Silky Cucumber

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Cucumber martinis aren’t new to Long Beach’s cocktail circuit—we first reviewed Tantalum’s version back in August 2007—but they are nonetheless an exciting and welcome highlight on any drink menu. At the Up Lounge at the Sky Bar, the Silky Cucumber—Stoli vodka infused in-house with cucumbers and mixed with Martinelli apple juice [...]

Rajdhani’s artful Indian cooking

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Of the many buffets scattered throughout Little India—restaurants where idle curries sometimes congeal under heat lamps and blocks of lamb turn tough with time—none approach the exacting elegance of Rajdhani. Here, all-you-can-eat meals aren’t ladled from steam tables but delivered by a whole cast of waiters, their timing and [...]

Ever since it sprouted up on Second St., Open Sesame has seemed like it was on the verge of taking over Long Beach, an unparalleled culinary force that could conceivably devour entire blocks. Eventually, it did. (Speaking of Open Sesame’s Manifest Destiny, there’s now a Manhattan Beach branch, too.) The Lebanese restaurant has been extolled [...]

Cheap Beer at Cheapshot’s

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Stroll past Cheapshot’s and it might appear a little dodgy, like some kind of a small, dirty porn bar. (In my own twisted imagination, I pictured mustachioed old men sitting at the counter talking sweaty boobies and different ways to style their ‘staches.) But then you see it—a [...]

Gourmet wieners at the Dog House

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
There’s no denying the magnetic, carnal pull of a good sausage. And frankly, it has taken far too long for the ways of the gourmet wiener to filter into the Southland, traveling from national luminary Hot Doug’s in Chicago to Wurstküche in downtown LA and now, finally, [...]

There’s no tougher month for the chocolatier than February, a boom time when almost every relationship is reduced to a decision between dark and milk chocolate. It’s rewarding and profitable, sure, but unless said professional can employ an army of underlings, all those boxes of truffles won’t come easy. Still, for any sweet shop to [...]

Kavikas Saketini

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
As gorgeous as it is aromatic, Kavikas’ saketini—a purple-tinged mix of sake, framboise, sparkling wine and lychee puree (and garnished with a whole piece of the fruit)—is just one unexpected option on the restaurant’s cocktail menu. Joining it is the Mekhong Thai rum-based Sabai Sabai (previously reviewed in this column), which [...]

The Factory delivers on its promise

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Even before it opened its doors, the Factory positioned itself as everything Long Beach lacked: a farm- and market-driven kitchen, a serious beer bar, a progressive deli and a kid-friendly cooking school. Its outsize ambitions were so stunning that they produced a kind of culinary shock and [...]

At one point in its existence, the Milk Barn probably was a hidden gem, stashed behind a drive-through dairy in the Long Beach/Lakewood borderland. But long ago the restaurant lost any secrecy that may have surrounded it. That’s all the better for the Milk Barn, which cooks the kind of unquestionably hearty, vaguely Italian food [...]

Juicy Pear

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Among Orange County’s little cottonwoods lies a windowless rumpus room known as the Sportsman. From the looks of the clientele, these sports seem to consist mostly of darts and Big Buck Hunter. From the looks of the barmaids, these sports also include a little snowboarding and underwear shopping. Los Alamitos [...]