The Factory Gastrobar – Online Menu
4020 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807 (562) 925-4020
Tues-Thurs 11AM-11PM; Friday-Sat 11AM-1AM; Sunday Brunch 10AM-3PM
Even though we were just in Bixby Knolls last week for April’s rendition of First Fridays, sometimes we just can’t stay away. On Tuesday night we were drawn back in, heading to The Factory Gastrobar on Atlantic Avenue for dinner and wine tasting. The Factory is an eclectic little place, offering quite an array of dishes. Some of them may be priced a bit higher than you would see elsewhere, but the main reason is that they all consist of organic or sustainably grown produce and meats. The wines that we tasted also fit these criteria, and while I am certainly not the authority on wine, they provided a nice complement to our meal.
We started things off with marinated Shrimp and Calamari in a white wine broth. Like Nino’s, The Factory participates in The Aquarium of The Pacific’s Seafood for the Future program, an effort to promote responsible fishing through consumer choice. I love the critters of the sea, so I am fully in favor of keeping them around for my future enjoyment. The shrimp and calamari were tasty little bites, and the broth was perfect for dipping the fresh baked bread that is brought in daily from Babette Bakery just a few miles down Atlantic.
A (perhaps not so) brief aside: apart from being organic or sustainable, The Factory’s offerings come from local sources whenever possible. For example, the produce comes from Jimmy Ng’s Growing Experience farm in Long Beach, and the beef is brought in from J&J Ranch in Tehachapi (sure, Tehachapi isn’t exactly our backyard, but it’s closer than Montana). LB Food Review is a fan of keeping things local, and The Factory fits that description to a T.
Back to the meal. Matt, the chef decked out in his requisite WE LOVE LB t-shirt, brought each of us a Jimmy’s Farm Box, the seasonal salad which at the moment consists of spinach, heirloom beets, and fennel, all tossed in raspberry vinaigrette dressing. I think that perfectly uniform produce is a tragedy, so the inclusion of heirloom beets was both delicious and encouraging.
Sausage conjures up many images, few of which are flattering. However, sausage cooked in beer is a perfect match. The Cooked Beer “n Sausage plate is two beef sausages cooked in beer, served across garlic mashed potatoes and surrounded by brussel sprouts deglazed in the same beer. Because The Factory rotates its beer selection regularly, the character of this dish changes with the taps. Ours was cooked in Jamaica Red Ale, an Amber ale from Mad River Brewing Co. in Blue Lake, California, way up north, all the way past Eureka. I have to say that the brussel sprouts were so good that even the ladies took a few bites.
We also got to indulge in a healthy portion of seared Ahi slices resting on a bed of Wasabi mashed potatoes, and let me tell you, these taters packed some punch. The tuna was pepper crusted and glazed in a soy ginger sauce, but what made it truly phenomenal was dipping it in the potatoes. This by itself would have made a fantastic meal, but we weren’t finished yet.
To top off everything, we got to sample the public unveiling of the newest dessert at The Factory, a bread pudding that included banana chips, caramel, and powdered sugar among several other ingredients. Appropriately dubbed Mix-n-Match, it was rich and sweet, displaying just enough banana flavor to add something new without being overpowering.
The Factory is a great local spot to eat a surprisingly large variety of dishes and microbrews. Regardless of how you feel about the organic movement, the food here is very tasty and you will leave full and pleased. Check it out the next time you’re in Bixby Knolls. They have live music during First Fridays and an energetic atmosphere to go along with the lively menu.