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I’m pleased to say I was an absolute glutton last week. 

I’m lucky to have a dear friend, Jolene, who has lived in Long Beach her whole life. When she invited me over to spend some much-needed time together, I deferred to her to show me one of her favorite spots and she, as always, did not disappoint. Poke & More is a tiny but mighty shop with one of the best poke burritos I’ve had in a while. 

The menu is huge. You can grab poke by the pound, poke bowls, appetizers like macaroni salad, grilled marinated meats like chicken or pork, all-day breakfast and more. But we were on a mission to get their poke burritos. 

I opted for a regular (they have jumbo) ginger salmon burrito ($14.99) with white rice, avocado, cucumber, seaweed salad, wonton chips and sushi ginger. Since my salmon was already marinated with ginger, I decided to leave out the sushi ginger. The burrito comes with a side of wonton chips as well.

It’s a great joint for customization, if you’re not a fan of the ingredients it comes with, you can ask them to remove them because it’s made on the spot. The burrito was filling, but not heavy and the furikake (dry, Japanese condiment to flavor plain items like rice) added a perfect amount of saltiness without being overbearing. 

It’s hard to pick just one thing I would try for next time, but you can guarantee I’ll be back. 

Poke & More is at 2292 E. Carson Street. Directions | Website

I also visited Hart N’ Soul Vegan Cafe with a few of my coworkers. We all grabbed different items which meant I could sample a bit of everything — like I said, glutton. 

I went with the nuggets, made of mushrooms and tater tots ($16). The nuggets were a bit salty but truly did not taste like a mushroom if you’re averse to those. The tater tots were wonderfully crispy with a soft, cushiony inside. 

My coworker, Jake, got the hamburger ($18) and I have to be honest, I got order envy. His burger was definitely my favorite thing that I tried. It was delicious and topped with lettuce, onion, pickles, avocado, beans, sliced tomato, chili cheese, ketchup, mustard and mayo on a brioche bun.

The beans may seem like a bizarre choice, but if you’re into chili dogs, the beans on the burger with the chili cheese are fantastic. 

Jackie Rae also picked up lunch, going with a chickpea tuna sandwich ($15). The filling was wonderfully creamy and the chickpeas were soft so it didn’t feel like you were biting into a sandwich stuffed with, well, chickpeas. As a non-vegan, it was a wonderful lunch. 

Check out a video of our visit here. 

Hart N’ Soul Vegan Cafe is at 3418 Long Beach Blvd. Directions | Website

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Dishes on my to-try list

• If anyone knows me, they know I love Korean food. I’ve been dying to try Sura Korean BBQ & Tofu House. Their budae-jjigae, or Army Based Stew, which feeds two people, looks delicious ($42.99), and I would absolutely have to get their sausage and rice cake skewers ($8.99). 
• Pizza, pizza, pizza. It feels like Long Beach is overrun with it. But recently someone recommended Thunderbolt Pizza and really, can you ever have too much pizza? When it comes to pizza, I’m a simple gal. Give me some cheese, pep, and some olives so the La Sorpresa ($20) sounds perfect. 

New eats around town

El Sauz on Fourth Street isn’t open just yet, but it will be very soon. Long Beach’s original Cambodia Town location has been a staple in the community and its 3 a.m. taco stand is one of the few spots in town that’s packed at that hour. The family-owned business is expanding and I sat down with Javier Frias and his family to talk about their journey. Read it here. 

George’s Greek Cafe on Second Street, the only location still owned by the chain’s founding family, the Loizides, had its reopening after a remodel. Here’s our story and video of our visit.  

These aren’t technically new eats, but in case you missed it, Yelp recently came out with a list of top places in L.A. County and nine Long Beach eateries made the cut. Here’s the list. 

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 email [email protected]. 

Events and Specials

Belmont Heights’ Panxa Concina is serving a duck breast with Hatch Mashed Potatoes and Pine Nut Stuffing ($33). If you want to take something home and add it to your Thanksgiving spread, you can pre-order a full signature Hatch Green Chile Cornbread loaf with Honey Butter, which serves approximately four to six people for $17. Pick-up will be available on Nov. 23.

The Yo Soy Funny: Central American Heritage Festival is scheduled for Nov. 25 starting at noon at the Historic Scottish Rite Event Center. The festival will have music, art, community programs, and of course, great food. There will be seven tastings for each Central American country, a comedy set and an award ceremony. For full details and ticket purchase, go here.