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.)
And after a year of not doing such lists, I want to return to it. 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, here are the favorite things I’m eating right now…
Lao sausage from The Second Owl
5272 E. 2nd St.
What Chef Regan Chantrirak and his wife, Pason, have achieved at The Second Owl—the more elevated extension of their stellar flagship, Owl Owl, in Signal Hill—continues to be impressive. Plates like sea bass larb redefine what Thai and Lao cuisine can be, while plates like their never-fails-me Massaman curry showcase the beauty of fusion cuisine. (And, yes, they often do cater to the Shore crowd when it comes to spice levels, but fear not and do as I do: simply ask for some Thai chiles in fish sauce if you need the heat to be properly amped up.)
Sai oua, their house-made Lao sausage, however, reflects their homeland in the best possible way. Unlike its sour, fermented sister, sai gok, sai oua is an ode to the mighty herbs and aromatics of Lao food. Unfettered with ideas of fusion or catering to audiences or attempts to uplift, The Second Owl’s version is a wonderfully aromatic, herbal powerhouse that is nothing short of a salt lover’s dream. Bright lemongrass. Pungent garlic. Plenty of fish sauce. And the floral, earthy notes of lime leaf, cilantro, galangal, and porky magic.
Cannelloni from Nonna Mercato
3722 Atlantic Ave.
Nonna Mercato’s Chef Cameron Slaugh—arguably the city’s most in-tune academic when it comes to the world of Italian pastas—had officially opened his Bixby Knolls space for summer dinners on the weekends. And with it, proves that his pasta remains the most regionally focused and pristinely concocted.
Yes, there are wonderful bowls of casarecce wrapped in beef ragù. Giant pipes of paccheri layered with lemon, rampini, and anchovy. A genuinely gorgeous lobster fra diavolo. But his cannelloni is on a different level. Delicate, smooth pipes of pasta are stuffed with a goat-milk based ricotta—creamy as ever but sturdy enough to not be outright runny when warm. Beneath it, a pool of the Sicilian wonder that is pesto alla trapanese, easily the city’s best version served yet. (Some readers might remember I collaborated with Chef Jason Winters of Speak Cheezy on a pie that played to this almond-and-tomato wonder of a pesto for Long Beach Food Scene Week—and it remains something near to me as it was a staple in my Grandma’s kitchen.)
The kicker? A chili crisp oil that makes it feel like Chef Cameron’s most SoCal-ified pasta to date.
Look for the full feature examining this summer’s menu in the coming days.
Jimmy Nardello peppers from Alder & Sage
366 Cherry Ave.
Chef Matthew Roberts of Alder & Sage continues his weekend-only dinner service, which launched back in March, with a new menu each month. June’s menu continued to reflect the man’s love of seasonality, California, and its farms. And, like last month, a marvelously humble dish stood out.
Yes, there are incredible, heavier dishes—a stellar king salmon chunk atop a glorious corn succotash and an outright killer octopus tostada, amongst others—but his Jimmy Nardello peppers, lined with anchovies and dotted with lemon aioli and breadcrumbs, stood out for multiple reasons. Their gorgeous run—cut with the silvers and whites of the fish—made for a gorgeous aesthetic. And then, the peppers themselves. Like Hatch chiles in New Mexico, this once-a-year pepper represents the simple beauty of the seasons and the natural wonders our farmers continue to harvest for us annually.
Kama Batayaki from Sushi Nikkei
3819 Atlantic Ave. | 5020 E. 2nd St.
As Chef Eduardo Chang of Sushi Nikkei continues to dot his menu with new items—late last year saw an array of new offerings, marking the space’s first formal update to its menu in years—there has been one particular stand-out feels like Sushi Nikkei is entering into an explicitly new era. Sushi Nikkei 2.0, so to speak.
Nothing exemplifies this more than Chef Eduardo’s stellar “kata batayaki,” a fried red sea bream collar that embraces the Japanese-centric technique, batayaki, which is simply drenching things with butter and citrus. Chef Eduardo opts for a white wine butter sauce, bordering a beurre blanc that is stacked with raw shallots and scallions. The result is an unctuous, buttery, bright piece of fish, whose fins are fried to a cracker crisp. Be not afraid to dig into every nook and cranny of this fantastic new option.
‘The Delorean’ from Waldo’s Pizza
Various locations; check Instagram
Chef Waldo Stout has officially brought his glorious pizza pop-up, Waldo’s Pizza, back into regular rotation. Stepping away from the kitchen of Due Fiori after consulting its menu and overseeing it for a year, Chef Waldo is back in front of the mobile wood-fire oven, slinging some of the finest pies in a city bourgeoning with stellar pizza.
His newest and finest addition to his minimal set of pies? “The Delorean,” a salt-and-cream lover’s dream where meaty, red wine vinegar-poached shiitakes and Italian sausage meld with ricotta and bèchamel. Wonderfully savory with a hint of acidity thanks to the mushrooms, this definitively Waldo take on a classic American favorite—sausage and mushroom pizza—is simply delectable.
Missed out on Brian Addison’s Favorite Things of past? We got you covered—just click here.
