Missed one or two of these monthly lists? Many of these dishes might be included for delivery at your favorite restaurant. Click here for the full archive of Favorite Things I’m Eating. Looking for other food listicles to peruse while staying indoors? Click here.
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Well, let’s just be honest here: these are weird times for not only food but social normality.
I’ve been self-quarantining for nearly two months now. (I get asked about this every day, so, the reason I do this is that My Dude works at Costco and is exposed to hundreds of people a day, so I believe it my responsibility to self-quarantine.) That means I’ve not only cooked a lot but ordered a good deal of delivery.
And with restaurants across the city having upped their game to provide us with amazing food on-the-go, here are some of the favorite things I’ve eaten.
In no particular order…
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Brand new cuisine from Remix
3860 Worsham Ave., #330.; Order by email: [email protected]
Outside of Taco María, my meal at Mix Mix was the best I’ve had in Orange County.
So clearly I had to check out Chef Ross Pangilinan’s first Long Beach restaurant on its opening day—yup, they opened up during a pandemic, may the gods bless ‘em—and all I can say from this is that I hope it can stay around.
His raviolo al’ uovo was simply awesome. His lumpia? Wonderful. His pork cheek adobo? Solid. His tuna tostada? Great. His chicken liver toast? Delicious. And the cocktails? I opted for two: one was a green-tea infused gin and lychee concoction while the other, using a sesame orgeat and bourbon, were the perfect companion to his worldly food choices.
Genuinely, it’s a shame I couldn’t experience it all fresh, kitchen-to-seat..
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Carbs from Gusto Bread
Online: www.gustobread.com/order; 562-856-8000
There’s something really magical about Arturo Enciso’s baked wonders. Chocolate chip buckwheat cookies. Apricot pastries. Baguettes. And, of course, bread loaves.
Though Arturo and his team have been skipping out on the farmers markets, they will continue baking on Wednesdays and Sundays for pre-orders only for delivery or take-away options via their online ordering system. Due to overwhelming demand, they are only allowing pre-orders for one bake day at a time. Sunday pre-orders open now through Friday, then Wednesday pre-orders open Saturday through Monday.
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Quarantine cooking classes from Chef Jason Witzl of Ellie’s, Lupe’s, and Ginger’s
Various dates and times; for latest, visit the Long Beach Food Scene page
Let’s be honest: Chef Jason Witzl was a very smart cat with this one.
The chef of some of Long Beach’s best restaurants decided to create a cooking class and here’s how it works: You email his general manager, Molly Sirody, who will either have the ingredients delivered to you or ready for pick up at their Lupe’s location in Downtown Long Beach. Once you get your ingredients, you join a Zoom link later that evening and let the cooking begin.
For Chef Witzl’s first menu, budding culinary artists were treated to mastering glazed heirloom carrots with a house-made ranch spread, semolina with sautéed mushrooms, and charred broccolini.
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Barbecue from The Corner 10th’s BBQ
3200 E. Fourth St.; 562-434-0445
Those that know me, know my go-to barbecue will always be Robert Earl’s BBQ in North Long Beach.
But The Corner 10th is homing in on becoming truly great: convenient hours, even during COVID, with no-fuss, straight-from-the-pit offerings make this place a consistent alternative for those that don’t feel like making the trek to North Long Beach (or an alternative for those needing a trek down south from the Northside).
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Cold coffee from Downlow Coffee
On this one, we’re going to play a little game where I let you try and find this. You see, the owner, who shall remain unnamed, doesn’t want much exposure for now, but I have a feeling that should they keep up the operation, it will become a success.
Here’s why: like my heart, I prefer my drinks cold. But when stuck at home, the lengthy and arduous process of making my own iced coffee or cold brew doesn’t fit with my What-Day-Is-This? mentality—so to have both iced coffee and cold brew options delivered right to my door with contactless delivery is spectacular.
Now you just have to find ’em. And I am sure you can.
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But if I had to pick one—just one—to have delivered to me in quarantine, it would be the food of Chef Ross—because I am not only proud that someone is taking the risk to open during such a time but Long Beach’s food scene is deserving of his great talent.