A Fine Lunch With a View at Ristorante daVinci in Long Beach

Our good friend Eric joined Joel and I for lunch today, and we decided to head over to Ristorante daVinci in Long Beach.  Ristorante daVinci takes up the top floor of a 3-story building that sits next to the runways at the Long Beach Airport.  Joel had eaten there a couple of times before and had recommended that we try it out for lunch.

Considering that daVinci is in an industrial area next to an airport, it's a pleasant surprise to step out of the elevator and find yourself in an elegant and spacious restaurant.  This is definitely not your everyday airport diner.  We were seated next to the huge windows looking down onto the airport runways, which made for a very pleasant atmosphere on a sunny Friday afternoon.

We started out with daVinci's affettato misto, which is a selection of various types of salami, prosciutto, candied pecans, marinated olives, figs and a couple of very light and airy pastries.

Eric is keeping himself at optimum fighting weight, and so opted for the Napoli insalate, a salad of mixed greens, grilled ahi, garbanzos and other mixed veggies with a citrus vinaigrette.

Joel went with the salmone di vegetale, wild Columbia River salmon served with sauteed pea tendrils, young potatoes and oven-blistered cherry tomatoes.

I wanted a sandwich, so I picked their bistecca pagnottelle.  They start with beef brisket which has been slow roasted for 12 hours, mix in some carmelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella and a horseradish cream sauce and serve it on a ciabatta roll.  The sandwich was delicious, the meat melting in my mouth, but I think I would have preferred a crunchier bread than ciabatta.  A French-style roll that's crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside would have really taken that sandwich over the top, but that's a minor quibble.  I seemed to be the only one at the table with anything critical to say, and we were all happy with the food.

Ok, so the food is yummy, the atmosphere elegant.  The prices are a little on the high side, but reasonable for what you get in my opinion.  What else should you know about daVinci?  Helicopter rides!  On Friday and Saturday nights, daVinci offers helicopter tours over Long Beach paired with drink specials for $60 per person.  On Fridays, you get a flight of three wines to give you a bit of liquid courage before your flight.  On Saturdays, its daVinci's hand-crafted martinis.  In addition, they periodically offer airship rides over Long Beach.  Check daVinci's website for their schedule.  You might also be interested in their Happy Hour specials, which are offered Monday through Saturday 4-7pm and include cocktail, wine and beer selections for $5 as well as $7 appetizers.

I'm definitely heading back sometime soon for a helicopter ride!

Salute!
Druu

Gettin' the Middle Eastern Fix with Baba Ghanouj

Gettin' a hankering for some Middle Eastern Flava, Druu and I hit up Baba Ghanouj in Long Beach.



It's a rockin' Lebanese joint that made us feel warm and fuzzy. Our host, Tony, took good care of us after we were seated-adding to ambiance as we grooved to the middle eastern music. We even noticed fresh flowers on the tables; a nice touch that's normally overlooked in restaurants.



The most expensive lunch item was under 10 bucks and Dinner nothing over $19. We had the Baba Ghanouj (Finely chopped charbroiled eggplant mixed with tahini, garlic, lemon and olive oil).



Druu had the Shish Taouk, cubes of marinated chicken breast, charbroiled and served with hummus, garlic sauce, Basmati rice and seasoned onions. Druu was surprised at how soft and tender the chicken breast was, as it burst with flavor.



I had the Lamb Shish Kabab. It was simply exquisite (Crap, I don't use that word) so we'll use: Awesome! It too was tender and flavorful.



It's a wonderful dining experience: These folks make great food and will make you feel welcome!

Mexican Comfort Food at Super Mex

Joel and I got together for lunch today, and we both had a hankering for some Mexican food so we thought we oughtta stop in on one of our local favorites...Super Mex.  Super Mex started as this little hole-in-the-wall joint in Long Beach back in the 1970's.  They gained a huge local following in their first couple of decades and started expanding.  They now have more than a dozen restaurants around the Long Beach area, in Orange County and even in Las Vegas.  Thankfully, though, they're still a family-owned operation and haven't morphed into some giant food conglomerate with bland food.  Yup, almost 40 years after opening up shop their food is still top-notch.  It ain't fancy, but it's yummy.

In fact, one old friend of mine who moved away to Chicago once even had me bring some Super Mex burritos on the plane with me when I went to visit him.  Chicago may have Rick Bayless and his gourmet Mexican cuisine, but Long Beach rocks the kick-ass Super Mex grub.

One of my faves is their combo #1, a shredded beef taco, a cheese enchilada and some beans.  A lot of locals prefer their burritos, but for me it's all about their shredded beef taco.  It's comfort food to the max!

For more info on Super Mex and their locations, find them on the web at http://www.supermex.com/. 

Salud!
Druu

Wings and Things at EJ Malloy's in Long Beach

Buffalo wings are just about as close as you can get to the perfect "guy food".  Messy, spicy, saucy things that you have to eat with your hands while you tear the flesh from the bones with your teeth...yeah, we're talking caveman eating in a big way.

One of our favorite joints for wings is EJ Malloy's in Long Beach.  They actually have two locations in the city, the original at 3411 Broadway in Belmont Heights and a second location at 4306 Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls.  Wings come in mild, medium and nuclear heat levels and in one, two and three pound servings.  A plate full of carrot and celery sticks is served on the side along with ranch dipping sauce.  Pair the wings with one of the fine brews EJ Malloy's serves (Fat Tire, Karl Strauss Amber, Guiness, Fosters, etc., etc., etc.), watch the game on one of the many TV screens around the pub and you've reached pub-grub heaven.