The Social List: 2nd Chop

Patatas Bravas

Where: Fourth Streets Retro Row; 2105 E 4th St Long Beach, Ca

Grub: “Old World European Tavern Food” Tapas-style

Visiting Hours: Lunch & Din Din

My Plates: Frisee Salad, Toast, the LBC, Patatas Bravas, Liquid Gold, Persimmon Cobbler

Website: http://thesociallistlb.com

IG: thesociallistlb

When you go on a date do you usually just give the other person one shot? Or if there aren’t any major red flags and there was something that caught your eye even a bit wouldn’t you give it another try? A lot of people deserve a second chance…so do restaurants. That is why I decided one time at a spot isn’t enough–hence my 3 chop policy. Sometimes things just need a bit of warming up. There are so many variables that come into play upon a first meeting that can sabotage the experience. Over time, if management is doing its job and play their cards right, these variables start to dissolve and the dining experience is perfected and becomes more consistent. I am happy to say that the Social List is not the same place I visited before. It is starting to develop a soul and culture…and the food is pretty damn incredible.

Frisee Salad

Frisee salad with burrata, pomegranate seeds and persimmon. This has to be one of my favorite salads of all time. Burrata is mozzarella injected with cream heaven that I want to put all over everything. The bitterness of the frisee with the sweetness of the light dressing, persimmon and seeds is just perfect. There is no doubt that I will order this salad every time I go back to the Social List. Well-done. So simple, and yet so perfect…every ingredient just makes sense–that is a hard thing to do!

Toast

The Social List knows how to do toast…whether it be the Catalan Toast, the Pea Toast or this beauty–garlic toast with goat cheese, butternut squash and green onion. Another lovely medley of flavors that just works brilliantly. I would eat this every day for a snack or breakfast if I could. It really takes me back to when I lived in Germany and lived off of stuff like this. Simple and does the trick…next time I am definitely adding the prosciutto to take it to the next level. Pig makes everything better…we all know that is a fact.

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The LBC

A little piece of Long Beach heaven on a California chopping block. it is hard to take pictures of burgers and sandwiches and this photo definitely doesn’t do this one justice. I am not a vegetarian (I once was for 4 years), but this makes me consider changing back to my old ways. This is honestly the best veggie burger option I have ever had. I hate concoctions trying to disguise themselves as meat…why do that when you can own the beauty of the ingredients for what they are? The portobello mushroom is grilled and packed with cheese and artichoke…then it is smothered in homemade pesto, topped with lettuce and served on a very fresh ciabatta bun. Next time I am adding avocado and bacon, but I had to try it the original way first. This thing is insane and a must!

Patatas Bravas

Lightly fried potatoes covered with aioli, spicy sauce and fresh dill. These are just a staple. I liked them as much this time around as I did the first. I don’t need to repeat myself.

Liquid Gold

Another staple and the dessert I will forever bestow loyalty to. I don’t need to repeat myself on this one either. It makes sense this time around as much as it did the first.

Persimmon Cobbler

It is a hard position to be in, going up against the liquid gold, so don’t take it too personally when I tell you you just didn’t do it for me. This thing was super toasty, crispy and had a great texture to it, but there was something that was just missing. It was a bit bland and for some reason I had a desire to cover it in honey or maple syrup. Maybe I will carry a little bottle in my purse for next time. 🙂

The Social List left me very content and satisfied this go around. I still don’t really understand their concept and the aesthetic is a bit weird and confusing to me, but I will just go in on Wednesdays when they have 1/2 off bottles of wine so I can drink and forget about it. So glad that they added some drink specials! Now where are the food specials? That is when we can start getting really real…this place is a bit too pricey for my budget and I would love some serious happy hour options. Toast sampler? Smaller plate of patatas? With all their small plate options the potential is endless! Please, please, help this poor foodie out. Otherwise, see you in a few months.

