As we discussed last time – sharing small plates and wine with friends is one of my favorite meals and La Vineria Italiana is a great place to do that if you’re in Bixby Knolls.
If you’re looking for a place on the eastside or near the Shore – the Backroom at Morry’s of Naples (click here for their website) is your place.
This used to be your grandfather’s liquor store – it is a family owned business that has been serving Long Beach as a premier wine and spirits shop for over 70 years.
Now the younger generation of the Rabin family – Ken and Annie – have brought the shop into the 21st Century. It is still a retail business – but it is much, much more. The best part is the Backroom. It feels like you are going to a secret club because it is in the back of the store, through a large barrel-like hallway. It feels like you are going into a dark and cozy speakeasy.
The Backroom – with its ultra chic and modern, décor – is one of the coolest spaces in Long Beach by far. It is dimly lit with couches and low slung tables made for lounging around the edges and a long wine bar as the focal point of the room. The food and wine clearly meet the standard set by the room.
Wines first – the Backroom serves an eclectic mix of wines from every corner of the world – mostly in cleverly named flights composed of three 2 oz pours based on a theme. Sometimes the wines have things in common: “Bubbleisious” consists of three pours of sparkling wines: Codorniu Cava, La Tordera Rose di Gabzy, and Domaine Laurier. Others like “Funky Monkey” are more creative matches of California and French reds.
The food is equally good with a range of cheese and charcuterie plates, flatbreads and fondue. Chef Cinthia Madrid offers plenty of creative pairings. Each of the cheeses she serves is matched with a sauce or relish to heighten the flavor and textural appeal of the cheese. The Ombra, a Spanish sheep-milk cheese, is served with sautéed onions and a white balsamic sauce – the sweetness of the onions is a perfect match for the salty cheese. This is one of many such matches made in heaven. My advice – let the chef pick the cheeses to match your wine flights. Try something new!
Believe it or not – I like the charcuterie (sliced, cured meats) plate even more than the cheese. Again each meat comes with an accompaniment: the Spanish chorizo with a garlic aioli and the Italian sopresatta with capers and red onions.
If cold meat and cheese isn’t your thing, then try a flatbread or cheese fondue. Again, Chef Madrid has some very interesting and tasty combinations on her flatbreads. My favorite has a white sauce with prosciutto, caramelized onions, figs, truffle oil, fontina and fresh mozzarella cheese. Each is worth trying and sharing with a friend or two or three. The same goes for the fondue – a rich cheese sauce for dipping served with figs, prosciutto wrapped apples, potatoes & bread. Delicious.
Hopefully the descriptions of the food and wine are enough to get you to try Morry’s Backroom. It’s a winner – one that’s worth trying if you have not been there yet.
The Backroom @ Morry’s of Naples
5764 E. 2nd St.
Naples Island
Long Beach, CA 90813
562-433-0405
morrysofnaples.com
For my next column: Do you take cream with your coffee? I will tell you my favorite coffee joints in Long Beach. Tell me yours so I don’t miss one!