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…

the SOCIAL LIST: 1st CHOP

Liquid Gold

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

Musts: Liquid Gold, Mejillones con Jamon Serrano, Patatas Bravas & any wurst 😉

Website: http://thesociallistlb.com

IG: thesociallistlb

It is a love-hate relationship that I have with the Social List because they have a solid spot and some good eats, but are plagued by a confusing theme and lackluster service. It is a far fetched idea, not to mention contradictory, to tie in socialism with a social list.  They embrace the motto “food for the people” and a communal-like atmosphere, where food is meant to be shared, while at the same time playing with the idea of “being part of the in-crowd ” or on “the social list.” I don’t know. I just don’t get it. After working on the execution of the theme, (and ditching the horrible red star) we could get somewhere because my mouth waters for some of their unique dishes you can share with close friends…not to mention their big open windows and alluring atmosphere make it hard to resist. On to the food!

Bratwurst with Patatas Bravas

The food here is just different. They use high quality ingredients from local producers, keep it pretty simple and it works. They offer eats that you definitely couldn’t find anywhere else in the area, which gives it a lot of appeal. It is alluring, enticing and you can only walk by it so many times before you have to take a chance. I could really go for some patatas bravas and a wurst right now! Their potatoes are perfectly fried, doused in their spicy bravas sauce and drizzled with garlic aioli–a hint of fresh dill to seal the deal. Genius. The wursts come in different flavors depending on availability, but are all epic; local, fresh and juicy! Talk about a perfect cheat. Eat it…all of it, and get an awesome beer to go with it (or wine if you’re me). They really did this one right.

Mejillones con Jamon Serrano

Save some room for these guys. The show stopper! New Zealand Mussels sautéed with Serrano Ham and banana peppers smothered in a garlicky white wine cream sauce. Don’t forget the thyme. They didn’t forget the carbs either…this lovely dish comes with some fresh bread to soak up your left over sauce. Of course. I am not complaining. This dish is a nice little spin on what could be a plain dish. I kinda want to drink the sauce. I really would.

 Kale Salad

For those of you not indulging, their kale salad is simple and light–red onions, chicken and barely drizzled with some kind of lemon sauce. I had no problem finishing this guy with a special Chilean. This place makes some awesome salads…but that’s a different blog.

Liquid Gold

Just in case you forgot about her, here is her closeup. The Liquid Gold is an absolute must for dessert. Smooth custard hides underneath thick caramel and whipped cream. It coats your tongue in the best way. I wish it could be permanent because it is perfect. It is NOT ok. Cheatday should be every day. EVERY damn day.

The great thing about this place is they often have special dishes based on available produce and local ingredients. I love that. Nothing is better than surprises. There is always a surprise here. New food is a good surprise, but bad service not so much. I would love to say that I was overwhelmed by hospitality from the servers, but their service was really sub-par. Is slow service part of the European vibe? Good food is good, but experience at the end of the day is what really keeps you coming back. Improvement is a must…this place needs to be celebrated!

The Social List is new and they are working out all the little kinks. At the end of the day, they have some serious potential! People are always there and I always look. I also often dream of her–LIQUID GOLD. I have high hopes for them and cannot wait to venture back for my 2nd Chop. We shall see how they fair the next time around. I really can’t wait to try more of their goodies. Who is coming with me?