Restaurants
LOLA’S MEXICAN CUISINE TO CELEBRATE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY ON CINCO DE MAYO
Five years ago, the restaurant across the street from the Art Theatre—the space was a constant succession of grand openings and quiet closing for places that drew their specialties from across the food spectrum—became Lola’s Mexican Cuisine. Only five years ago? Exactly five years ago, says owner Luis Navarro, whose calendar confirms that Lola’s opened [...]
THE FACTORY: A SAFE HAVEN OF HEAVENLY TASTES
The Factory restaurant in Bixby Knolls is a foodie's double-fantasy-come-true, serving meals that make customers feel as good about what they are eating as how it tastes.
UNLIKELY INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS TELL THEIR STORY TONIGHT
Free reservations are still available for tonight's appearance by Brian Hews and Randy Economy, the reporters who revealed massive corruption by LA County Assessor John Noguez. At McKenna's restaurant beginning at 7 p.m. E-mail RSVP@GreaterLongBeach.com to confirm.
A SECOND BITE OF THE APPLE AT EAST VILLAGE TASTE OF DOWNTOWN
This the second and final evening of the Taste of Downtown East Village Arts District, three hours of sipping and sampling the signature dishes of the most-popular restaurants in downtown Long Beach. See,we forgot that it started Wednesday. Why didn't Kraig Kojian call and remind us?
FORBES.COM FINDS PORTO’S BAKERY … AND FINDS IT TO BE WONDERFUL
No less than Forbes magazine has discovered Porto's Café and Bakery in Downey, and of course has added its voice to the choir of praise. And I don’t think they do too many bakery reviews.
THE GREATER LONG BEACH GUIDE TO HOLIDAY ARTS, EATS & EVENTS
Heeeeere's the Holiday Season! Nervewracking? O, Holy Night! But don't worry. Heeeere's the GREATER LONG BEACH HOLIDAY ARTS, EATS & EVENTS GUIDE---an everything-you'll-need list of the best ways to happy holidays.
HAVE-A-GREATER WEEKEND: AN HOMAGE TO VETS, BEACHES, BIRDS & SHOPPING
It's Veterans Day Weekend, and GreaterLongBeach.com has a short list of tips to help you make the most of it---including a play at The Found Theatre, a parade in North Long Beach to the Patchwork Festival at Marine Stadium
CALL HER COMMIE GIRL, WONKETTE OR CARETAKER FOR ONE CRAZY COOT
It’s been a busy year for Rebecca Schoenkopf---apparently, so busy that the erstwhile Commie Girl hasn’t had time to phone GreaterLongBeach.com while she became editor at Wonkette.com … and now, it seems, a caregiver for this crazy coot.
THE 49′RS TAVERN: COME CELEBRATE THE SURVIVAL OF A LOCAL LANDMARK
Although it’s been 54 years since The 49’rs Tavern was established, Saturday night’s anniversary party will also celebrate the two years since Tracy Kittinger became proprietor---and saved the local landmark.
NOW AVAILABLE: LEE ADAMS TELLS THE STORY OF ‘SAVE BERTH 55′ ON GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO
Greater Long Beach Radio’s Sept. 20 program about the Save Berth 55 campaign can now be heard anytime—in the show’s archives and as a podcast—by [FOLLOWING THIS LINK]. The program retraces and further explores the story of a small group of Westside Long Beach locals whose fast-and-loosely mustered crusade against the Port of Long Beach [...]
AT TASTE OF DOWNEY, THE POLITICS WERE SERVED UP PIPING HOT, TOO
The decidedly political flavor at Taste of Downey included the shirts and stickers of council candidate Alex Saab and a heated discussion between Councilmember Mario Guerra and Firemen's Association president Steve Davis
CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY CANCELS LAST CALL FOR PANAMA JOE’S
The Long Beach City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday evening to grant iconic Belmont Shore restaurant/bar Panama Joe’s an extension of its entertainment-with-dancing permit, but the unanimous decision by councilmembers did not signify consensus on the issue at City Hall. The Long Beach Police Department and the the city’s Department of Financial Management had recommended that the council deny the [...]
