{"id":313,"date":"2018-12-27T16:00:19","date_gmt":"2018-12-28T00:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=999932100"},"modified":"2020-09-17T19:37:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T02:37:00","slug":"from-lomo-saltado-pizza-to-the-levant-the-best-new-restaurants-in-long-beach-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/food\/from-lomo-saltado-pizza-to-the-levant-the-best-new-restaurants-in-long-beach-2018","title":{"rendered":"This one goes to 11: The best new restaurants in Long Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Yep, 2018 was a wild year for the Long Beach food scene, with major restaurant openings from locally bred chefs and unexpected restaurant closures<\/a> that were equally as major losses.<\/p>\n

We said goodbye to legends like Big Mista’s, experiments like Seoulmate<\/a> and too-soon concepts like 4th and Olive<\/a>. But we also gained (at a rapid rate) new experiments, more possibly too-soon concepts and hopefully a few future legends\u2014all part of the inevitable roller coaster when a city with rising regional stock is grappling with an evolving culinary identity.<\/p>\n

Long Beach gained at least one new place to eat or drink each week this year, a trend that affected nearly every neighborhood and lasted straight into the holiday season. Eating at all of them, we found that the\u00a0best new additions all had one thing in common: whether started by local natives or obsessed transplants, they focused on community.<\/p>\n

Remember 10 years ago when Downtown was a trawl of pinkie-out Italian restaurants, lost corporate chains (Hooters on Pine!) and nightclubs that only served food because their license required it? We’ve come a long way\u2014and without losing our roots. The ups and downs aren’t over yet, but its that time of year,\u00a0so just enjoy the ride. These are the best new restaurants of 2018.<\/p>\n

–Brian Addison and Sarah Bennett<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"4th<\/a>
4th Horseman’s ode to Korean-fusion food: The Memento Mori pizza, topped with beef bulgogi, kimchi, a gochujang tomato sauce, and bits of roasted pineapple. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 4th Horseman <\/strong><\/h2>\n

121 W. Fourth St., Downtown; 562-513-3394<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The 4th Horseman is quickly becoming a staple in Downtown Long Beach\u2014and it’s only been open for about a month.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here, your eyes will feast on the artistic gems of horror-core fans. Tables are adorned with cut-outs of old horror and sci-fi comics like\u00a0Eerie\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Famous Monsters<\/em>. Shrunken heads of the four owners line the pathway to the restroom. Vintage NYC Monsters Convention posters and creepy analog televisions showing nothing but static are paired with paintings of Poe\u2019s raven clinging to a piece of pizza while constant streams of horror flicks play on a small projection screen near the bar.<\/p>\n

But the true stars of the Horseman are its pizzas. The creation of chef Adam Schmaltz, these pies are not Neapolitan-style nor New York-style. Rather, they’re odes to the Californian culture of fusion; a chewy, not-too-thick-not-too-thin crust that comes with an abundance of options.<\/p>\n

Schmaltz likes to say that anything that can be a sandwich can be a pizza and so, along with pizza classics, you’ll find unique creations such as “Pastrami Dearest,” a creamy ode to the almighty Reuben sandwich: Chunks (not slices) of peppery pastrami and sauerkraut bits thrown onto a mix of Swiss and mozzarella cheeses and drizzled with 1000 Island dressing. Gooey, rich, and surprisingly balanced.<\/p>\n

\u2014Brian Addison<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/a>
Downtown Long Beach’s Ammatol\u00ed and its musakhan chicken roll. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ammatoli\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

285 E. Third St., Downtown; 562-435-0808;\u00a0ammatoli.com<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Levant is a region rich in food culture, encompassing Israel, Cyprus, Jordan and, particularly important for this discussion, Lebanon and Palestine.<\/p>\n

Ammatoli highlights Levantine cuisine in a way that is not only accessible\u2014you\u2019ll find a divinely spicy hummus along with other staples like\u00a0baba ghannouj<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0tabbouleh<\/em>\u2014but entices patrons to dive deeper into the restaurant\u2019s ambitious menu.<\/p>\n

Owners and chefs\u00a0Dima and Sam Habibeh have mustered\u2014in a half-year, no less<\/a>\u2014the strongest sense of the cuisine in their cozy Downtown spot. They throw down plates of perfectly crafted\u00a0ground beef\u00a0kafta<\/em>, a meat skewer that rolls with hints of clove, coriander, onion, and all-around addictiveness. They bring in bowls of\u00a0foul,\u00a0<\/em>beautifully pale fava beans mixed with garbanzo beans and mashed with garlic, lemon juice, tahini and a heavy pour of olive oil.<\/p>\n

