Kaledo Art
wallacepolsom
Xuebing Du
$LAYYYTER
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
hello vonnie
Sade Olutola
Andulka
shark vs the universe
occasionally subtle
trying on a metaphor
Show & Tell
we're not kids anymore.
Kiana Khansmith
blake kathryn
No title available
oozey mess
@theartofmadeline
almost home
Janaina Medeiros
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from India
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from South Africa
seen from Kuwait
seen from Canada
seen from Algeria
seen from Bangladesh
seen from Angola
seen from United States
seen from Zimbabwe
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
@carolynscravings
Place: Restauration
What Was Consumed (this was Brunch!):
Bottomless mimosas
Fried shrimp appetizer
Sunrise on 4th Pizza (the egg in the middle is def made for dipping!)
Get Shorty Pizza (braised short rib, bleu cheese, roasted peach, etc)
Place: Cafe Piccolo
What Was Consumed:
Wiiiine (get the La Crema pinot noir-- it's very smooth with little acidity)
Escargot (the wine sauce it's bathed in is so lovely!)
Black Linguine with shrimp and calamari
Chicken Ravioli (on their Specials Menu)
Apple Tart with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream and an espresso
Not pictured: yummiest (buttery and savory) lentil soup ever
*This place is often referred to as Long Beach's most romantic restaurant. So bring someone special there!
Place: VINU Wine Bar (K-Town, so watch out for parking!)
What Was Consumed:
Bone Marrow: We had some issues with this, as it appeared to be a hit-or-miss when it came to the marrow. It definitely needed a bit of salt. I ended up using some cheese from the charcuterie board to help flavor the marrow and crostini breads.
Octopus Babies (seriously, that was the name on the menu): Best thing I ate there! Really flavorful (comes with cloves of garlic and I'm a garlic LOVER) :-)
Pork in Bao: This was bland -- don't get this
Charcuterie: Oh my goodness that spicy jam that comes with it... Awesome!
Not pictured: Uni Pasta. This was great too! The uni makes the pasta shells so buttery and rich.
Place: The Kroft (Anaheim Packing District)
What was consumed:
Short Rib Poutine: They're really generous with the gravy (which I love) and I think my favorite part of this was the combination of the pickled onions and the melted cheese curds. Richard and I both agreed something was missing though...maybe a fried egg with a wonderful runny yolk?
SAN DIEGO FOOD ADVENTURE
Places: The Neighborhood, Phil's BBQ, and Extraordinary Desserts
What Was Consumed:
Fancy water
Frambroise Spritzer (fruity beer with champagne and apple joice, topped with a raspberry) and Ommegang
Jalapeño Mac&Cheese
Truffle and Parmesan Fries
Pork Belly Burger (topped with cole slaw; comes with a side of chips)
The Neighborhood Burger (with arugula, caramelized onions, and a mix of gruyere and blue cheese; comes with a side of chips)
Baby Back Ribs with Cole Slaw and Fries
A slice of Roasted Coconut Cream (topped with a strawberry and GOLD) and a slice of Dulce de Leche Cheesecake (with pretty flower petals)
Place: CPK (locations everywhere)
What Was Consumed:
Free bread appetizer with olive oil dip (love, love olive oil!)
Thin Crust Meat Lovers (ham, sausage, pepperoni, salami)
California Club (bacon, chicken, and mozzarella topped arugula,tomatoes, romaine lettuce, basil, and avocados)
*I've been here way too many times. >_<
Place: Bai Plu (the 2nd location on Bellflower & Stearns)
What Was Consumed:
Shrimp Tempura (had no idea how HUGE they were going to be)
Tom Kha Kai/Gai (one of my favorite soups evarrrr -- the spicier, the better....coconut EVERYTHING)
Pad See Ew (beef)
*Bai Plu isn't my favorite Thai place in LB, but I always end up there because there's no wait so it's never too crowded. Fulfills my Thai cravings without killing my wallet.
Place: Santouka (in Torrance -- numerous locations!)
What was consumed:
Shio (salt) char siu (bbq pork) ramen: pork, comes with green onions, super cute fish cake, jelly ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and a pickled plum
Shio (salt) toroniku (pork cheek) ramen: comes with quite a lot of pork cheek, green onions, jelly ear mushrooms, and bamboo shoots (where's my cute fish cake!?)
Soy sauce egg on the side
*Sigh...I miss ramen in NYC. This was good, but nothing beats ramen in NYC. Unless you're actually in Japan. Those lucky ducknuts.
