Given we just ended the 10-day celebration that was Long Beach Food Scene Week 2025, I wanted to share dishes that I found particularly incredible. From the outrageously concocted to the marveously executed, LBFSW 2025 was one for the books—and record books. Multiple restaurants often sold out of their product or projected their best sales ever. The Sonoratown torta? Some 500 tortas were sold across the 10 days. The special coffee collabs I did with CoffeeDrunk? Over 600 sold. Sky Room, The 4th Horseman, Los Reyes, Lola’s, Oh La Vache, Ruta 15, Bar Becky…? All reported days where the product for their specials had completely sold out.
Is this ultimately a fair list? Certainly not. The sheer vastness of talent and creativity that was offered across all 85 participants was wildly wide. There was no middling offer I had while exploring. It was an incredible celebration for sure. So here are some extraordinary highlights…
Missed out on Brian Addison’s Favorite Things of past? We got you covered—just click here.
The soft-shell crab taco from Ruta 15
1436 E. 7th St.
Chef César Sánchez has brought a new, deeper, wonderfully complex style of mariscos to Long Beach. Lacking a taste for boxes, his style respects Mexico’s richest array of seafood-centric cooking styles, from Nayarit and Sinaloa to Jalisco and Yucatán. His masterful, downright put-it-in-a-museum worthy of a soft shell crab taco exemplifies this love of the ocean.
Using an aromatic, perfectly charred corn tortilla as its base, an entire battered’n’fried soft shell crab sits atop an acidic, bright slaw, with pipes of salsa de aguacate and chili aioli in between. Add to this two additional, beautiful sources of heat on the side—his marvellous salsa macha and his bright, grey-hued burnt habanero salsa—and you have yourself one of the finest tacos crafted in Long Beach.
It was an honor to see it represented for Long Beach Food Scene Week 2025.
The ‘Impasta-burger’ from Michael’s on Naples
5620 E. 2nd St.
Speaking of monsters that we love…
This masterful monstrosity from Chef Eric Samaniego of Michael’s on Naples also shouldn’t work. Indeed. A truffled-topped, cheese-stuffed raviolo d’uovo atop a Fontina DOP-topped burger atop grilled brioche. But it does. And it does oh so well. Umami meld with tart and creamy in this glorious salt bomb of an item.
Chef Eric said he was in his “fuck it era”—and I can tell you this: I don’t want this era to end. Easily one of my favorite eats from LBSFW.
The ‘Terrible Pizza’ from The 4th Horseman
121 W. 4th St.
Like it’s “impasta” sibling, there are things that shouldn’t work or perhaps, in the words of Mr. Goldlum, we asked ourselves if we could before thinking if we should. Call it a Frankenstein of a pizza or a work of art, the Terrible Pizza is a truly terrifying triumph of fine-tuned trash-as-treasure.
It is everything I love about the Horseman: Collaboration (this was done in partnership with Terrible Burger). Excessiveness (they use pizza as a canvas for gorgeously gaudy creations that always remain masterfully balanced). And, of course, taste. Their dough has never been better. The meat-stuffed crust—more meatball than burger—suddenly morphs into cheeseburger when rolled up like a meat lollipop. And the rollercoaster between pizza—they still douse the base with their classic red sauce—and burger—the pickles and Terrible sauce are wonderfully bright—is just one helluva ride.
I absolutely love this.
Torta from Sonoratown
244 E. 3rd St.
While many were hyped on the potential of a Sonoratown torta, one thing was for certain: fans of the rightfully lauded taqueria knew it wouldn’t be done without perfection. So one could imagine my excitement when Jennifer Faltham, co-owner of Sonoratown, texted me this: “We’re testing making pan Virginia this week for a LBFSW special. It’s a Sonoran bread used for tortas or dogos. I initially hoped to find a place to buy it but haven’t found it for sale anywhere—so we’re going to try to make it on our own.”
After multiple iterations—I would receive an image, nearly daily, of the Sonoran baked food—they landed on a pan Virginia that hit and with it, introduces the Sonoratown torta. Layers of mayo, cabbage, guacamole, jack cheese, and pickled jalapeño are paired with your choice of protein.
Yes, many are already requesting it to return. When and will that happen? I can’t provide the answer—but damn, it was good while it lasted.
Roasted corn gelato from Sky Room
210 E. Ocean Blvd. (inside Fairmont Breakers)
Sky Room’s game has just kept getting stronger and stronger—and their LB Food Scene Week menu was proof of that.
It was definitely Chef de Cuisine Max Pfeiffer’s most witty and whimsical menu to date. There was an outright magical balsamic sorbet that is an ice-cold jolt for a deconstructed caprese. Uni toast topped with the slighted bit of fresh wasabi. A dabble of duck confit atop a crisped rice cake that you didn’t even know was needed until you married it with his duck breast and assortment of cherries.
But the real star? An ode to the Mexican kids who grew up in the plaza eating elote or esquites. Somehow, in that world where California dreams and its coinciding cultural melting pot collide, he looked at the layers of corn, mayo, and cotija and interpreted a dessert. Roasting corn into a charred, sweet treat for a take on gelato before crumbling bits of cotija, it’s a plate that oozes fun. A squeeze of dulce de leche here. Bits of berries there for some acid.
Such a wonderful, beautiful experience.
Missed out on Brian Addison’s Favorite Things of past? We got you covered—just click here.