On weekends, you’ll find the city’s best\u00a0shakshuka,\u00a0<\/em>a labor-intensive, brightly red tomato dish with poached eggs as its’ star. Warmly enveloping, wonderfully layered, it is a dish that is worth visiting every weekend.<\/p>\n

Ammatoli\u00a0is not just one of the best new restaurants, it’s one of Long Beach’s best restaurants, period.<\/p>\n

\u2014Brian Addison<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ceviche mixto at Casa de Chaski’s. Photo by Vizol Samreth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Casa de Chaskis<\/b><\/h2>\n

2380 Santa Fe Ave., <\/b>Westside; 562-612-3305, instagram.com\/casachaskis<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The adobe-walled compound on the corner of Santa Fe and Lincoln feels like the kind of intimate place where chef Agustin Romo should have always been serving his food.<\/p>\n

For the last year and a half, Romo sold his take on Peruvian classics (think: lomo saltado, tallarin verde and yuca a la huancaina) exclusively through Instagram under the name Chaski\u2019s Peruvian Seasonings<\/a>. He\u2019d post mouthwatering photos of his home experiments and you\u2019d message, text or comment with your address, order and preferred delivery time. Romo often did deliveries himself, sometimes wearing the same hairnet and apron he cooked in.<\/p>\n

Now, he has a restaurant in his hometown, Casa de Chaskis, with a patio that will slay come summer and a dining room so low slung it feels like it could be inside his house. The menu (to start) reads like a greatest hits from his Instagram days.<\/p>\n

Every meal starts with puffy bread and a side of a spicy green salsa, a challenger to Lola’s “green crack,” which cuts its own aji\u00a0<\/em>heat with iceberg lettuce, garlic and the Peruvian herb huacatey. It\u2019s also best to order the ceviche mixto (four kinds of seafood, two kinds of corn and sweet potato in a leche de tigre<\/em> that is downright slurpable). Most meals end with a visit from Romo (aka Chaski) himself, who emerges from the kitchen, still wearing a hairnet and apron.<\/p>\n

\u2014Sarah Bennett<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"Chinitos<\/a>
One of every taco at Chinitos Tacos. Photo by Sarah Bennett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chinitos Tacos<\/b><\/h2>\n

11130 Del Amo Blvd., Lakewood; <\/i><\/b>562-403-0343; chinitostacos.com<\/a><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Beeline Krouch got his start in kitchens by helping his mother and aunties prepare pungent Cambodian dishes on holidays, but it was during the seven years he spent as executive chef of Ortega 120 in Redondo Beach that the Long Beach native truly learned to play with his food.<\/p>\n

Working under chef Thomas Ortega\u2014the self-described \u201cpocho\u201d behind Playa Amor and the forthcoming Amorcito in Long Beach<\/a>\u2014Krouch was shown how to use tradition while respectfully disagreeing with it. And he brings this playful perspective to fast-casual Chinitos Tacos, his first solo restaurant since leaving Ortega\u2019s side in 2013.<\/p>\n

In a quiet strip mall on Del Amo Boulevard, just across the Lakewood border, Mexican meats and Southeast Asian herbs and spices spin in a cross-cultural helix that reflects as much Krouch\u2019s elevated-Mexican training as it does his Long Beach upbringing. Affordable tacos, burritos and bowls are anchored by meats like carne asada marinated in ponzu with garlic, barbacoa slow-braised in Chinese five-spice or grilled chicken teeming with lemongrass.<\/p>\n

These flavor combinations clap back at the harsh racial lines that formed between Long Beach\u2019s Cambodian and Latino populations as soon as refugees from both regions began moving to Long Beach in the late \u201870s. Krouch (who calls himself the \u201cowner y chef\u201d of Chinitos) instead sees strong similarities between the two cultures, a much-needed worldview that emerges on every plate.<\/p>\n

\u2014Sarah Bennett<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"Cuizina<\/a>
Cuizina started doing weekend barbecues for Filipino street food in September. Photo by Sarah Bennett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cuizina<\/b><\/h2>\n

2533 Santa Fe Ave., Westside; 562-980-0022; instagram.com\/cuizina<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

On the surface, Cuizina might just seem like a shinier version of the Westside\u2019s iconic, old-world turo-turo spots, where you \u201cpoint point\u201d to the meat-rich steam-tray dishes you want on your Styrofoam combo plate before diving into the fatty, sweet, sour and salty world of Filipino food under the watchful glare of a Filipino telenovela.<\/p>\n

