{"id":84551,"date":"2024-12-20T15:48:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T23:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=84551"},"modified":"2024-12-20T15:49:10","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T23:49:10","slug":"fine-dining-is-back-at-the-reopened-sky-room-long-beachs-storied-high-rise-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/food\/fine-dining-is-back-at-the-reopened-sky-room-long-beachs-storied-high-rise-restaurant","title":{"rendered":"Fine dining is back at the reopened Sky Room \u2014 Long Beach’s storied high-rise restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While trying to land the chef de cuisine job at Sky Room, Long Beach resident Max Pfeiffer decided to take a culinary risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He knew his interviewers wanted beef Wellington on the menu at the lavish, fine-dining restaurant on the 13th floor of the renovated Fairmont Breakers Hotel in Downtown Long Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, Pfeiffer chose to make the dish for the first time in his 17-year culinary career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was kind of high risk, high reward but I guess it paid off,\u201d Pfeiffer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following that tasting, Pfeiffer was handed the role at the iconic Long Beach restaurant that first opened in 1938 before shutting down for renovations in 2018. Locals who spent countless special occasions dining in the eatery overlooking the Queen Mary have been eagerly awaiting its return, and now it\u2019s here<\/a> \u2014 with a new menu curated by Pfeiffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Link<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Although not originally from Long Beach \u2014 he was born down the coast in Laguna Niguel \u2014 Pfeiffer has lived locally for over a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the scenes, he\u2019s long helped shape the Long Beach culinary scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the pandemic, Pfeiffer helped Chef Phillip Pretty launch Heritage \u2013 Long Beach\u2019s first Michelin Star restaurant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Pretty got the lease for the building, Pfeiffer said he helped paint the ceilings, prep sandwiches when the eatery was lunch only and launch the dinner menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pfeiffer also worked as a line cook at Roe under local chef Arthur Gonzalez, who died of a heart attack in 2022.<\/a> Pfeiffer learned \u201ca lot about how to handle seafood\u201d under Gonzalez\u2019s leadership, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dungeness Crab Cake at the Sky Room at the new Fairmont Breakers in Long Beach, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Liberty Farms Dry Aged Duck A L’orange at the Sky Room at the new Fairmont Breakers in Long Beach, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sky Room\u2019s menu, developed by Pfeiffer and Executive Chef Jared Reeves, features numerous fine-dining seafood dishes. You can order a whole roasted John Dory to share for $105 or a butter-poached Maine Lobster for $58.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for an appetizer, Pfeiffer recommends the Dungeness crab cake \u2014 served with smoked trout roe and caviar butter \u2014 or the Hiramasa Kingfish crudo served with hearts of palm, pickled pear and saffron vinaigrette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pfeiffer said the California wagyu beef Wellington still \u201ctakes up most of my mental space,\u201d but his kitchen now turns them out exactly 45 minutes after ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dish, offered at $165 with your choice of side, takes two days from prep to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To begin prepping for the restaurant\u2019s 5 p.m. opening, Pfeiffer gets to the hotel around 10 a.m. each morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Bottles line a window overlooking Downtown Long Beach from the bar in the Sky Room at the new Fairmont Breakers in Long Beach, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The dining room of the Sky Room at the new Fairmont Breakers in Long Beach, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His first stop is at the hotel\u2019s downstairs restaurant Nettuno where he gets dough for the bread baked daily. He then begins working on big project dishes like butchering and making the sauces and stocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pfeiffer first got his interest in cooking from a friend\u2019s mom in high school. He said his parents didn\u2019t have much time to cook at home since they were running a small business, but he took an interest in how his friend\u2019s mom made sauces from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That curiosity stuck with him when choosing a career path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2008, he moved near Cal State Long Beach to attend the university as a community college transfer. He graduated two years later and then spent four years in Cincinnati working at a rustic Italian restaurant named Sotto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He returned to Long Beach in 2014 and has been living in the same house near Rose Park for the past eight years. He met his fianc\u00e9e while working at the former James Republic restaurant on the corner of First Street and Linden Avenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Hiramasa Kingfish Crudo at the Sky Room at the new Fairmont Breakers in Long Beach, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Chef Max Pfeiffer. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After five years at Knife Pleat, a Michelin Star restaurant in Costa Mesa, Pfeiffer said he had \u201cbeen waiting to come back to Long Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with many Long Beach residents, he was eagerly tracking Sky Room\u2019s renovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the Long Beach dining community has been looking for something that\u2019s not afraid to be a little bit more high-end, a little bit more fine dining,\u201d Pfeiffer said. \u201cI really think [Sky Room] is one of the best dining rooms in L.A. County right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Pfeiffer doesn\u2019t often interact directly with customers, he\u2019s well aware of the Sky Room\u2019s legacy and the memories attached to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo many people have a history here,\u201d Pfeiffer said. \u201cIt\u2019s very cool to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sky Room, 210 E Ocean Blvd., is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are booked through February, but there is open seating at the bar.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSo many people have a history here,\u201d new Chef de Cuisine Max Pfeiffer said. \u201cIt\u2019s very cool to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23521,"featured_media":84549,"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":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32323],"class_list":["post-84551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84551","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\/23521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84551"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84559,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84551\/revisions\/84559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84551"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=84551"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=84551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}