Place: Tavern On 2
What Was Consumed:
Brutal Burger (I ordered just for the name): Has a chili jam that is suppose to be super spicy...turned out it was just 'white people spicy'! Has a good heat, but won't make you sweat bullets
Bone marrow
Short rib poutine (I'm dejected because they used to have oxtail poutine and that was SO much better)
*Personally, I think this place is only worth it to go for the appetizers and the burgers (additionally, they do have a fairly decent selection of beers). If you see anything else on the menu that's tempting, don't go for it! Or, you know, you can. I won't be there to physically stop you. After several times being here I can say that the burgers are a better choice. My personal favorite is the Black&Blue!
Place: 38 Degrees
What was consumed (it was incredibly dark and difficult to take pictures with my little S5):
- Sticky fries with shoestring fries, provolone cheese, and bacon gravy (not pictured, only on their happy hour menu)
- Duck schnitzel sandwich (the pictured monstrosity) which includes two giant breaded duck breasts (I swear, it tasted like fatty chicken thigh) and a complementary lemon aioli
Place: The Social List (yes, I went back)
What was consumed:
- Bratwurst with sauerkraut and peppers
- Spicy lamb with grilled onions and sweet peppers with a side of patatas bravas
- Better than yooo mama's meatballs
Place: Long Beach Fish Grill -- if this place wasn't so pricey I would eat here every weeeeeek
What Was Consumed:
- clam chowder (Honestly, New England clam chowder is one of my favorite soups ever so it never does me wrong. Also, the best way to make it better? Either a few dashed of tobasco or a few squirts of sriracha!)
- it comes with toast and cole slaw
- swordfish (garlic butter seasoning) with a side of fries
- mahi mahi (garlic butter seasoning) with a side of grilled zucchini
*Again, how do you know a place is Thai owned? Check out of the image I have of their king (sadly, it's a bit blurry as I was trying to capture it without being obvious)
**Another fun fact - they're partnered with the Aquarium of the Pacific (um, I'm sure they don't actually get their fish from here) to keep their dishes sustainable!
Place: Sushi Kinoya (My absolute favorite sushi place in Long Beach! One day I'll be rich and I'll eat at this place every weekend...for now, I'll just settle for once every 6 months >_<)
What Was Consumed:
EVERYTHING...seriously
clam
shrimp
quail egg
uni (buttery richness)
eel (best eel I've ever had, in my opinion)
octopus
squid
albacore
yellowtail (fatty, smooth, and melts in your mouth)
spicy albacore sashimi (perfection)
calamari
Place: White Wasabi
What Was Consumed:
Albacore sushi
Yellowtail handroll (yellowtail is fatty and melts in your mouth)
Albacore handroll
Crab and shrimp roll
Octopus sashimi with garlic, jalapeños, and a ponzu sauce (so refreshing!)
Beer and Bacon ice cream
*Also, they have awesome beer selections and a great happy hour!
**Random: This place is Thai-owned! (But then again, a lot of the sushi places in LB are Thai-owned)
Place: Manaow
What Was Consumed:
Pad See Ew
Kway Teav Kak (Southern Styled Curry Noodles) -- yeah, this dish was like pho but with a creamy, yellow Thai chicken curry and it was yuumyyyy
Place: Restauration
What Was Consumed:
Fried white shrimp with cilantro-lime aioli (super flavorful)
BLaT (their version of a BLT consisting of braised pork belly, heirloom tomato, avocado, garlic aioli -- very filling/heavy) with a side of cole slaw (also, super flavorful)
Not pictured: the awesome unlimited mimosas for $16
*FYI, at the moment there appears to be no A/C! However, most of the people were dining outside and in the shade, so it wasn't a big problem. In addition to that, it's a super dog-friendly place! :-)
Place: Mastro’s
What Was Consumed:
Awesome variety of breads in their complimentary bread basket (don't fill up on this before your food comes!)
"Lemon Drop" (lemon martini served with dry ice and is incredibly bubbly -- comes with the actual shaker, so you pretty much get three drinks in one!)
Richard ordered the "Sazerac" (pictured next to my Lemon Drop; whiskey and absinthe) and the Hennessy Sidecar (not pictured; it's a Hennessy cocktail)
Shrimp cocktail (also served with dry ice!)
Chef's cut ribeye (bone-in) -- this was Richard's steak! It was incredibly dark when the photo was taken, so I tried my best to enhance the picture. Unfortunately, my steak wasn't as picturesque (although still very good)
Sides: lobster mashed potatoes as noted off to the side with Richard's steak (oh my goodness...so buttery and savory) and creamed spinach (not worth it)
Warm butter cake with vanilla ice cream and housemade whipped cream on the side (AMAZING)