We had only just noticed their orange flag planted on our steakhouse of choice, when further reconnaissance revealed the horrifying truth. Sometime in the night, OC Weekly Editor Gustavo Arellano’s troops laid claim to strategic locations throughout Long Beach, in his quest to make our fair city his own.
From the Southern Front at Naples Island to the Northern Territories of Bixby Knolls and J-Town, General Arellano’s troops are occupying our candy shops, they’re fortifying our BBQ joints, holding our drag queens captive, and they’re even taking the one thing Long Beachers hold most dear: breakfast.
Arellano—or one of his underlings—has even gone so far as to insinuate that everything within 100 miles of Orange County is now Orange County.
The casualties so far:
- Best Candy Shop in Orange County: Powell’s in Long Beach
- Best Street for a Bar Crawl in Orange County: 4th St. in Long Beach
- Best Gay Bar in Orange County: Mineshaft in Long Beach
- Best Martini in Orange County: Paradise Piano Bar in Long Beach
- Best Neighborhood Bar, Long Beach in Orange County: Reno Room in Long Beach
- Best Shot in Orange County: Fuego in Long Beach
- Best Halal Chinese in Orange County: Nomad Asian Bistro in Long Beach
- Best Pie You Can Only Get In a Narrow Window Between Fourth of July and Labor Day in Orange County: Jongewaard’s Bake-n-Broil in Long Beach
- Best Breakfast in Orange County: Breakfast Bar in Long Beach
- Best BBQ in Orange County: Robert Earl’s in Long Beach
- Best Art Museum in Orange County: MOLAA in Long Beach
- Bets Indie Film Theater in Orange County: Art Theatre in Long Beach
- Best Drag Show in Orange County: Dreamgirls Revue at Mary’s in Long Beach
- Bets Karaoke Spot in Orange County: Alex’s Bar in Long Beach
- Best Vintage Store in Orange County: inRetrospect in Long Beach
- Best Manicure/Pedicure in Orange County: Hey, Nice Nails! in Long Beach
- Best Parade in Orange County: Long Beach Gay Pride in Long Beach
- Best Folk Act in Orange County: Bearcoon of Long Beach
- Best Tattoo Parlor in Orange County: Port City Tattoo in Long Beach
It should be noted, however, that not everyone in his ranks is on board with Arellano’s belief in his own Manifest Destiny. OC Weekly Readers’ Choice winners show more of a trend toward hometown pride:
- Best Gay Bar: VLVT Velvet Lounge
- Best Martini: Mastro’s Steakhouse
- Best Breakfast: The Original Pancake House
- Best BBQ: Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q
- Best Art Museum: Bowers Museum
- Best Indie Art Theater: The Frida Cinema
- Best Karaoke: Woody’s Wharf
- Best Vintage Shop: Dee-Lux
- Best Manicure/Pedicure: Ritz Nails Salon
Meanwhile, Long Beach’s own counter-mission to infiltrate the Orange Curtain is going as planned; Readers’ Choice winner The Frida Cinema in Downtown Santa Ana is under the control of one of LB’s top sleeper agents, Long Beach Cinematheque Founder and Director Logan Crow.
Death before dishonor, Long Beach.
Previously: The Best Steakhouse in Orange County is in Long Beach