Yes, they have some traditional meats (pork tocino, adobo, Spam, smoked\/dried\/fried fish) that you can order silog<\/i> style (with a fried egg and a side of garlic fried rice) or as a multi-item combo. But Cuizina sets itself apart for its insistence on banana-leaf plating for all dine-in combo orders (including the sizzling pork hash\u00a0sisig<\/i>) and an even more comprehensive menu of Filipino ihaw<\/i>, a genre of street food that consists of various grilled animal parts on short sticks.<\/p>\n

For $1.25, you can get a skewer of fried quail eggs, chicken feet, coagulated pork blood cubes or crispy pig ears, which every weekend are grilled streetside at a side-yard pop-up barbecue (follow your nose right around Willow). Pick 18 ihaw<\/em> pieces for $25 and get rice for three people. Don\u2019t forget the dipping sauces, crucial for their slice of tangy, sweet and sour.<\/p>\n

\u2014Sarah Bennett<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"Flamin'<\/a>
Flamin’ Curry’s variety of Indian cuisine offerings is both quick and quality-driven. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Flamin\u2019 Curry <\/strong><\/h2>\n

3344 E. Broadway, Belmont Heights; 562-343-7319, flamincurrylb.com<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

First, let’s get one thing straight: Long Beach has yet to bring in some stellar Indian cuisine. You’ll have to go to Artesia for the regions best Indian food.<\/p>\n

That being said, if there is one thing that should never be maligned, it is quick and cheap food that is also wonderfully satisfying.\u00a0Unapologetically straightforward, Flamin’ Curry has a line of steam trays offering up a splendid array of Northern and Southern Indian staples that help anyone’s inner cravings for\u00a0channa masala,\u00a0<\/em>biryani\u00a0<\/em>and, of course, various curries with various types and levels of spiciness.<\/p>\n

Surely, some of the dishes can lean toward the salty but that being said, it is quite possible that the city\u2019s best\u00a0biryani\u2014<\/em>the dish that defines the city of Hyderabad in India and is centered on rice and meat\u2014is at Flamin\u2019 Curry.<\/p>\n

Take their goat biryani<\/em>: succulent, bone-barely-clinging chunks of marinated goat sit atop a bed of basmati rice, tinged with the aromatics of lemon, coriander and saffron. It\u2019s nothing short of wondrous.<\/p>\n

\u2014Brian Addison<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"Gus's<\/a>
Gus’s three piece combo is some of the best fried chicken you’ll have this side of Memphis. Courtesy of business.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gus\u2019s World Famous Fried Chicken<\/strong><\/h2>\n

2580 Long Beach Blvd., Wrigley; 562-276-1819, gusfriedchicken.com<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

There were officially two places to go to for fried chicken in the region: Howlin\u2019 Rays in Chinatown and Gus\u2019s Fried Chicken in Arlington Heights, both in L.A.<\/p>\n

That is, until Gus\u2019\u2014a chain that started in a Mason, Tennessee, roadhouse\u2014finally opened a location in Long Beach.<\/p>\n

This tiny but mighty altar dedicated to the almighty cluck worships the style that is Memphis hot chicken. It’s not the same as Nashville hot chicken made famous by Prince\u2019s in Nashville, but it’s also deserving of its own trophy.<\/p>\n

Gus\u2019s has the type of chicken that looks overcooked in Instagram photos because of its bleeding red color; a pepper-and-cayenne-y heat that doesn\u2019t immediately hit your tongue but when it does, you feel it, though it never deters you from continuing to plow through, perhaps dipping pieces in your greens or beans to cool it off a bit or grabbing a spear of a fried pickle that gives Beachwood a run for its money.<\/p>\n

\u2014Brian Addison<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"HiroNori<\/a>
HiroNori Craft Ramen, located in Long Beach’s Bixby Knolls neighborhood, serves Asahikawa-style ramen. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HiroNori Craft Ramen<\/strong><\/h2>\n

610 E Carson St., Bixby Knolls; 562-676-4234, hironoricraftramen.com<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

One spot has finally elevated Long Beach’s ramen scene to the heights that the Japanese staple deserves.<\/p>\n

While HiroNori\u2019s vegan ramen and Asahikawa-style ramen\u2014often mistakenly called\u00a0shoyu\u00a0<\/em>ramen because that is the name of its soy-based broth\u2014is astounding,\u00a0it\u2019s the Hakata-style ramen<\/a>\u00a0that is the true star of this tiny-but-mighty ramen shop (and its sister location in Irvine).<\/p>\n

Chef Hiromichi Igarashi offers a hefty bowl of creamy\u00a0tonkotsu\u00a0<\/em>Kurobuta pork broth paired with a hearty serving of house-made noodles, your choice of thin or thick. Then there\u2019s green onion, some spinach, seaweed and the star: two hefty pieces of\u00a0chashu<\/em>, braised pork that is then\u00a0wonderfully charred and caramelized so that their small edges of fat are consolidated with the creaminess of the broth.<\/p>\n

