Iconic Neighborhood Restaurants: Rolling Hills and Palos Verdes

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The first inhabitants of the Palos Verdes peninsula were the Tongva-Gabrieli o Native American people. It is believed that they settled the land there almost 8,000 years ago. While they first made contact with Europeans in 1542, The Tongva people continued to reside on the peninsula until the 1800s when they were forced from their land and relocated to nearby missions. Rancho de los Palos Verdes, or ranch of the green sticks, was subsequently passed between Spanish, Mexican and American owners until it was finally sold to Jotham Bixby in the early 1880s.

In 1913, a group of wealthy investors led by Frank Vanderlip purchased 25 square miles of Rancho Palos Verdes from Bixby for $1.5 million. Vanderlip then brought on the Olmsted Brothers - sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, most famous for his landscape design of Central Park in New York City - to design his new coastal paradise into a subdivision. Within 10 years, Palos Verdes Estates was opened to the public. In their planning, the Olmsted Brothers made sure to dedicate a quarter of the land to permanent open space, which is just part of what makes Palos Verdes such an ideal and beautiful place to live today. Nearby Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates were also formed with the intention of conserving as much natural landscape as possible.

Because of the large open spaces throughout Rolling Hills and Palos Verdes, there are few businesses that have made their home here. Those that have, though, have quite the stories to tell.

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The Original Red Onion Restaurant

The food at the Original Red Onion in Palos Verdes is based on the recipes of owner Jeff Earle's great grandmother, Catalina Castillo. She started the family's tradition in the restaurant business over 100 years ago when she would make meals for mine workers in her hometown of Sonora, Mexico. Some of her signature dishes still on the menu today include the Carne Ortega, Chicken Mole and Shrimp La Paz.

Jeff Earle's grandfather, Harry Earle, and his two sons, Bart (Jeff's father) and Don Earle, opened the first Original Red Onion in Inglewood in 1949. This first location had only 19 seats and soon the restaurant's popularity forced the Earles to expand. Indeed, the craze caught on and throughout the next few decades, Red Onion locations were sprouting up all across Southern California. Today there are still a few other Red Onion restaurants scattered about the Southland, but only the Palos Verdes location, opened in August of 1963, still exists under the ownership of the Earles. When all the other locations were sold to Host International Company in 1973, Bart Earle decided to keep the one in Palos Verdes as it was his favorite. Today, the walls at the restaurant are lined with mementos and photographs from the old slew of restaurants.

The Original Red Onion Restaurant: 736 Silver Spur Rd., (310) 377-5660

Admiral Risty

Ralph Wood Jr. and his wife Risty opened The Admiral Risty in 1966. The Woods were not new to the restaurant business by any means. When they opened Admiral Risty, their burger chain, Woody's Smorgasburger, was at the height of its popularity. Admiral Risty, however, was their first foray into fine dining. The design of the new restaurant was inspired by other popular steak houses that were opening across the country at this time.

Current owner Wayne Judah started working at the Risty in 1969. At the time he was an Army sergeant stationed at nearby Fort MacArthur. He was set to be discharged in just two days and was desperate to find a job. After sending out applications all across the South Bay, he finally got a call that night from the Admiral Risty asking him to come down that very evening. He worked that night as a bartender and by the end of his first shift he was hired full-time. Throughout the years, he worked his way up to become the restaurant's manager and years later when Wood was looking to sell, Judah jumped at the chance.

This year is the 50th anniversary of Admiral Risty and they are celebrating with $50 gift certificate giveaways every week. Judah for one has no plans to close the restaurant anytime soon and hopes to see the Risty reach its 75th and perhaps 100th anniversary someday.

Admiral Risty: 31250 Palos Verdes Dr., (310) 377-0050

Photo: Cristina Abellana

Nelson's at Terranea Oceanfront Resort

In 1954, Marineland of the Pacific opened in Palos Verdes. It was a popular theme park and at the time, the largest oceanarium in the world. Marineland boasted massive aquariums, new and exciting attractions and high tech research facilities. While the more famous Disneyland opened a year later in Anaheim, Marineland is considered by many to be California's first major theme park. Unfortunately, with the stiff competition of Disneyland, the park closed in 1987.

Just about ten years later, in 1998, Lowe Enterprises purchased the land and began a ten-year development project to build Terranea Resort. Terranea is now a staple of Rancho Palos Verdes - not only due to its size, but also because of the array of fabulous restaurants that attract visitors and locals alike. In total, there are eight restaurants at Terranea, perhaps one of the most popular of which is Nelson's. Fittingly, the restaurant got its name from Mike Nelson, a character in the 1950s TV series Sea Hunt, which was filmed almost exclusively at Marineland. The food at Nelson's is classic California seafood cuisine, but more than the delicious dishes, visitors come to Nelson's for the view. Request a seat on the patio and you can enjoy brunch, lunch and dinner while taking in the

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