WHY A newly revamped menu inspired by pre-Columbian Mexican cooking. WHAT La Huasteca has long been Plaza Mexico’s grand stage: sylvan murals, wrought-iron chandeliers, a fully stocked bar. But with a reinvigoration by chef Rocio Camacho (formerly of Moles la Tia), it is charting a new course, one that celebrates ingredients and techniques native to [...]
January 15, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY We’re delighted to see serious schools for home cooks popping up once again all over the county.; WHAT A ‘culinary event company,’ Simple Gourmet is really a cooking school plus. In addition to quality avocational classes, it offers kids’ cooking camps, team-building events, private cooking parties, and catering. 443-A S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Redondo [...]
January 11, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY A former textile factory transformed into a warehouse of authentic Italian cooking. WHAT Owner Antonio Pellini originally intended for Eatalian to be just a production facility for cheeses, gelati and baked goods. But the airy, industrial space is so big that a dining room was an easy addition. The restaurant veteran (he ran five [...]
January 2, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Upscale Mexican cuisine with a beautiful Long Beach view. WHAT A centerpiece of the redesigned and rebranded Hotel Maya, Fuego delivers a Mexican menu focused on coastal cooking. That translates to dishes like citric ceviches of shrimp and lobster scooped up with plantain chips, YucatÂn-style pork two ways (presented as an achiote-glazed fillet and [...]
December 3, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A gastropub without inflated prices and a good happy hour weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. WHAT We come here for the sharable bar bites, especially the crispy beer-batter-fried cauliflower and $4 buckets of the same fantastic sweet potato and French fries served at Beechwood (same chef/owners), as well as heartier fare like the [...]
November 29, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Lively suds and modernized pub grub. WHAT Congregation may take its religious shtick too far—stained glass windows, Catholic school uniforms, Monday ‘mass’—but it’s one of Long Beach’s essential beer bars, with a commendable list of Belgian and craft brews. The menu presents done-up pub classics like a pork and goat cheese sausage sandwich, grilled [...]
November 21, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Because there’s so much more to the Mexican sandwich than carne asada—filled rolls. WHAT Seventy variations of the DF-style torta is an idea that might seem as gimmicky as popcorn-flavored ice cream. But each torta here is as precisely constructed as anything from a four-star kitchen. Choosing the best one is impossible, but the [...]
November 7, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Seal Beach’s legendary smokehouse and beer bar has finally crossed county lines. WHAT Many consider Beachwood to be the region’s top beer bar, a place where the craft movement gained legs and hopheads were born. Now there’s even more Beachwood to go around with its new downtown Long Beach location. The menu remains the [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Latin-inspired café cuisine with a marina breeze. WHAT This strip mall café satisfies at all hours. At breakfast, it’s a cup of spiced Mexican coffee with the coconut oatmeal or oven-baked french toast stuffed with mascarpone. A mother-daughter duo have transformed the family’s Latin American roots into a vast, vegetarian-friendly, pan-Latin menu. At lunch, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Truly behemoth burgers that value quality as much as quantity. WHAT Hawkins House of Burgers is perhaps best known for its man-versus-food portions, particularly the Hawkins Special: three beef patties, cheese, bacon, chili, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, a fried egg, pastrami and a hot link. But the burger stand-cum-convenience store is just as renowned for [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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