There is only one downfall here: no beer.<\/p>\n

\u2014Brian Addison<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The tamal guatemalteco at La Esperanza in Long Beach. Photo by Brian Feinzimer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

La Esperanza<\/b><\/h2>\n

1626 Orange Ave., Central; 562-269-0486, laesperanzarestaurant.us<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not hard to find good Central American food in Long Beach\u2014unless you\u2019re craving tamales con recado, pepian de pollo or any of the other seed-based, poultry-laden, distinctly Mayan dishes that dominate the cuisine of Guatemala.<\/p>\n

Because while the city is home to a dozen or so Honduran and Salvadoran restaurants that serve their country\u2019s traditional sopa de caracol<\/i>, pupuas and platano<\/i>-filled platos<\/i>,\u00a0it was not until La Esperanza opened on Alamitos Avenue in September that there was finally a sit-down, Guatemalan restaurant in Long Beach.<\/p>\n

Owner Adriana Moran opened the first La Esperanza in Torrance in 1994 as a bakery selling pastries and sweet breads from her native Guatemala. She later expanded into a full kitchen serving Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Mexican food.<\/p>\n

At the Long Beach La Esperanza, you can still get a hand-spanked pupusa or a wet asada burrito (no bakery on site yet), but it\u2019s the Guatemalan specialties\u2014like banana-leaf-steamed tamales, hot-dog-chorizo sandwiches and enchiladas that are stacked then topped with pickled beets, not rolled, then smothered in sauce\u2014that shine brightest. Explore the menu with confidence; this is the kind of place where the friendly staff is excited to explain and share.<\/p>\n

\u2014Sarah Bennett<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Ordinarie’s roasted chicken with sweet potato succotash. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Ordinarie<\/strong><\/h2>\n

210 The Promenade N., Downtown; <\/em>562-676-4261<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Taking over the old Blue Cafe<\/a>, The Ordinarie is the brainchild of Auld Dubliner’s longtime bar master, Christy Caldwell and is his ode to American hospitality.<\/p>\n

The Ordinarie, or what later became known as the tavern, was written\u00a0into the laws<\/em>\u00a0of the early American colonies: \u201cEvery community is required by law to build an Ordinarie for the receiving, refreshment, and entertainment of travelers and strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this sense, ordinaries were an integral part of early American culture, a space where people were encouraged to eat, drink and discuss the times and needs of the community.<\/p>\n

With that, Caldwell and his crew have created a homey, comfort-driven menu that includes things such as lobster pot pie as well as pot pie bites on the appetizer side that are not to be dismissed. There are wonderfully warming dishes like the one pictured, The Ordinarie’s roasted half-chicken sitting atop a pile of sweet potato succotash.<\/p>\n

\u2014Brian Addison<\/em><\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Roast duck pizza. Photo by Sarah Bennett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PowWow Pizza<\/b><\/h2>\n

4085 Atlantic Ave., suite B, Bixby Knolls; 562-283-0152<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

When it comes to restaurant closures, Long Beach took some deep cuts this year. But the loss of Bixby Knolls\u2019 Bella Pizza in late November stung a little less when it was swiftly converted into PowWow Pizza, where the pies are cheap enough for family dinner and the best ones are loaded with unconventional toppings like lemongrass beef, gochujang marinara or Filipino fried egg.<\/p>\n

PowWow Pizza is the new home base for chef Maurice Yim<\/a>, a child of Cambodian refugees who years ago left a career as a programmer for a real estate appraisal company to go to culinary school and never looked back. He worked the line at James Republic for a few years, then broke off on his own, running a catering company, doing fine-dining fusion pop-ups and, most recently, picking up shifts at Cambodia Town stalwart Phnom Penh Noodle Shack.<\/p>\n

Instead of a basic pepperoni, try PowWow\u2019s herbal Angkor Pizza, the fancy Fig and Prosciutto or, for something totally different, the Korean BBQ bulgogi cheesesteak. It\u2019s like a regular Philly cheese steak, except with bulgogi on a Telera roll.<\/p>\n

Yim\u2019s globally inspired neighborhood pizza joint is a reflection of the city its feeding and is already becoming an important part of Long Beach\u2019s growing pizza scene (see also: 4th Horseman above).<\/p>\n

\u2014Sarah Bennett<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New restaurants popped up in Long Beach at an amazing rate–about one a week–and we ate at every one of them. Here are the ones we liked and admired the most; the best new restaurants of 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":65840,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","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":[3,202,10],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2691],"class_list":["post-313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-instagram","tag-best-of-long-beach","tag-listicles","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313","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=313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=313"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}