Pints<\/a>. He had long urged previous owners to move beyond the boring, fizzy yellow liquids of macrobrews and go into the craft scene.<\/p>\n\u201cThis new concept\u2026 It\u2019s been a blessing,\u201d Pacheco. \u201cWe have better food, better beer and it\u2019s nice to finally say, \u2018So long!\u2019 to the days where all you hear is, \u2018Can I have a Bud Light?\u2019 It\u2019s awesome that I can create my own cocktails or experiment and my bosses believe in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pacheco\u2019s bosses are young couple and owners Dana and Robert Risher, a pair that you can easily point out as sports-loving but not fanatic, tasteful but not arrogant. They\u2019re the kind of people who certainly won\u2019t judge you for ordering a Stella but will tactfully suggest you go for something along the line of a Pivo Pils. They\u2019re the kind of people that will let Pacheco serve a Pear Collins, a dangerously addictive blend of Absolut Pear, muddled cucumber, lemon juice, simple syrup and soda water.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are pretentious gastropubs where you don\u2019t feel comfortable asking the bartender to put on a game, let alone watching one,\u201d Dana said. \u201cWe wanted to create a place for sports fans that appreciate great grub and great brews.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hence Pints, a welcomed addition to not just the neighborhood where such a joint is sorely needed but Long Beach as whole. This is particularly evident given Legends, the Belmont Shore sports bar staple that went through a massive rebuild after burning, ultimately failed in delivering high quality food or beers.<\/p>\n
![\"Pints](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pints_11.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The Pint Burger: a California angus patty, smoked aged gouda, bacon, arugula, and garlic aioli. <\/em><\/p>\nDon\u2019t be overwhelmed by the massive amount of blinding blue paint that adorns the walls from top to bottom\u2014\u201cIt\u2019s a work in progress,\u201d joked Robert\u2014because the sports palace is home to an accessible bottle list, a great bar and tap set, and genuinely great food courtesy of Executive Chef Craig Orrell.<\/p>\n
The bottle list, minus a handful of bombers, has not a single bottle reaching the $10 mark and runs from classics like Delirium Tremens and Ruination to much more refreshing picks like Modern Times\u2019 Fortunate Islands and SKA\u2019s Modus Hoperandi. For the bombers, you have seven excellent large format bottles: The Bruery\u2019s Autumn Maple Ale and Mischief, Mother Earth\u2019s Cali Creamin\u2019, Stone\u2019s 18th Anniversary Ale and Arrogant Bastard, Lost Abbey\u2019s Judgement Day, and Wandering Angus\u2019s Bloom Cider.<\/p>\n
![\"Pints](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pints_07.jpg\")
The gastropub also welcomed the first Karl Strauss cask to be tapped in Long Beach by way of the brewery\u2019s hefty Wreck Alley Imperial Chocolate Stout, which they served in an equally hefty 10oz glass with a Reese\u2019s peanut butter cup on the side.<\/p>\n
Come December 2, the restaurant will have its first tap takeover by way of Oskar Blues Brewery, featuring a six-course beer dinner.<\/p>\n
Which brings us to Pints\u2019 true star; that is, Orrell\u2019s menu.<\/p>\n
The food lover by way of Yorba Linda is not your typical chef that hides behind the comfort of the wall that divides his kitchen from the patrons. The gregarious, affable chef loves to sit down with guests and talk football or smoked aged gouda\u2014his killer cheese choice for the restaurant\u2019s headlining burger that runs about $200 a wheel.<\/p>\n
Orrell is no stranger to the culinary arts, having been involved with massive food endeavors like helping launch Slater\u2019s 50\/50, building quick-serve gourmet pizza The Pizza Press from the ground up (which probably explains the man\u2019s incredibly delicious flatbread crust), and serving as an Assistant Chef at Disneyland (which for us, seems like a nightmare). But it is here that he has a free range to explore\u2014and he takes advantage of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery weekend, I\u2019ve been using the Santa Maria barbecue on the patio,\u201d Orrell said. \u201cWhatever I can get my hands on from local purveyors, I throw on the grill and invite people to enjoy some great tri-tip or ribs\u2026 I just like to give people good food that they can easily relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Take, for example, their BBQ Chicken Flatbread [pictured top<\/em>], quite possibly the best BBQC pizza I\u2019ve ever had: served on a phenomenally buttery thin crust, the sauceless flatbread is topped with great chicken, a smidgen of mozzarella, shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, pickled red onions, a few sprinklings of cilantro, and a perfect drizzling of tangy, not overwhelmingly sweet BBQ sauce rather than a dousing.<\/p>\nOr his LBC burger [pictured above, right<\/em>], an In-N-Out burger taken to new heights: a pure California angus patty shoved between Melrose Bakery brioche and filled with a slice of tomato, green leaf lettuce, onion, cheddar, and a mildly Sriracha-flavored mayo spread.<\/p>\n![\"Pints](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pints_05.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Or his wings\u2014dubbed Chicken Lollipops [pictured above<\/em>] because he French-cuts them, providing you easily pick up the delicious balls of meat without the need for a pile of napkins\u2014offered with sauces ranging from green coconut curry to your classic buffalo’n’bleu cheese.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s great, get-down food that you want with beer\u2014but elevated.<\/p>\n
Even the regulars, who (like Pacheco) have continually visited the space as it has evolved because it has become their neighborhood bar, have welcomed the change, with Orrell noting that they not only love the food but even Ommegang’s Rare Vos rather than asking where the Shock Top is. Orrell, along with Pachecho and the Rishers, have of course catered to the patrons who have made their business stay alive during its infancy. This, however, does not mean the Rishers do not have grander plans.<\/p>\n
![\"Pints](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pints_09.jpg\")
The room to your immediate right when you enter will be the area you’ll want to be in should you not want the plethora of TV screens in your face and prefer a little different types of sports action\u2013that is, watching a kitchen come alive. A giant glass wall will divide the space, providing diners a glimpse into Orrell’s world while also having the possibility of bar service.<\/p>\n
“Ultimately, we’re just here to cater to Long Beach,” Orrell said. “You have a suggestion? Tell me. You want something on the menu? Tell me. We’re here to work with you\u2014otherwise, we won’t succeed.”<\/p>\n
I have a suggestion: give me two Pint Burgers next time instead of one.<\/p>\n
Pints is located at 5755 E. Pacific Coast Highway at the trisection of PCH, Bellflower, and 7th St. <\/em><\/p>\n{FG_GEOMAP [33.7735701,-118.11938680000003] FG_GEOMAP}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pints<\/a>, tucked into the hidden space at 5755 Pacific Coast Highway, is a welcomed addition to Long Beach\u2014especially given Legends, the Belmont Shore sports bar staple that went through a massive rebuild after burning, ultimately failed in delivering high quality food or beers. Bring on the high-end bar food with equally high-end beers (all without gouging a hole in your wallet). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":68293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","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_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"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":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[81,1275,1276],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-3009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-craft-beer","tag-gastropubs","tag-pints","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3009"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=3009"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Pints](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pints_03.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Pints](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pints_01.jpg\")
This probably explains why bartender Eric Pacheco, the man who has experienced the entirety of the location\u2019s many incarnations, is ecstatic about what will hopefully be the space\u2019s final and longest-lasting embodiment,