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Long Beach Food Scene Intel is a series from Brian Addison that will recap food news throughout the city. This is news that needs just a quick mention, is developing, or repeated news where you might have missed the full features.
Speak Cheezy offers Battambong BBQ collab pizza again
Speak Cheezy’s Detroit-style collab pizza with Battambong BBQ returns this weekend after its first appearance back in February. It features a barbecue sauce underlayer with Chef Chad Phuong’s famed brisket chunks, and is topped with an array of pickles—cucumber, onion, yellow Chile—with dill and piped ricotta.
Polly’s Pie co-founder Eddie Sheldrake passes at 98
Harvey Edward “Eddie” Sheldrake, co-founder of Polly’s Pies, passed away on May 8 at the age of 98. Eddie and his brother Don opened the first Polly’s in Fullerton back in 1968, building a diner and bakery concept that’s grown into a SoCal staple with 13 locations today, including locations that profoundly influenced the way Long Beach ate.
Polly’s is still very much a family affair. Eddie’s granddaughter, Jacklyn Mitosinka, leads brand marketing, and his son Mike Sheldrake runs his own coffee roastery—the one behind the signature coffee that converted Polly’s Roasters on 2nd Street into Sheldrake Roasters.
El Viejón signage officially up in DTLB
With an unexpected takeover of the entirety of the Congregation space—including the complete removal of the branding the owners purchased mid-pandemic when original owner Travis Ensling stepped away—El Viejón has officially added their signage in DTLB after ripping out the entirety of its former patio cover.
Los Compadres renovation inches forward on Anaheim Street
You may have seen the construction.
Los Compadres, located at 3229 E. Anaheim St., is set to receive a 386-foot outdoor patio with shaded seating, landscaping, and a barrier separating it from the adjacent parking lot, where alcohol will be permitted to be served. The renovation also includes a remodel of the indoor dining area, slight changes to the parking lot layout—resulting in a net loss of one space for a total of 36—and extended operating hours until 11PM on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays, instead of the current 10PM closing time.
Mangifoglie to begin Sunday vegan brunch starting June 8
Mangiafoglie—Retro Row’s newly minted vegan Italian space—will soon be tackling brunch, when the restaurant unveils its weekly Sunday brunch offerings come June 8.
Potholder to return with bottomless mimosas
Potholder owner and all-around solid human Michael Pergolini, who took on the 50-year-plus breakfast institution mid-pandemic, has said that the Potholder will be bringing back bottomless mimosas. There will be time limits, he insisted, laughing slightly for obvious reasons. But this is “ultimately about bringing the community back out—and if that means bottomless mimosas, so be it.” Michael and the team are still configuring a date for the offering, and I assure you I will let everyone know as soon as it’s released.
Pizza Parlor offers buy-2-get-one-for-$10
Pizza Parlor—the underrated Eastside pizzeria—is offering one helluva deal this weekend: Buy any two pies, get another for $10.
Mamá Juana’s Taqueria now offers Mexican hot dogs
After opening back in May, Mamá Juana’s Taqueria has become a quiet hit in Bixby Knolls. And now, a one-time special is a permanent offering: Their Mexican hot dog, a bacon-wrapped, all-beef hot dog topped with grilled onions, grilled jalapeno, mayo, ketchup, mustard, and pico de gallo.
Nick the Greek introduces two new salads
Nick the Greek—the massive Greek food chain that took replaced owner Theofanis Pietris’s former Pietris bakery, is offering two new salads.
Tahini Crunch – Crisp romaine and kale tossed in a creamy tahini dressing, brightened by Persian cucumbers, grape tomatoes and pickled onions and finished with spicy harissa, chimichurri, hummus, fried chickpeas, pita crunch, pepperoncini and fresh basil.
Chopped – Vibrant mix of romaine, grape tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, green bell peppers and pickled onions, complemented by chickpeas, Kalamata olives, feta, lemon zest dressing, pita chips and green onions to deliver a Mediterranean twist.
ICYMI: Angela Mensa—who helped develop Long Beach’s love of wine—sells District Wine
District Wine will be losing the defining part of its soul as longtime owner Angela Mensa has sold the business following 15 years of dedication to the Downtown.
For the full feature, click here.
ICYMI: Inaugural Long Beach ‘Burger Bash’ competition comes with stacked lineup
Super stoked to have partnered with Chef Carlos Jurado of Selva and LBFoodComa for Long Beach’s first burger competition. And the lineup? Absolutely, awesomely stacked. We’re talking Olive & Rose, Hamburgers Nice, Marlena, El Barrio, ISM, Terrible Burger, Liv’s, Dilly’s, Midnight Oil, and more.
ICYMI: The Pastry Club serves up some of Long Beach’s finest, most unique baked goods
I have a new obsession and it is The Pastry Club, Long Beach.
Owned and operated by Joyce Lee, this wondrous little popup offers gorgeously distinct baked goods. I’m talking a biscuit layered with cheddar and kimchi melded with beautifully lined air pockets. Tart and sharp—kimchi with sourdough, cheddar with sesame—it was the savory pastry lover’s dream.
Or her outright divine “Slice of Spring” cake, where polenta layered with lemon and pistachio meet an elderflower buttercream of mascarpone. Earthy, nutty, and tart, it is a dream of a cake.
The next two Saturdays are your last chances to experience her work at the Bixby Park farmers market before she takes off for summer R&D. Go, go, go.