Bo-Beau Kitchen and Roof Tap: 1st Chop

Where: Pine

Grub: Casual Food with French Inspired Dishes; California Comfort Food

Visiting Hours: Main Dining Room: Nightly at 4:30pm
Roof Tap: Mon-Fri at 4:30pm, Sat & Sun at 2:00pm

My Plates: Duck Fat Deviled Eggs, Pretzel Puff Nachos, Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Grilled Chicken Wings, Tahitian Vanilla Bean Créme Brulee

Website: http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/bobeaukitchenrooftap

The Rooftap

This is one of those places that is impossible to just walk by…it is covered by an iconic vertical succulent garden! Something that looks that good on the outside is hard to ignore. Spacecraft Design Group did an amazing job making this place look spectacular after it was purchased and gutted by the San-Diego based Cohn Restaurant Group for a hefty 4.5 million dollars. GOODBYE Smooth’s! The industrial and rustic motif radiates all throughout the building. There is something about it that really sets you at ease and you find your eyes darting everywhere because there are so many things to catch your eye–beautiful couches, chalk art, a ping pong table, insane light fixtures, quotes and on and on. For Bo-Beau, one restaurant was not enough to look at. They decked out the 2nd floor with a similar motif and an entirely separate kitchen and menu coining it the “roof tap.” And that is where my cheat day and happy hour adventure ensued!

Happiness= House Wines for HH (M-F 4:30-6:00pm) $4

Duck Fat Deviled Eggs

I don’t really understand why the frisee is listed on the menu like it goes with the eggs or something. Am I missing something, but isn’t it just a garnish? Anyways, for the price I don’t know if these suckers are worth it. They are good no doubt, but very basic with nothing really special to them. There are a few other local restaurants that I can think of (the Attic on Broadway, Nicks on 2nd) that really put these to shame! People are serious about their deviled eggs…at least I am!

Pretzel Puff Nachos

I instantly wanted to buy these when I saw them on the HH menu because I have never had anything like them before. Spicy beer cheese dip + sea salt + red onions + smoked pulled chicken + sliced jalapeños sounds good right? This picture even looks good. Too bad this dish had absolutely zero flavor. Spicy beer cheese dip? Nothing really spicy about it and it was actually somewhat unappetizing. All of this looks very Taco Bell to me…or like something I would pay a lot of money for at a baseball game. The sour cream…no, just NO.

Crispy Brussel Sprouts

After the first two dishes I was a bit worried, so when this beauty was sent my way I was pretty excited. How can you really go wrong with brussels, pancetta, parmesan, and balsamic?  They give you a favorable portion and these babies are pretty delicious. They are pretty heavy though. I could go for a little bit less parmesan because these guys are just doused in it. These were my favorite out of all the appetizers I tried.

Grilled Chicken Wings

I love me some chicken wings and I hate to say it, but these are probably the worst I have ever had. They were so soggy they almost looked raw. The texture of the skin was totally off-putting. I actually checked to make sure they were cooked all the way. I know with grilling you sacrifice some of the crispiness that comes with frying, but not like this. Major bummer. At least the sriracha butter, blue cheese fondue and celery were good.

Tahitian Vanilla Bean Créme Brulee

Dessert. Delicious. They candy their crème brulee with orange peel and it is honestly delicious. You can actually see the black vanilla beans in the brulee, which makes me really happy. This was my favorite of the night…so creamy, so perfect and now I am so full!

This place has so much potential. Everything is in the right place for the makings of an amazing restaurant. The ambiance is just incredible, and the service is really amazing. We were greeted right away by a bunch of lovely ladies who answered all our questions for us and directed us to the rooftop happily. We also had a very lovely waitress that generously gave us suggestions on what to eat. This place just opened in May so I will cut them a break on their food, but they really need to step it up. They are great ideas that just need some tweaking to make them perfect. Regardless of my disappoint me with the food, I am honestly really excited to return and try the restaurant downstairs. I have high hopes for this place! Pine needs it.

Nick’s on 2nd: 1st CHOP

Lavender Smash

Where: 2nd St in Belmont Shore

Grub: American…but not in any traditional sense

Visiting Hours: Lunch & Dinner Daily and Breakfast on Weekends until 12pm

My Plates: Bar Nuts, Bacon Deviled Eggs, Prime Rib Dip and the Bistro Mac & Cheese

Website: http://nicksrestaurants.com/nicks-on-2nd/

IG: nickson2nd

People boast about this place. The service is exceptional and it is really alluring. Walking down 2nd street and trying to ignore this place is impossible. I really wish I could go more often, but it can be kinda rough on the wallet. Regardless, when I was asked by a friend to ride our bikes there and splurge I was really into it. I needed something to blog about after all. I love irrational excuses that justify the way I make decisions. Let’s start with nuts and booze….because Nick’s gets straight to the point and they do it right.

