At Restaurant 917, a Polished Lunch and Fast Porsches on Display | Eater LA

"Open to the public (reserve on OpenTable and check in up front to be escorted to the second-floor dining room overlooking the tracks), Restaurant 917 has matured into a consistent South Bay gem since opening five years ago, with Porsche 911-shaped pats of butter, seasonal fare, and an impressive pastry program that pushes fine-dining–level desserts. Chef Matt Lee, a South Bay native with training in Pasadena and experience at Saddle Peak Lodge, runs a modern American menu with Latin and Asian touches—highlights include cured Peruvian scallops with aji amarillo, hamachi crudo with tobiko wasabi, and the most popular dish, grilled Spanish octopus with harissa aioli—while the very good cheeseburger remains a crowd-pleaser. The dining room's vaguely European, utilitarian vibe frames polished lunches with great cocktails and wine, and pastry chef EunBee Lee delivers refined desserts like a yuzu mousse entremet with white chocolate matcha cremeux and a milk chocolate namelaka over cocoa cookie with toasted marshmallow ice cream; Restaurant 917 is an unexpected, underrated lunch destination in this part of Los Angeles. " - Matthew Kang