Long Beach skyline from the Queen Mary. Photo by Ed Simon for the Los Angeles Beat.
Long Beach encompasses quite a variety of areas, from Belmont Shore to Downtown, from the East Village to Naples and Alamitos Bay. Nowhere is that more noticable than in the options available to dine at during the upcoming EAT LBC Long Beach Restaurant Week. This event, taking place March 22nd through March 28th, showcases the best Long Beach has to offer dining-wise. Local residents, such as Greg Tracy, a busy Hollywood stuntman and one of EAT LBC’s local ‘Tastemakers’, really appreciate what Long Beach has to offer. “One of the things I did for so long, the start of every stunt job, particularly a feature movie, the first night of the production I tried to have a good steak. It was a tradition for me. That, a glass of wine and a wedge salad. 555 in Long Beach was a favorite of mine for that. It was sort of a good luck thing!”, Greg said.
Long Beach’s dining scene runs the gamut, from New York style delis to surf and turf dining with an all-encompassing view of the Long Beach skyline. Certainly the best dining view in town is from the Sky Room, located atop the Breakers Hotel in downtown Long Beach. With a 360 degree view of the Long Beach skyline, the Queen Mary and the Pacific Ocean, the Sky Room has been a popular dining destination since 1926 for guests including Elizabeth Taylor, Nicky Hilton, Charles Lindbergh, John Wayne, Clark Gable and Cary Grant. These days, it is not unusual for couples to celebrate a 40th wedding anniversary, a first date anniversary, proposal or other event back at the same location that they originally enjoyed the occasion. In an amazing job of restoration, the entire building has been restored to it’s Art Deco splendor.
Sky Room. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Rosenson
For EAT LBC, the Sky Room has a three course dinner, created especially by their owner, Jonathan Rosenson and his Executive Chef for the event. “We went through taste trials and collaborated together”, Jonathan said. First Course choices include a Blue Lump Crab Cake, Duck Rillettes Ravioli, a Seasonal Garden Salad or Creamy Onion Soup. Fot the Second Course, Panzarotti Pasta can either be made with a Bolognese or a Vegetarian Pasta Sauce. From the sea, a Wild Diver Scallop Risotto or a Wild Californian Red Snapper are excellent choices. From the land, the special menu choices include Durham Farms Bison Short Ribs and Shelton Farms Game Hens. For an additional charge, diners can also order a Filet Mignon or a Colorado Rack of Lamb. For dessert, an Italian Gelato, Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, Fresh Berry Napoleon or Homemade Chocolate Cake will provide a fitting end to the dinner.
The Sky Room’s Sommelier and owner, Jonathan Rosenson, has designed three beverage flights to go with these specific dinners. A Homemade Wine Flight, Craft Martini Flight and the Sommelier’s Cordial Flight will be paired with the dinners to enhance your dining experience. “We own a vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley”, Jonathan said. “We produce an organic wine called Coqueliot. It’s the French name for the red poppies. We make the wine ourselves in Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley”, according to Jonathan. The craft martini flight is an inspired idea with the EAT LBC meal. “The martinis are all hand crafted, we use fresh ingredients. Some are classics and some are originals. They are meant to be fun, to taste through three different styles or rrepresentations that we have. It’s meant to be fun and light-hearted. The flight is a good way to try a variety”, Jonathan finished by saying.
Brix at the Shore. Long Beach skyline from the Queen Mary. Photo by Ed Simon for the Los Angeles Beat.
For a different and yet equally enjoyable dining experience, Brix at the Shore is a perfect place to end a leisurely walk past the Belmont Shore shops and a walk along the beach at Bay Shore. Since Rick Reich, owner of Brix, specializes in craft beers and fine wines, the EAT LBC menu includes a choice of one of those with the dinner. After that, you are ready to be put in a New York state of mind by the special prix fixe menu, based on tastes of New York that Rick grew up with in Brooklyn and other areas of the city that never sleeps. Starters include Matzo Ball Soup, Brix House Salad or the delicious and unique Reuben Egg Rolls. Main entrees include the Fugeddaboudit, a warm pastrami and Swiss on toasted rye with Brix’ Deli Sauce on it. For those who favor porcine delights, The Schmuck features pork belly, arugula, tomato, red onion and rosemary aioli on rosemary sourdough bread.
EAT LBC’s website has a complete listing of all the restaurants participating in the Restaurant Week, broken down by cuisine, neighborhood and pricing of the lunch or dinner prix fixe meal specials. This is an excellent chance to try a new place for a reasonable price or go to an old favorite and try a dish that might have been created especially for Restaurant Week. Whatever the reason, though, there is a place to please everyone (and a lot of times, more than several) that are worth taking advantage of during Long Beach’s EAT LBC Restaurant Week. Bon Appetit!
For info on the EAT LBC Restaurant Week, visit
The Sky Room
40 S. Locust Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90802
PH: 562-963-2703
www.skyroom.com
Brix at the Shore
5372 E. 2nd Street
Long Beach, CA 90803
PH: 562-592-3167