YOUR KITCHEN NIGHTMARES DREAM COME TRUE IN BIXBY KNOLLS
LONG BEACH — British chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay will be filming episodes of his Fox show Kitchen Nightmares in Long Beach tonight. And your invited to dine as the cameras roll. Ramsay and his crew will be at Nino’s Italian Restaurant in Bixby Knolls starting tonight through July 12 and are currently taking [...]
BRIGHTON FESTIVALS: ART & TOURISM MARRY ON THE WALLS OF HOTELS
Alison Hayes was a chambermaid when she began programing spaces in the Claremont Hotel. Now its curator, her familiarity with the rooms is as important as her art school background in creating unexpected presentations that blend art and architecture. Et tu, Long Beach?
AT BRIGHTON FESTIVAL, A REAL-LIFE EXHIBIT OF THE ART OF COLLABORATION
The third in a series looking at the similarities between Long Beach and Brighton, England. Both are home to many artists, a happy circumstance that Brighton annually leverages into a month of major arts festivals that reach into every part of the community. Could Long Beach do the same?
BASTARD’S OF YOUNG MARINE HAS SOME IN DOWNEY CONSIDERING REPLACEMENTS
“I wake up every day proud to be a bastard …” asserts Nick Velez, who is preparing to open a sports bar and restaurant in downtown Downey, in a story in today’s Downey Patriot by city editor Eric Pierce. So, there ya go—job applicants, beware. But apparently we’ve interrupted Velez, who hasn’t finished his sentence. [...]
HAVE-A-GREATER-WEEKEND: DEEP JAZZ, SPACE ODDITIES, OCCUPY EARTH DAY
"Have a greater weekend!" we cheerily well-wished them. "Don't tell us what kind of weekend to have!" they sharply bubble-popped us. So, instead, we're going to tell you to have a greater weekend ... and how.
YOU’RE A FOODIE, IT’S THE END OF JANUARY, SO THIS MUST BE RESTAURANT WEEK
Out of more than 300 restaurants participating DineLA's 2012 version of Restaurant Week, nine are in the Long Beach area---and we already know what you're going to say. But please eat what's on your plate before asking for more.
THE GREEN HOUSE: A STERLING CUP OF COFFEE ON A FAMILIAR CORNER
Besides locally crafted coffee beans, The Green House--which occupies the intersection abandoned by Sipology last summer---has a Director of Coffee. His name is Sterling, and you will find him standing behind the counter, answering questions about the various blends and options for drinking them.
SHORTNIN’ BREAD BAKERY TAKES SWEET-TOOTHIN’ TO A HIGHER PLACE
Shortnin’ Bread has been pastry chef Justina Fenton’s dream for more than 10 years. No doubt the organic treats that are hand-crafted in this quaint and clean corner bakery represent longtime wishes-come-true for East Village Arts District residents, too.
WHAT DOES DOWNEY TASTE LIKE? I’LL PUT IT THIS WAY: YOU JUST MADE ME REEEEELLY, REEEELLY HONGRY
DOWNEY (Via The Downey Patriot) – What does Downey taste like? And don’t say “chicken” … unless we’re going to Toyitos—and you’re buying. Otherwise, it kind of depends on what you’re in the mood for. And if you can’t make up your mind, simmer down until Sept. 30, when the area around city hall will be transformed [...]
STEAMED: OVERDUE VEGETARIAN EATS SETTLE IN DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH
Although Steamed has been silently serving sensational vegetarian dishes all summer, that was just its getting-comfy period. The heartwarming place with the fresh food and the coffee-shop vibe will threw a big grand-opening party Thursday evening (Aug. 18).
HAVE-A-GREATER-WEEKEND: BOAT-DACIOUSNESS, BOOBATION & A KILLER DINNER
This is the 100th anniversary of offshore powerboat racing in California, and there is no way to celebrate that without celebrating Long Beach, which has contributed some of the sport’s most-iconic events---and will continue that tradition this weekend.
