Missed out on Brian Addison’s Favorite Things of past? We got you covered—just click here.
Too many years back, I wrote a very self-indulgent listicle that was about so-called “essential” Long Beach dishes; dishes that I loved and could depend on as long as that place existed—and I wrote it because there’s something so elemental and useful about a specific great dish at a specific place. It was less about some grander proclamation than it was about, “This is just great food.” (I’ve done a much more comprehensive, similar list since then.)
I want to return to that. Not some grand list of “essential dishes”—that is too hard a burden to put on a restaurant: You better have this, and you better have it all the time. But for now, I am happy to share some of my favorite things.
In other words: Why not just own the moment? Without further ado, here are the favorite things I’m eating right now…
Pulpo al olivo from Lima Cebichería Peruana
1611 Atlantic Ave.
This marvel of a mariscos dish comes from Chef Mauricio Valencia over at Lima Cebechería Peruana. (Yes, Peruvians spell cebiche with a “b,” in contrast to the more well-known version with a “v” here in California.) Braised octopus is then marinated in a house chimichurri and leche de tigre. The slices of octopus are then sat in a bath of a salsa de olivo, a traditional Peruvian sauce where Botija olives are blended with olive oil, mayo, lime juice, garlic, and, in the case Chef Mauricio’s version, capers for extra salt. Served with saltines, this sodium-saturated umami helping is something worthy of their permanent menu.
Which, unfortunately, brings me to the fact that it isn’t on the permanent menu. It was offered as a special for the space’s first-year celebration in Bixby Knolls. And if you missed out, never underestimate an anniversary with restaurateurs Eduardo Chang and Daiwa Wong (the owners of Lima and the owners of Sushi Nikkei, which also has a genuinely unmissable birthday each year at both locations).
Spam croissant from Hey Brother Baker
3929 E. Anaheim St.
The more Hey Brother Baker finds its footing, the more impressed I am with the quality of goods they churn out on the daily. From incredible cookies—do not skip the corn cookie—and bagels that are easily the closest thing to a New York bagel you’ll find on the West Coast, owners Jesse Hellen-Lloyd and wife Christina Wilson have created not just one of Long Beach’s finest bakeries but one of the region’s best.
The culture Jesse and the team have cultivated has brought on incredible talents like pastry chef Jess Collier. Their Spam croissant creation is a wildly savory, hyper-umami of a pastry. The salt: marinated and seared Spam is slathered with sriracha mayo before being nestled between two layers of croissant dough. Then the umami: glazed with oyster sauce, it is baked and then topped with furikake and green onions. For savory pastry lovers who always go for the ham’n’cheese, I urge you to dive into this treasure.
Uni shrimp toast with fried leeks from Heritage
2030 E. 7th St.
Heritage’s latest menu feels like a love letter to the ocean. While I know others have had some land proteins appear when they have had dinner with this menu, mine was entirely land protein-free, making for an umami-packed, oceanic experience that felt more like storytelling with a Californian soundtrack than a simple tasting menu.
As always, Chef Philip Pretty’s amuse-bouche trilogy to kick off a tasting menu of his was no exception. A squash blossom stuffed with lobster salad and drizzled with Green Goddess dressing. A bite-size tart filled with salmon tartare and topped with caviar, dotted with sous vide egg yolk. But the real star was this savory-umami treat (and making me realize that there are now three dishes in a row exuding savory-umami on this list). But this? This is phenomenal. Uni topped with fried leeks atop avocado and shrimp toast: buttery and hyper-umami meets earthy and salty.
Bangalore Benne Masala Dosa from Cali Chilli
4111 N. Viking Way
There is something wonderfully paradoxical about what Cali Chilli is doing with its breakfast on the weekends in Long Beach. For years, the Long Beach restaurant has built its reputation by refusing to be boxed in by tradition. It has outright bent the definitions of what Indian cuisine should be in an area where traditional Indian food, hallmarked by Artesia’s array of offerings, is held to the highest standard.
Which is it is just outright amusing that the most untraditional Indian restaurant is serving up the most traditional Southern Indian breakfast on the weekends. Idli. Pongal. Medu vada. Puri. And an entire lineup of dosas, including an elegantly simple plain dosa. But my personal favorite? The indulgent Bangalore Benne Masala Dosa. Dripping with clarified butter and stuffed with potato bhaji, this is the savory lover’s dream, where the crack of the dosa and the softness of the filling create an astoundingly satisfying bite.
Chori-Man Colombian sausage from Selva
4137 E. Anaheim St.
I’ve long touted Chef Carlos Jurado of Selva as the most collaborative chef in Long Beach. He opens his doors (literally) to others while also walking through the doors of others to explore or, in this case, ask outright. For years, Chef Carlos has had his Colombian sausage shipped from, well, Colombia. But with the sausage master that is The Chori-Man (aka Chef Humberto Raygoza) right over the bridges in San Pedro, he thought to make it more local.
The result is a hyper-smoky, hyper-savory chorizo that can be found on either the regularly offered chorizo tasting menu or on the Colombian hot dog on weekends. All pork, the link is filled with achiote, guascas, cumin, paprika, cilantro, green onion, and plenty of smokiness.
Missed out on Brian Addison’s Favorite Things of past? We got you covered—just click here.
