WHY A prime location on Ocean near the hotels, serving a market-based menu of sophisticated Cal-French bistro dishes and stylish mixologist-designed cocktails. WHAT Accomplished French chef Jean François Meteigner left his posh Century City dining room for this more informal beach-adjacent spot with a large patio, comfortable bar and handsome bistro décor. His cooking is [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Locali is the opposite of Famima—instead of convenience foods imported from Japan, the emphasis is on locally sourced edibles from some of our favorite producers. Don’t miss the Ruby Jewel ice cream sandwiches—they may come all the way from Portland, but they rock. WHAT Locali packs a lot of interesting products into a tiny [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Fresh-baked strudel with Old World charm. WHAT This family-owned spot brings a taste of Hungary to the historic waterfront. Styled like a country café, Mishi’s specializes in both sweet and savory strudels and crèpes. There are plenty of fruit-centric fillings, including apricot-almond and apple-walnut, as well as savory options, including spinach, mushroom and cabbage. [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A multicultural mix of excellent Dutch and Indonesian dishes. WHAT Despite two decades of history, Long Beach’s Holland Festival is a relative secret. That’s partly because of its location (in a hidden park behind Long Beach Towne Center), but also because it is something of a misnomer—though there are plenty of herring and Heineken, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Neighborhood charm with gourmet soul. WHAT Surrounded by a quaint neighborhood of historic homes and breezy apartments, this bright, quirky café has become a hub of local life. (Come in alone and you can sit at a long communal table with soon-to-be friends.) For breakfast, try the mascarpone-stuffed French toast or the sweet and [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For the dazzlingly colorful appetizer of 20 Israeli salads, the homemade flatbread and the array of grilled things on skewers. WHAT Come hungry to this upscale shipudia (Israeli skewer house), because regardless of your intentions, you’ll eat too much. Pretty much every table orders the signature appetizer of 20 salads (carrots, eggplant, tabbouleh, mushrooms, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For the soon dubu jjigae, a spicy, garlicky stew of fresh tofu that bubbles like volcanic lava in its individual iron pot. The superheated dish cooks a raw egg that the server cracks in at your table. Seafood or bits of meat add extra flavor to the extravaganza. WHAT Rivals of this 25-year old [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Consistently excellent cooking that doesn’t pander to the sweet-craving American palate. Free delivery, too. WHAT It’s not just the array of tapas-sized plates that draws us to this stylish boxcar-size spot. Although who can argue with $2.99 appetizers that include skewered meatballs, crunchy rice cakes with Thai chile, the Thai spaghetti called knom jean [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A long list of traditional noodle dishes infrequently seen outside Thai Town. WHAT In its hidden location, this simple spot has been surprising folks for more than 25 years with the quality of its food. Besides the excellent noodle dishes, you must try the swoon-worthy yet rarely seen ‘Indian’-style coconut curry and its northern [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Crisp, puffy-edged pizzas, delicious salads and seemingly hundreds of fun small plates. WHAT In a vast, open space with white marble floors, white walls and a white ceiling way up high, an army of well-trained staff serve solidly satisfying trattoria fare to a constant crowd. At this writing this is one of Downtown’s hottest [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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