WITH THEIR ARRIVAL IN LB, INVASION OF THE FOOD TRUCKS IS COMPLETE
The Lardon truck's bacon Nutella brownie boldly seemed to win its challenge against Bacon Mania’s deep-friend bacon-wrapped brownie across the park. But Bacon Mania’s “Baco Sandwich”---a bacon-as-bread ‘wich stuffed with potatoes, cheddar and horseradish-bacon-sour-cream---must have set some kind of standard for outrageousness.
LIFE AFTER DARK: THIS ISN’T YOUR MOM AND DAD’S DOWNEY
Hookah Bars ... a nightclub ... a sports bar ... a micro-brewery ... in Downey? “The city is trying to make a statement,” says Omar Monzon, 29, of Hookah Time Café, part of a flurry of new downtown businesses staying open after dark. “‘We're not dead.’”
BEACHWOOD BBQ & BREWERY: A HOME FOR BEER-GEEKS AND CARNIVORES
The arrival of Long Beach's much larger, brewery-focused version of the original Beachwood BBQ three doors down from Congregation Ale House on the once-abandoned Promenade cements the unlikely strip’s place as the local beer-geek destination.
HAVE A GREATER WEEKEND: BODY SLAMS, BIXBY PARK, MAN MEAT & POETRY
Spend a Saturday in Bixby Park, where locals have been doing exactly that for more than a century, and in the process help ensure that this recreational gem will be polished preserved for future generations. Friends of Bixby Park is presenting this carnival as a fundraiser.
HAVE A GREATER WEEKEND: INK, IRON, PIZZA, SHAKESPEARE & CHOCOLATE
Eight years in, the Ink-N-Iron Festival is a local tradition and an international attraction, yet it remains a little difficult to explain. Here's our take: much of this culture comes from Long Beach; it's our bandwagon---welcome aboard!
ONE QUESTION … FOR STACIA SAMARTAN: ARE WE NEARING THE END OF THE CUPCAKE TREND?
The back story: Everywhere you look, somebody is predicting the demise of the cupcake—or at least our decade-long obsession with them. As 2010 wound down, it was one of the most-common New Year’s prophecies. Of course, that was true near the end of 2008 and 2009, too. Since Stacia Samartan and her mother opened Frosted Cupcakery in [...]
DON’T WORRY, IF FARRELL’S DOES RETURN TO DOWNEY YOU’LL HEAR IT
Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlours became a crazy-popular chain in the 1960s by dressing its employees like they were in the 1890s and making them act like they were on LSD. There used to be a Farrell's at Downey's Stonewood Center, and rumor has it there may be again.
END OF AN ERA: DOWNEY’S SAMBI OF TOKYO RESTAURANT TO CLOSE OCT. 24
Sambi of Tokyo, a fixture in Downey since it opened on Firestone Boulevard nearly 40 years ago, is closing. The owners confirmed that the restaurant’s last day will be Oct. 24. Employees were notified of the closure last Friday. “It has to do with so many issues. Basically it’s due to the economy, that’s a [...]
AN EVENING OF FINE DINING—HOLD THE CRUELTY—AT COMPASSIONATE CUISINE BENEFIT OCT. 1
Twenty vegan restaurants and food service companies—including three from Long Beach—will offer samples of their non-animal fare at the fifth annual Compassionate Cuisine dinner, an evening of cruelty-free dining and drinking at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens on Oct. 1 from 7 p.m to 11 p.m. Tickets to the event are $35 if purchased [...]
TASTE OF DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH LEFT DINERS HUNGRY FOR MORE
What does Downtown Long Beach taste like? Wednesday’s third Taste of Downtown Long Beach, held along street-fair-ready First Street in the East Village, provided only some small clues---but did put to rest the area’s old reputation for car exhaust and Albertson’s roasted chickens.
IN MEMORY OF ARNOLD’S RESTAURANT, MY 2006 OC WEEKLY REVIEW, TITLED: ‘DID YOU TAKE YOUR PILL?’
PUBLISHED DEC. 7, 2006 / OC WEEKLY Kids 12 and under eat free—one with each paying adult—on Mondays at Arnold’s Buffet Restaurant in Long Beach. It’s a marketing strategy intended to whet young appetites for the dying experience known as cafeteria dining. But today is Wednesday, and the customers sliding their trays along the rail [...]
