{"id":81565,"date":"2024-02-14T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?post_type=newspack_nl_cpt&p=81565"},"modified":"2024-02-17T09:35:15","modified_gmt":"2024-02-17T17:35:15","slug":"a-grandmacore-breakfast-experience-in-bixby-knolls","status":"publish","type":"newspack_nl_cpt","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/newsletter\/a-grandmacore-breakfast-experience-in-bixby-knolls","title":{"rendered":"A GrandmaCore breakfast experience in Bixby Knolls"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
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Off the Clock<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Your time-off itinerary for things to do in Long Beach and beyond. Subscribe here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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MeeMa’s in Bixby Knolls isn’t just kitschy, it’s serving cozy, retro and grandma aesthetic. Photo by Kat Schuster. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I have to confess, I haven\u2019t spent much time in the charmingly suburban Bixby Knolls. Perhaps that\u2019s because it\u2019s, well, charmingly suburban and I\u2019m just getting older (don\u2019t worry Retro Row, Zaferia and Wrigley \u2014 you\u2019re still<\/em> my favorites). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, the neighborhood with a quasi-small town feel has been home to a smattering of classic breakfast restaurants like the beloved Jongewaard’s Bake n Broil<\/strong> (est. 1969<\/strong>) and Polly’s Pies<\/strong> (est. 1968<\/strong>). More recently, the area has earned the nickname Brewery Knolls, for obvious reasons \u2014 Ambitious Ales, Smog City Brewing (Steelcraft) <\/strong>and Beachwood Brewing<\/strong> have all hopped<\/em> up over the last few years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But today we\u2019re just going to talk about breakfast. Next, we\u2019ll do \u201cA day in Bixby\u201d<\/strong> and certainly, a Beersby<\/strong> Crawl<\/strong>, so look out for those itineraries soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2661 <\/strong>Oh \u2014 by the way, happy Hallmark Day<\/strong>. If you still need a last-minute date idea or a Galentine\u2019s itinerary, smash this link<\/a>. \u2661<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MeeMa\u2019s<\/strong> – \u200b\u200b4276 Atlantic Ave<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Ricotta pancakes, fresh blueberry compote, homemade whipped cream and fresh lemon zest. Photo by Kat Schuster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This past Saturday, I woke up and decided that I needed to go out to breakfast and probably have pancakes (it had been a while). So naturally, I turned to this trusty list of reader-recommended breakfast havens<\/a> in town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A reader named Niki<\/strong>, who has lived in Long Beach for some 73 years, wrote to me a few months ago and gifted me with a healthy list of greasy spoons and her favorite breakfast spots to try around town. That list once led me to the legendary Bake n Broil, so she\u2019s a trustworthy source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, I took her up on her recommendation of MeeMa\u2019s in Bixby Knolls<\/strong>. According to Niki, it\u2019s \u201cfull of kitsch, this restaurant is the ultimate in awesome breakfasts. A MUST TRY.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First off, this place is serving GrandmaCore<\/a> (that spelling is correct), and the food ain\u2019t bad either. From the antique chandeliers to the shelves lined with old dial telephones, clocks, old boxes of Kellogg\u2019s and the like, every detail carefully conjured a certain nostalgic comfort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I could study the menu, my eyeballs were glued to the 1960s (or \u201850s?) television set, which was curiously positioned up high among other assorted gewgaws. The original 1969 \u201cScooby Doo: Where Are You!\u201d was playing on that old TV when we walked in. There was even a VCR up there with it (kids, if you don\u2019t know what that is, here you go<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, here\u2019s what we ordered: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classic breakfast burrito: <\/strong>Eggs, chopped bacon (subbed for vegan bacon), cheddar cheese, salsa verde and homemade pico de gallo, wrapped in a warm, handmade, flour tortilla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avocado tacos: <\/strong>Two handmade flour tortilla tacos filled with diced avocado, farm fresh scrambled eggs, sliced jalape\u00f1os and pico de gallo. Topped with homemade salsa verde and cilantro. Sour cream served on the side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes:<\/strong> Ricotta pancakes, fresh blueberry compote, homemade whipped cream and fresh lemon zest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For starters, these fluffy, fruity pancakes suffused me with delight; peak breakfast moment. And Everything was exactly how I would envision the archetypal breakfast at grandma\u2019s house would be (mine doesn\u2019t like kitschy grandma things or \u201cold people,\u201d so I wouldn\u2019t know).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t have much to say about the tacos or the burrito other than, \u201cdelicious\u201d and I have a feeling that almost anything on this menu would be. Plus, they get extra points in my book for having plenty<\/em> of vegan and vegetarian options. Also, they let us sub regular bacon for vegan bacon at no additional charge (bless you, MeeMa). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The avocado breakfast tacos (they were huge) at MeeMaw’s in Bixby Knolls. Photo by Kat Schuster. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thank you again, Niki, for recommending this place. Though MeeMa\u2019s is a bit young (est. 2016) it certainly joins Jongwaard\u2019s<\/strong> and Egg Heaven<\/strong> on my list of favorite breakfast joints in Long Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Couldn\u2019t get enough of that GrandmaCore<\/strong> vibe? Make a day of it and visit The Queen Mary<\/strong> and\/or The Ordinarie<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was serious about that Bixby Knolls itinerary. I have a few places on my list but I\u2019m looking for a few more suggestions. Help me out! Email me, tell me what\u2019s on your list. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Are you digging this newsletter? Do you (generally) like my recommendations and oddball itineraries? Consider donating to our arts & culture coverage here<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kat Schuster<\/strong> is the assistant editor for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her at kat@lbpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week, we took a reader recommendation for breakfast. And boy did it pan(cake) out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":81571,"template":"","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"hidden","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","disable_auto_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"newspack_nl_advertiser":[],"coauthors":[9454],"class_list":["post-81565","newspack_nl_cpt","type-newspack_nl_cpt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newspack_nl_cpt"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/302"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81662,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81565\/revisions\/81662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81565"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_nl_advertiser","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_advertiser?post=81565"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=81565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}