Strawberry Basil Margarita (left-in case it wasn’t obvious), Lavender Smash (right) and Fresh Nuts Roasted In-House!

Excuse the dimness in my photos. Blame it on Nick’s ambience. They have perfect sultry light levels in this place. Someone take me on a date here please. We can get really dressed up and enjoy cocktails after work and pretend we live in the era of Mad Men. That’s how this place makes me feel- sexy, in charge and hungry for life. Splurge you will if you enjoy a cocktail here because they are Vegas priced, but I pretend not to care because they are worth it and I am fancy. I could have had a few more of these margaritas- corralejo tequila, muddled strawberries, basil and st. germain elderflower liqueur. The lavender smash- tin cup whiskey, lavender simple syrup, fresh squeezed orange juice- wasn’t half bad either. They put love into their specialty drinks and I would drink every single one of them. I mean…look at those garnishes! It helps that they come with a pretty good wingman, bar nuts. So fresh, so roasted, so seasoned and so perfect. Next time I plan on checking out their moscow mule, which is quite a celebrity here…or maybe I will bring my own bottle of wine. The first corkage fee is waived!

Bacon Deviled Eggs

Ugh. I honestly cannot even look at these because I want to go back to Nick’s right now and eat the whole app to myself. With a combination like eggs, bacon and frying you really can’t go wrong. I loved these and I would be skeptical of anyone who tried them and didn’t like them. That would just be weird.

Prime Rib Dip

This guy is seasoned and roasted daily, thinly sliced and served on a brioche bun with mayo and a side of red wine au jus. I enjoyed this sandwich and thought they did a good job, but it was nothing spectacular. It was recommended by our waitress. Next time I am going for the chicken crispy sandwich instead!

Bistro Mac & Cheese

This sounded like a really good idea, but it ended up being somewhat of a disappointment. I am serious about my mac & cheese and the overabundance of ingredients in this one just over did it and didn’t really make sense. It was packed with grilled chicken, nueske’s bacon, mushrooms, asparagus, and parmesan cheese. It was too chunky and the ingredients weren’t working with each other. Not to mention, the spicy cream sauce was also broken and grainy.

This is what was left behind. So gross. That is way too much grease, but yes my date and I finished it all anyways. I wouldn’t order it again. No, not again. It was nothing like the pictures I had seen online.

My original intention was to go to have the famous butter cake, but we didn’t make it that far after all this heavy food. I could barely ride my bike home. I already have my indulgences planned for my next visit: spinach artichoke dip, fried asparagus fries, buttermilk fried chicken and and the butter cake. I don’t think I will ride my bike…

This Attic on Broadway: 1st CHOP

Where: 3441 East Broadway Long Beach, Ca

Grub: Cajun Creole, New Orleans inspired American eats and specialty cocktails

Visiting Hours: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner! 

Musts: Mac ‘N Cheetos, Bloody Mary’s decorated with sliders and bacon,  Chicken Pot Pie, Market Risotto, Breakfast!

Website: http://www.theatticonbroadway.com

IG: theatticonbroadway

The Sampler: Devlish Eggs, Mac ‘N Cheetos, Fried Green Tomatoes

Call me biased because I am good friends with half the staff, but this place holds a soft spot in both my heart and stomach. This 1920’s craftsman home turned eatery, hangout and art venue is a place that has breathed life onto Broadway. Owner, Steve Massis, nailed it on the head when he envisioned a welcoming and homey atmosphere for his first restaurant. I feel like I grew up in this place and I always want to go back. Things are bit mismatched and nothing is perfect, but when you visit the Attic it is just like coming home after a long trip…you reunite with your friends and family, enjoy some comforting food and settle in with a cocktail of your choice (they have some quirky ones!). Rest-assured they have everything you want and need. You will have a loungey spot (indoors or on the patio) where you can let your senses dance and play with the whole experience wrapped around you. By day or night, you will find yourself soaking up the feel of this special place and you will leave thinking about your next visit. I often dream of sunny days enjoying a $3 mimosa and a veggie frittata on their patio and warm summer evenings enjoying food, music, and culture on one of their art nights. Art nights at the Attic really bring a whole new level of magic to the place and bring out young aspiring artists from all backgrounds. Come dance, eat, drink and play!

