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.”

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…

Bluefin toro crudo from Seal Beach Fish Co.

1025 Pacific Coast Hwy. in Seal Beach

There is something special about seeing the fish you are eating before you ate it—which one can experience at Seal Beach Fish Co., the sole restaurant in the region to have its entire offering fish come from line-caught sources. Stare at a whole bluefin tuna that was just caught off of the coast of Catalina earlier that morning. And when you see Chef Geno Bustos Guerrero serve up his crudo, you appreciate it even further.

“I’ve worked with fish before but not on this scale or level,” Chef Geno said. “It’s completely altered my view of seafood and my respect for it.”

You can sense his love. A line of slices of bluefin tuna belly lay across a layer of a ponzu-inspired sauce, topped with a jalapeño concoction and micro greens. The result is letting the fish be the star. The layers of fat melt into an umami dream with bits of salt and citrus. It’s one of the best bluefin crudos around—and it’s solely because the quality of the fish is that immense.

Look for the full feature on Seal Beach Fish Co. tomorrow.

Shave ice from Speak Freeze at Speak Cheezy

3950 E. 4th St.

There’s shave ice and then there is Chef Jason Winters of Speak Cheezy’s interpretation on the Hawaiian staple. While it deserves it sown profile (and yes, I will be doing one), he deserves an immediate shout-out for providing the best shave ice I’ve had the honor of experiencing, even when standing in direct competition with Oahu.

There’s a strawberry-meets-matcha topped with a coconut semifreddo. He plays with ube whipped creams and toasted coconut and mochi toppings. There’s a celebrate-your-inner kid rainbow shave ice with a buttercream soft serve hidden underneath before topped with yuzu-y gel pearls. This is shave ice on steroids and now that it finally feels like summer, this is one thing worth lifting up.

Look for the full feature in the coming days.

Chick on a Brick from The Ordinarie

240 The Promenade N.

The county fair. Southern barbecue. Soul food. Our proximity to the wonders of Mexican cuisine. These are but a few influences that Chef Nick DiEugenio—and his underrated kitchen sidekick, Chef Clayton Peters, who came on after Shady Grove Foods shuttered—have concocted for the latest iteration of The Ordinarie’s menu.

And one of the standouts is their “Chick on a Brick.”

A blackened Cornish hen doused in a proprietary blend created by Clayton that is doused in Alabama white BBQ sauce. Combining the two’s shared experience in barbecue, this plate is an ode to the South. A barley succotash with corn, slathered in that dreamy-meets-lemony-meets-horseradish white sauce. It’s an ode to one of the most distinct but esoteric sauces birthed out of the South.

Sausage platter from Rasselbock

4020 Atlantic Ave.

It is odd I haven’t done a full profile on Rasselbock—and that is going to definitively change this year when I finally sit down with owner Bjoern Risse and talk about how Rasselbock went from Wirtshaus in Mid-City Los Angeles to the rebranding of Rasselbock and the eventual second location opening in Long Beach.

Until then, I want to offer praise to something I have loved since the get-go. Rasselbock’s assortment of sausages is par none for the city—and the best way to get the quickest and easiest taste of an array of them is through the sausage platter. Bratwurst. Käsekrainer. Chicken mango & jalapeño sausage. Three distinct links that represent how Rasselbock both honors and bucks German tradition. Something often not highlighted? Their mustards are made in house.

Look for the full feature on Rasselbock in the coming days.

Banana pudding-stuffed beignet from SnoCorner

1701 Atlantic Ave.

SnoCorner is nothing short of a gem. The tiny-but-mighty sweet shack at Atlantic and 17th defines what it is to be dedicated to the sugary concoctions of the Big Easy.

And yes, there are funnel cakes, reminiscent of the county fair and cooked to order, also likely the best version in the city. And, of course, there are snoballs—deliciously smooth, ice-cold treats tailored to your flavor preferences. With soft serve? Check. With condensed milk? Check. All the flavors you need? Check.

But nothing is as quite spectacular as their beignets, a months-long-in-trial-and-error recipe that is spectacular with nothing more than a little powdered sugar. But owner Ashley Monconduit has taken it to a new level by stuffing one with house made banana pudding (a recipe handed down to her by her Louisiana grandmother). The result? A damn near perfect square of goodness.

Missed out on Brian Addison’s Favorite Things of past? We got you covered—just click here.