our service was not what it used to be. This could just be a one time problem because I didn’t see the servers who used to be there, however it did put a damper on our evening.
The first problem was the drinks. I think they took 15 minutes to get to us after we ordered. The conversation kept us entertained in the meantime, but we were antsy. Then one of the drinks was incorrect, and had to be sent back. fortunately it came quicker the second time.
The appetizers were excellent: the risotto and the greens salad were delicious. The Ahi 3 ways was great, except for the tempura ahi, which was a little mushy, so I just ate the ahi and left the crust.
The entrees were excellent as well. The cioppino was just the right mix of flavor and richness without being too heavy. We had another snafu with the wrong dish being brought, and they did not make much effort to resolve or give us some kind of consolation prize. Then we never got one of the second drinks we ordered. It almost made me want to give a 3, but again I am thinking this was just a single bad experience. If this happens again I will amend the review, but since in the past the service has been a 5 and the food a 5 I will only knock them down to a 4 for now.

Pleasant dining. Totally recommend if you ever on this side of town. This place is a nice discovery and their accommodating us without a reservation added positive emotions. This was not a planned after-Valentine’s dinner, but turned out to be thanks to the Christine’s.
I wouldn’t say that the food was heavenly, but definitely good enough to give them another try. We ordered pork chops that didn’t have «my name on them» mainly because I haven’t had pork in a very long time and forgot how fat it is.
A starter platter of seafood was quite fulfilling and good.
Charming little place with polite friendly staff. Recommend.

Service: The busboy was excellent about refilling our waters and clearing plates. Our waitress, on the hand, was very inattentive and seemed pretty ditzy — a Valium before work perhaps? Also, the hostess was rude in a back-​handed, holier-​than-​thou kind of way, and she wasn’t even dressed appropriately for a «fancy» restaurant.
The Food: Not bad, but grossly overpriced. For $ 30 an entrée I could eat much better at many other places. The chef brought our food to our table and he seemed very nice.
Ambiance: If you like rubbing elbows with walking, old-​money PV corpses and uptight, stuffed-​shirt buffoons, then you will love this place! Personally, however, this is not my idea of enjoyable dining.
Caveat: Me and my girlfriend have only been once. Maybe we just caught Restaurant Christine on a bad night. I don’t think we’ll be going back though.

, the Rock Shrimp popcorn Truffle Aioli was fantastic. for my main i had Sesame Glazed Atlantic Salmon
Green Tea Sticky Rice, Pea Shoots, Fruit Salsa, Carrot-​Ginger Sauce
i just loved it. great place for date.

This is a cute place for ladies and gentlemen who lunch on nice Cobb salads on the patio next to the little gurgling ceramic fountain. It’s just in the shadow of Palos Verdes, so the well-​to-​do-​and-​dine from the peninsula can sneak down off the hill, snack out on fine-​meets-​casual cuisine, and not have to lay eyes on us ruffians in (shudder) Torrance and Redondo.
So it was surprising (and FABULOUS, dahling) to find they offered a special schwanky Taco Tuesday menu. With its flowery patio and flower colored walls, this ain’t no cantina, Jose. That’s why I have to give them points for mixing up their menu, and not just staying with lady-​like luncheon fare. How were the trendy tacos? Very good! I had the Asian pork tacos, and my friend went for Ahi with wasabi cream. Now I can nosh where the real housewives of Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates nosh, and still keep my flatlander dude cred. Nice job.
And lunching ladies? You’re cool, too.

I think maybe I wasn’t old enough to appreciate the food here??? I thought it was good, but not THAT good.
Our server was AWESOME though. He was funny and witty, and very helpful with the menu. When I called and made the reservation, I mentioned it was for a birthday, and when we arrived, the table was decorated with streamers. Very sweet touch. We started out with a mushroom soup amuse-​bouche, which was pretty tasty. The bread basket was a little wanting though. it wasn’t warm and the bread didn’t taste fresh. But I ain’t that picky, so moving on.
I had the pappardelle with filet mignon. I LOVE pappardelle noodles– there’s just something about the wide flatness of them that I adore. The sauce was good, and I loved the mushrooms, but I didn’t care for the steak. It was chewy and had a weird consistency as I was chewing it. Hubby had the rosemary chicken and he LOVED it. The chicken was seasoned so well, and it was super moist and juicy. My dad had wellington and he liked it, my stepmom liked her fish, and my sister liked her salad. I’ve always felt that this place is a bit overpriced, but I get that they’re going for classy and upscale.
Overall, I get why some people really like it, it just isn’t for me.

Asian food is not my favorite, but the flavors in the Asian-​fusion dishes at Christine’s has me craving for more. I had a soup to start. The chilled strawberry soup was VERY underwhelming. My favorite soup in European travels was ruined here, but they took it off the final bill. My friend had the labster mac & cheese. I’m not a fan of lobster, but the mac & cheese was good.
I’m not sure what I had for an entrée (picture posted, menu says Spicy Blue Crab, Sticky Rice, Ahi & Mango Dynamite), but it was DIVINE. All the flavors came together in yumminess for me. :) My friend had a Warm Mushroom Salad. I dislike mushrooms as well, but her salad was good too. I guess I begin with the disclaimers to let you know the food flavors are good enough to make me a believer.
We also had great desserts: bread pudding and… what did she have? Both, good stuff!
Nestled in the foothills of Palos Verdes, Restaurant Christine gives that upscale bistro-​type atmosphere. There’s an outside patio, indoor cozy, upstairs banquet space… all seem nice. Service was excellent. Food was superb.