Veggie Frittata with Avocado

No matter your background, the Attic has something special for you and all are invited into this quaint house on the corner of Broadway and Newport. Go visit Steve and all the staff at the Attic. They will be all smiles and if you’re feeling a little down you will leave feeling better than before. I promise ;)….and stay tuned for his new outdoor bar!

The Pike Restaurant and Bar: 1st CHOP

If you are from Long Beach and you have not been to this place then you really need to get it together and start living. I remember my first impression of this place. I ventured here years ago after a year abroad in Germany and it was quite the welcome home. There is just something SO perfect about the blue hue that permeates through the whole joint. Not to mention the walls that are littered with Long Beach and California memorabilia (all collected by the owner). In between all that, you will find band posters and hints of fish culture emerging from the oceanic themed walls. It is like Californian and maritime culture barfed all over the walls and it is there to stay. I am okay with that.

Chris Reece of Social Distortion owns the place. So if you do not understand the employees attitudes then maybe that will clue you in a bit. They are rough around the edges, but they get the job done. Embrace the punk rock attitude. You will get a stiff drink and you will get your food…without the bullshit. You may have to ask a few times to get what you want, but it will be worth it. I have really learned to love this place. Not only can I walk from my apartment (or stumble home), but I die for their fish and chips. They have after all been declared #1 in Long Beach according to Tim Grobaty of the Press Telegram: beer-battered, golden fried sole with thick cut steak fries and fresh coleslaw, served with a lemon wedge and homemade tarter sauce (you will need more sauce, get more sauce). Ugh, the fries! How does this look?

Just trust me on this one. Head into this place and go for a strong drink and the fish and chips. Chances are you will catch a band without even trying because they are there daily. If you can’t make it to the one in Long Beach then check out the second location that just opened up in Los Alamitos. Cheers to Reece for taking a rundown 50’s diner in 2003 and believing in the vision of retro row back when it looked more like skid row. Now, I could really go for a whiskey pickle back and some fish and chips…

Click here aggressively for all the deets: http://www.pikelongbeach.com/Home_Page.html

Let’s Get Real

about Food! I had another blog that highlighted the healthy things in life and had a huge emphasis on the paleo lifestyle, which is great and all, but I honestly live that way only about 65% of the time. I found myself feeling I needed to hide the way I was really eating. I am too much of a foodie and love to splurge and enjoy the awesome food that is around my area in Long Beach. Food is meant to be enjoyed–the healthy stuff, as well as the stuff that makes you feel a bit guilty. Moderation babes. Take it from Aristotle! It is time to highlight the amazing cuisine that is evolving in my backyard. Don’t worry. I am a cheap date. So let’s have a cheat day together.

Let’s start this off slow. How about a cup of coffee or tea at “Roasted Notz?”  The owner, Randy Woodside, did good. Bravo! This relatively new (November 2013) coffeehouse on 4th street pumps feel-good tunes out of an old-school Marantz. There is even a turntable that features vintage LPs from a local record store Dizzy on Vinyl. If that isn’t good enough for you then take a shot at the piano that is just yelling to get played by someone caffeinated enough. I dare you. Let’s not leave out the cute little succulents, board games, and adorable Buddha over the entrance. I have to look away when I drive past this place sometimes otherwise I would never make it anywhere. This place slows you down and you catch yourself really enjoying the moment. Grab a beverage and accompany it with one of their amazing homemade sandwiches served on a fresh baguette or bagel. Then take a seat and just suck it all in. You won’t regret it.

 

Meet “the Renzo.” Shaved prosciutto, mozzarella, sun-dried tomato and basil pesto on a fresh baguette. If this is something you can’t enjoy then stop reading my blog now. I have an affinity for things with a European flair…and I also love succulents.

 

Welcome to the Chophaus.