Praising the eats at Heavenly Fish Palace

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
It’s practically impossible to unseat Roscoe’s House of Chicken ’n Waffles from the throne of Long Beach’s soul food scene—the place holds an almost divine right in its rule over Southern appetites. No restaurant, it seems, can replicate Roscoe’s, but that’s why Signal Hill’s Heavenly Fish [...]

Nothing out of the restaurant’s country kitchen satisfies home-cooked cravings more than its ribs. The baby back pork ribs are perhaps the most pleasing of the bunch, colored such a potent pink from slow smoking that the meat almost seems unnatural. The beef ribs, however, are just as good, trading in the pork’s pink streaks [...]

Welcoming back Johnny Rebs’

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
There’s something sentimental about walking up to Johnny Rebs’ again—the gravel lot grinding its way into your soles, the sight of lunch lines already baking in the sun. But it’s the banner stuck up above the rebuilt façade that hits the hardest: “Welcome Home.”
For Johnny Rebs’, however, “home” isn’t [...]

Since M&M’s standbys are the standouts, the most obvious choice on the menu is the fried chicken. Better than most, M&M’s chicken is crispy, peppered, and only the slightest bit dry—a problem easily solved by ordering a thigh and a leg instead of a breast. Along with their thick, heavy entrees, M&M also serves up [...]

Shenandoah at the Arbor has the same menu as the original Shenandoah, so let’s just get right to the food. It’s great—and yes, yes, they still have the fritters. The brisket is still tender enough to cut with a fork. Suffused with barbecue sauce, the meat had just enough tang; and when paired on the [...]