ALONG COMES MARY

(I have loved Stonefire Grill for several years now and was so excited when they invited me out to experience their newest location in Torrance. Alas, I could not make it to the South Bay in time so I had our awesome contributor, Melanie, go for me. Read on to discover her favorites–both gluten-free and non! xo, Mary)

Several years ago I was working in Irvine, CA when my co-worker and I decided to try a brand new restaurant called Stonefire Grill. We were instantly smitten with their home-style dishes and knew it would become a regular lunch spot. In the years since I moved on to better career positions and Stonefire continued to expand and this week marks the opening of their 10th location at PCH and Crenshaw in Torrance.

Luckily, I was able to come by early and preview some of the restaurants tastiest offerings and ,boy, did I feast! Stonefire Grill offers an array of options from salads to sandwiches to pizza to pasta as well as an array of grilled options. We started with a sampling of salads and I was instantly smitten with the Golden State Kale.

The Golden State Kale is one of 10 (!) Gluten Free options on the extensive salad menu. Featuring chopped kale, red cabbage, cucumber, golden raisins, roasted chickpeas, avocado and a lemon tahini dressing it’s both healthy and delicious.I especially loved the roasted chickpeas which added both crunch and a burst of flavor to the dish.

Another delicious starter (that also happens to be gluten free) is the roasted vegetables. if you order a plate you’ll get a variety of fresh veggies such as tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms. Topped with herbs and spices they’re quite tasty!

Stonefire offers a variety of pastas and I was instantly smitten with the Pesto Rigatoni. The pesto is handmade and full of flavor. I’m not the biggest fan of rigatoni but I loved this dish and each noodle offered a hearty helping of the yummy pesto. Now, I know pasta isn’t exactly gluten free (I, personally, am able to eat gluten) but Stonefire does offer an alternative. They make a mean roasted cauliflower which can be topped with any of their pasta sauces.

Pizza! I LOVE Pizza and Stonefire kills it in this category. The top photo is Stonefire’s Favorite with pesto, avocado, red onion, mozzarella, feta and basil and the bottom photo is the Mesquite BBQ with tri tip, gouda, cilantro and red onion. Both were fabulous and I had to stop myself from gorging on it. Unfortunately, at this time, there are no gluten free pizza options.

Speaking of tri-tip, Stonefire offers two options – Mesquite BBQ (shown above) and Pepper Garlic topped with Gorgonzola butter. I tried both but am partial to the Mesquite BBQ which is deliciously tender. It’s also gluten free!

Of course, I had to have dessert and couldn’t resist a bite of their famed carrot cake. Made from a family recipe it’s moist and flavorful and generously topped with a cream cheese frosting but, sadly, is not gluten free.

Stonefire Grill has an expansive menu of tasty dishes that are surefire crowd-pleasers. They also have a large variety of options for those with specific dietary needs and many more dishes can be customized to accommodate those needs. The Torrance location is sure to be a success and I’m looking forward to visiting it again.

(Melanie Kaminski is the Editor of the blog, LA Explorer, where you’ll learn of her explorations around Southern California and beyond. Visit her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.)