Just months after winning five medals and being named Best Mid-Sized Brewpub of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival, Long Beach's Beachwood BBQ and Brewing has garnered even more acclaim for its beers.

The Stache Bar filled what was an empty niche in Long Beach: a place which harbored the art of craft cocktails and beer but simultaneously exuded our city's kickback vibe—in other words a Seven Grand or Noble Experiment without all the pretense. Since opening, Bartender Nate Edgecomb's has become a familiar face to the denizens of Stache, and their love for him has scored Edgecomb the opportunity to be named the country's Most Appreciated Bartender.

Steam rising from fresh flour tortillas, sizzling beef and creamy refried beans--These are the sights and smells that may come to mind at the thought of Mexican cuisine. However, Lola's Mexican Cuisine asks for a broader image as it launches a small self-proclaimed "crusade" against culinary stereotypes in Long Beach.

The building at 144 Pine Avenue has been through a few incarnations, but the most recent restauranteurs who purchased it—David and Lesley Cohn, operators of the Cohn Restaurant Group—are hoping that their successes in San Diego will translate into a permanent home in Long Beach with their BO-beau brand.

Chianina, a new steakhouse named after the cattle it will breed and raise for the restaurant, is set to make its grand opening in December.

Do you do what you love and love what you do? Jim Ritson and Sophia Sandoval have created a space to share their loves with the community: delicious boutique wine and craft beers that have been carefully chosen by the pair and a celebration of creativity that perpetually hangs in the air.

Out of 745 breweries from around the country that submitted 4,809 beers for judging at the largest commercial beer competition and festival in the world, Beachwood brought home five medals, including two golds, and earned the coveted title of Mid-Size Brewpub of the Year.