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.

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…