The Lamb Chops a la Parilla. Photos by Brian Addison.
Alegria has been a longtime staple of the Pine Ave. food scene, using the street as its home since opening in 1994. Given that, the restaurant was not only in need of a physical renovation but a culinary one as well.
Enter Adrian Amosa and Miguel Baeza—the owners of Argentinian grub hub Gaucho Grill and sophisticated Mexican joint Agaves just up the street—who decided to join Alegria owners Terry Antonelli and Enzo DeMuro last June to bring new life into the Latin American restaurant.
Amosa and Baeza are essentially setting themselves up as the go-to Latin foodies of Long Beach—and it is clear that the carefully curated menus at Gaucho and Agaves hold inspiration behind the updated menu at Alegria.
Though Alegria’s menu has always spanned across Latin America—from Mexico to El Salvador, home of its executive chef, Walter Cotta—its new menu, set to take flight in May, takes a large cue from Cuba and Peru.
The Ropita Vieja.
As with Gaucho, meat is the main star at Alegria.
In the starters category, their Ropita Vieja are mini slices of a Cuban staple: beef slow-cooked to perfection and placed upon a mini tortilla slathered in pureed black beans, and covered in fried plantains, bitter arugula, and cotija cheese. And their empanada, also inspired by the flavors of Cuba, is on course to overtake Gaucho’s version as one of my favorites in the city. It is stuffed with a beautiful picadillo, a blend of seasoned ground beef, capers, and raisins and when paired with the buttery crust, is quite addictive.
The Lamb Chops a la Parilla, grilled to a perfect medium-rare, sit above a pile of lima beans with three outgoing lines of choose-your-tastebud-adventure to compliment the lamb: mint gel, a red wine reduction with a hint of cinnamon, and pico de gallo. Meanwhile, the classic Solomillo (filet mignon) takes a Cuban spin with a beautifully spiced cinnamon reduction that is used to sauté mushrooms set atop the filet. And let’s not forget their Peruvian classic, lomo saltado, which does not stray from the classic tenants of the dish: flanks of beef that sit in a beautiful stew and placed upon a piling of white rice and fried potatoes.
The Muscovy duck barbacoa.
But the standout dish—something I would honestly not oppose having a continual vat of next to me—is their slow-roasted Musocvy duck barbacoa. This insanely addicting dish is duck meat roasted in the vein of Mexican birria (think of it as heightened birria), with tomatoes, fried plantains, and a variety of spices. Adding gorgeous color is a sprinkling of citrus vinaigrette-soaked arugula and feta cheese, giving a beautiful layer of bitterness and saltiness to the creaminess of the duck’s meat.
And for those interested in a free slice of the restaurant’s offerings, fear not: Amosa, in his ever loving way of connecting with locals, has opted to take a bit of the stress out of tax day and give everyone a free taco of their choice this Tuesday. And for the home cooks who believe their tacos are some of the best around, you are invited to take part in his Taco Challenge, where five finalists will face off and receive money to eat at one Amosa’s three Latin grub hubs while the winning taco will be featured on Alegria’s Cinco de Mayo menu. All proceeds from the taco will go to the charity of the winner’s choosing.
Recipes should be submitted to [email protected]. For more information call 562-491-1000. Alegria is located 115 Pine Avenue.
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