{"id":7392,"date":"2019-07-31T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=30000001097"},"modified":"2019-10-01T08:10:30","modified_gmt":"2019-10-01T15:10:30","slug":"addison-favorite-things-july-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/addison-favorite-things-july-2019","title":{"rendered":"Favorite things I am eating right now in Long Beach: July 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Missed one or two of these monthly lists? Click here for the full archive of Favorite Things I’m Eating<\/a>. Looking for other food listicles? Click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n

****<\/p>\r\n

A few years back, I wrote an Essential Long Beach Dishes listicle<\/a>. I wrote it because there’s something so elemental and useful about a specific great dish at a specific place; it was less about some grander proclamation than it was about, “This is just great food.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

And I want to return to that, but the reality of that list is that some restaurants went out of business, some ingredients aren’t around, moods shift, seasons alter, food changes. Constantly. So why not just own the moment? Without further ado, here are the favorite things I’m eating right now\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"\"<\/a>
Amorcito\u2019s green chile cheeseburger. Photo by Thomas Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n

The green chile cheeseburger at Amorcito<\/b><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3991 N. Lakewood Blvd.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I have long lauded the wonders of Chef Thomas Ortega\u2019s Amor familia.<\/p>\r\n

The man behind \u201cpocho cuisine\u201d serves up some of the city\u2019s best tacos at both Amorcito and Playa Amor, along with some other wonders like his short rib birria and mole tots.<\/p>\r\n

But my latest addiction is one of his simplest: Amorcito\u2019s green chile cheeseburger. A wonderfully starchy, buttery potato bun has a grass-fed patty, a garlicky aioli, onion, pickle, ketchup, mustard, and a mound of ground, roasted green chiles atop some melted American cheese. (Yes, American cheese, dammit!)<\/p>\r\n

It\u2019s comfort food with masterful simplicity\u2014and it\u2019s only $6.75.<\/p>\r\n

\r\n
\"\"<\/a>
Pier 76\u2019s moules frites. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n

Moules frites at Pier 76 Fish Grill<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n

95 Pine Ave.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The best part about Chef Chris Krajacic\u2019s style is his cleanliness in his approach to food. Eschewing complicated preparation, his plates are simultaneously simple and complex\u2014and this shines best in his\u00a0moule frites. I have long-loved this plate but, after realizing I hadn\u2019t had it well over a year, decided to re-test the waters. It was a dive worth taking.<\/p>\r\n

Pier\u2019s tin bucket filled with a hefty heap of freshly steamed California black mussels atop a pile of fries is Krajacic\u2019s take on the seafood classic, one I first experienced at Walt\u2019s Wharf in Seal Beach, which just happened to be under the direction of Krajacic when I had it.<\/p>\r\n

We\u2019re talking brilliant execution here with a white wine broth\u2014beautifully balanced to the point where one could easily use it as a soup\u2014that the fries happily bathe in, mixed with onions, roasted poblano peppers, and chunks of bacon.<\/p>\r\n

Keep it up, Chef.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"\"<\/a>
Pow Wow Pizza Company\u2019s Roman-style square slice. Photo by Maurice Yim.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n

Roman-style pizza at Pow Wow Pizza Company<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

4085 Atlantic Ave., Suite B<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Chef Maurice Yim is already well-known as an artist of fusion food, masterfully blending his Cambodian roots, love of multiple cuisines, and talents into his pizzas\u2014and with it, building up a stellar reputation within months after opening Pow Wow Pizza Company in Bixby Knolls.<\/p>\r\n

But his adoration of the art of pizza perhaps supersedes his love of the art of fusion. And this is best expressed in his Roman-style square pizza. Each piece you get is the result of hours of dough work: fermenting, folding, repeat. The result is a light, airy crust that is a wonderful base for whatever toppings you choose. If Chef Yim happens to have it, get the habanero honey to drizzle over your pepperoni square.<\/p>\r\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\"\"<\/a>
Kim Prince’s Hotville popup at Beer Belly in Downtown Long Beach on June 8, 2019. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Nashville hot chicken from Kim Prince\u2019s Hotville popup at Beer Belly<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kim Prince has come to Long Beach to spread the love and her talent for frying fowl. Twice now.<\/p>\r\n

And yes, I know it is rather jerk-ish to tell you about something that has twice passed and let you know about its wonders\u2014but my secret hope is that we can convince Kim to join Long Beach permanently and show some of the impostors what\u2019s up.<\/p>\r\n

This isn\u2019t the subtle heat of Memphis fried chicken\u2014where Long Beach can experience a prime example at Gus\u2019s on Long Beach Boulevard\u2014but truly sweat-inducing heat, especially if you enter into the upper echelons of hot chicken\u2019s heat scale. That scale is always on a four-figure escalation when excluding the plain option: country, Cali mild, medium, and hot. And true to the spirit of Nashville hot chicken, each level of heat is its own special concoction of spices: Kim\u2019s medium has a sweet subtleness to it while her hot is a heavy but worthy dose of cayenne and, of course, secrets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\"The<\/a>
The taco de buche [left] and the taco de tripas [right] from El Taco Loco #3 in Long Beach. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Tripas<\/i> taco at El Taco Loco #3<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1465 Magnolia Ave.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I wrote about this taco years ago\u2014genuinely one of the best discoveries offered to me by retired food legend Russ Parsons\u2014but I still feel no one knows about its wonders.<\/p>\r\n

This Downtown Mexican restaurant has long been serving house-made tortillas and offering everything from buche to cabeza.<\/p>\r\n

But the real treasure are their tripas taco. (Don\u2019t do the burrito if you\u2019ve never had the tripas here; it buries the tripas with rice and beans which, by no means, is a bad thing, it just dampens the first experience.)<\/p>\r\n

Marinated and wonderfully charred with a slight crisp, slathered in salsa verde and topped with onion and cilantro. This is the classic taco at its finest, served with a part of the cow all-too-often dismissed by boring appetites.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n

But, if I had to pick just one to live with for the rest of the month\u2014just one\u2014it would be Ms. Prince\u2019s chicken.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Brian Addison is a columnist and editor for the Long Beach Post.\u00a0<\/em>Reach him at\u00a0brian@lbpost.com\u00a0or on social media at\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Missed one or two of these monthly lists? Click here for the full archive of Favorite Things I’m Eating. Looking for other food listicles? Click here. **** A few years […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":70414,"comment_status":"closed","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":[6],"tags":[8260],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2691],"class_list":["post-7392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","tag-favorite-things-im-eating","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7392","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=7392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7392"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=7392"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}