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.”

And after a year of not doing such lists, I want to return to it: Hence Brian Addison’s Favorite Things. Not some grand list of “essential dishes”—that is too hard of a burden to put on a restaurant: You better have this and you better have it all the time. But for now, in this moment, I am happy to share some of my favorite things.

In other words: Why not just own the moment? Without further ado, and once again in the third person, Brian Addison’s favorite things he is eating across Long Beach…

Baked shrimp with glass noodles from Manaow

3618 E. Broadway

In the world of Thai food, Long Beach has some genuinely great options—but we are just beginning to see spaces dive into the richer, more complex parts of Thai cuisine, like Chiang Rai. (Look for a full feature on them in the coming days.) But for the ones who stick to the safer, more common menus? We have a crop of restaurants that do it rather well.

Manaow is one of those spaces—and their baked shrimp and glass noodles dish exemplifies that. A dish whose heat you can control depending on how spicy you ask for the plate’s accompanying garlic-lime sauce—I always order an additional side of Thai chiles because I love heat—this wonderful plate mixes the umami of shrimp with the salt-bomb that is pork belly. Stacked above sizzling glass noodles and packed with cilantro, it is a hidden dish that deserves much more love.

Baja tostada from Ruta 15

1436 E. 7th St.

Ruta 15 is bringing a level of mariscos to Long Beach that echoes some of the region’s best spots. It also harbors the essence of a culinary tradition in Mexico that is as precious as corn itself, where seafood becomes a representation of not just its people’s gastronomical talent but the way in which Mexican people come together.

Their first collaborative dinner, bringing on Veracruz native Chef Flor Franco, was a hefty event—five substantial courses. But their second course was nothing short of spectacular, where the textures of mariscos—blue crab whipped into a creamy aioli; smoked tuna shredded like a jerky; Sinaloa shrimp chunks in all their glory—were met with the heat and oily beauty of salsa macha.

Considering Chef Flor brought the seafood herself from Mexico, it is unlikely the item will appear on the space’s regular menu. But it is yet another reason I encourage everyone, should they have the means to do so, to attend a prix fixe dinner at any of Long Beach’s best spaces.

Corn bread from Noble Bird

460 Pacific Coast Hwy., #125

I’ve written this before and it bears repeating: There are stories I’ve written that are always worth re-sharing—and the story of the owners of Noble Bird is definitely one of them. I want to emphasize, before going into their personal tale, that the food at Noble Rotisserie is often forgotten because their story is so beautiful; the food, however, is the star because of how they apply their story to the food itself.

Owners Sidney and Steve Price had to face a parental nightmare that affects over 30 million American families: Their children were deeply affected by an assortment of allergies that essentially made going out impossible for their safety. Food revolves around much of our lives: celebrations, gatherings, deaths, coming together at the end of the work day… And they saw their kids missing out on just that but they refused. 

Inclusivity in food can mean so many things—allowing other cultures to flourish if they choose Long Beach and L.A. as their home, having a menu that caters to multiple diets—but there is something particularly special about seeing a father, his child in his lap, mowing through some food and telling you, “This is the only place I don’t have to worry about my kid going to the hospital.” And there is something additionally special when, if you have the luxury of not having allergies, you can still visit this place and proclaim, “This is simply damn good food.”

And this corn bread? Simply damn good food. And, if I may be so direct, Noble Rotisserie deserves to be a larger, more successful thing. More on that in the coming days…

Tteok mandy guk from Sura Korean BBQ

621 Atlantic Ave.

Sura’s new soup, tteok mandu guk—a dumpling soup often served for special occasions but will be offered year-round—is that crowd-pleaser of a bowl. Perfect for the current onslaught of wetness and cold, this soup-meets-bowl of dumplings is a highlight to Sura’s new chef, Andy Uk Chang, and his wonderful additions to their menu.

Hyper-savory dumplings—filled with soybean and chives that make it feel genuinely porky—are layered in an equally savory house-made beef broth with sliced rice cakes as the star. It is a wonder of a dish that is befitting for any time—be it celebratory or if you happen to be feeling down.

Orange cream latte from So Sentimental coffee popup at Buvons

1145 Loma Ave.

Alicia Kemper, the owner of Buvons Natural Wine Bar & Shop, has set her eyes on expansion. While she has constantly flexed her love of food at the wine bar—everything from lobster rolls and seafood boil popups to picnic pickups—there has always been a more significant purpose with the space next door. Originally intended to be a Lodge Bread bakery, Alicia initially opened a café concept, Mangette, that closed late last year. Since then, Alicia has single-handedly taken over the space, and this time, has geared the space toward evening gatherings and refocused it on her passions: natural wine and simple, seasonal, satisfying cooking.

To get things started until the restaurant space begins to formally opens, she has invited Julian Park and his So Sentimental coffee brand for a popup. Minimalist in style and quality in product, So Sentimental reflects what Alicia has been doing at Buvons—and acts as the perfect segue into a full-on dive into the restaurant world for Buvons.

There is no bad coffee order at the hyper-minimal popup—but their Orange Cream Latte is a gem. Orange-zest-in-a-cup, this hyper-minimal, not saturated with saccharine notes, one can tell Julian loves to take his bean—this round he was using a pink bourbon Colombian bean from Brooklyn-based roaster SEY—and make that the highlight over dousing the coffee in third-party flavors.