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Sunday marks the start of the third annual Black Restaurant Week, so this week, I headed out to one of the participating restaurants, Georgia’s Restaurant, which serves some incredible Southern comfort food.

The menu is large, fairly priced and has so many different options that I was able to try a variety of their specialties. For my main dish, I went with the Hoppin’ John Bowl ($11.95). At first I struggled to choose between the bowl or the shrimp and grits — seafood was really calling my name, but ultimately I went with the Hoppin’ John because I’m partial to garlic rice. 

Georgia’s garlic rice isn’t quite as pungent as some of the garlic rice that you would get at a Filipino restaurant for example, which is also delicious. Alternatively, at Georgia’s the scent of garlic is gently perfumed throughout the fluffy, soft, grains of rice. It was the perfect bed for the stewed black eyed peas and delicate, tender turkey neck. 

The dish was deliciously savory and rich — I couldn’t shovel it in my mouth quickly enough. I hesitate to say it had heat, because it wasn’t spicy per say, but the black pepper in the dish settled nicely at the back of my mouth. My only complaint is I wish it had just a touch more turkey neck pieces. I foolishly ate them first and was left with a lot of beans and rice at the end. 

I also grabbed a single barbecue pulled pork slider topped with some coleslaw ($4.20). Since my entire order was to-go, I was slightly worried the coleslaw would make the bread soggy on the 30-minute drive home, but the bread and the entire meal held up perfectly.

The pulled pork was tender, smothered in Georgia’s signature barbecue sauce, which was tangy, sweet and shared a similar type of heat as the Hoppin’ John Bowl. And they aren’t stingy on portion size. Despite getting a single slider, the pork was generously stacked. The coleslaw was fairly mild in flavor and not overly sweet, it was the perfect topping to cut through the richness of the pork.

I also ordered a piece of cornbread, which comes with a side of honey butter. The bread is soft and fluffy, but the coarse cornmeal gives it that bite I love. I tried to ration the honey butter they gave me, but failed miserably. It was the perfect topper for the bread. 

Finally, I finished with a piece of the lemon cake ($4.45). This buttery, soft, fluffy cake was not only hefty in size, but truly one of the best pieces of cake I’ve had recently. The menu offers some pie options, but I’m just not a pie person so while those options (sweet potato and peach cobbler) may be more interesting, the simplicity of this cake did it for me.

All this food came out to just $22.35 before tax and tip. It really doesn’t get better than that. I’ll definitely be returning soon to finally check out some of their seafood options. 

The chain has three locations — one at LBX, another within the Anaheim Packing House in Orange County and a third in Eastvale in the Inland Empire. 

Georgia’s Restaurant is at LBX – 4101 Mcgowen Street, Suite 155. Directions | Website

Georgia’s is among nearly two-dozen other Black-owned restaurants participating in a week of deals. Read more about them here.

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New eats around town

If you’re a regular on Second Street, you may have noticed that Goyen Sushi is now Osaka Story. They serve hand rolls, fried and stuffed tofu as well as donkatsu and udon bowls. If you swing by and feel strongly about the change, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Popular Mediterranean fast-casual chain CAVA will open its first Long Beach location near the Traffic Circle tomorrow, Jan. 19. If you’ve never been, think of it as the Mediterranean version of a Chipotle. While I’m not sure the brand loves that comparison, it’s the same customizable model of bowls or wraps but with Mediterranean items like hummus, tahini dressing, falafel, etc. 

El Sauz’s Fourth Street location is finally open. After months of waiting, they are up and running serving customers their popular seafood dishes, tacos and more. While the Cambodia Town location has been a staple in the city for over decades, this new spot is sparkling after being built and designed from the ground up by owner Javier Frias. Read all about it here.  

This place isn’t open yet, but I got confirmation that a new Hawaiian poke chain, Uncle Sharkii, is opening inside the Walmart Supercenter at the Long Beach Towne Center. Poke and shopping? Sounds like a perfect match to me. Read more here. 

Have you been to any new restaurants or have some recommendations for me? I would love to hear your thoughts. Make sure to reply to this email or reach me here: [email protected]. 

Events and Specials

The LA Chamber Orchestra is coming to Heritage Farm this weekend. Details and more information on how to grab tickets can be found here.

Michael’s on Naples is having a Sicilian Wine Dinner on Thursday, Jan. 25. The dinner will be in collaboration with Graci, one of Sicily’s oldest producers. The menu features plates of grilled octopus, braised rabbit leg and house made pasta dishes featuring bottarga, prawn crudo and Sicilian olive oil. The experience is $125 per person and reservations can be made here. 

Selva’s next Test Kitchen night is scheduled for Feb. 6. Details on what that’s all about can be found here. Tickets are $95 per person and can be purchased here.