Wild Chive Vegan Brunch

Looking for a chill place to enjoy a nice brunch this weekend? The Wild Chive Vegan Brunch at Portfolios Coffeehouse in Downtown Long Beach delivers a delicious brunch that will make you even forget your eating vegan style. Their menu is small but the portions are large. Get there early because space is limited and the wait can take a while. 

Portfolios is one of my favorite coffeehouses in the area thanks to its laid back nature and adding a Vegan brunch here was such a good idea. For the none vegan style eaters, you don’t have to partake in the Vegan Brunch. The front of house has their own menu with their usual flare which is also good.
 Since this was my first time trying out the Vegan Brunch, I decided to try out the Stuffed French Toast. The day I was there, they did have a special Brunch item not listed on the menu which was a Grilled Cheese (which I should’ve got) but I decided to stick with the French Toast. Their version of French Toast is Potato Texas Toast with a homemade hazel chocolate spread, bananas, strawberries, coconut whip cream and almonds. So So SO SO SO GOOD! Did I say it was good? I mean delicious!! Paired it with a nice Almond milk cappuccino and I was content.

 

I will definitely be coming back for The Wild Chive Vegan Brunch. I want to either try the Grilled Burrizo or the Southern Smother Biscuit.. Or both!

 

*All opinions are my own*

 

Portfolios Coffeehouse is located on 2300 E. 4th St. Long Beach, CA. 90814 along Retro Row. The Wild Chive Vegan Brunch is every Sunday from 11am-2pm.

Portfolio Coffeehouse

Okay so this year I finally decided to accept who I am and let everyone know it. I’m coming out and letting everyone know… that I’m a Hipster! And the one thing we hipsters love most is an low, key chill vegan Coffeehouse with Wifi. 

Portfolio Coffeehouse is located along Retro Row in Downtown Long Beach and is a popular spot with the locals. I exercise in this area often and I love coming here to enjoy a semi-healthy breakfast or lunch. I also like to come here to enjoy a nice mocha and write material for this blog. 

The atmosphere inside is perfect for bloggers. In the front of the cafe, is communal style seating but towards the back is more of an intimate library look that I adore. This is where I usually like to sit when there’s seating available.

If I’m here early for breakfast, I like to get the Vegan Croissant with a Almond Mocha. Did I mention there’s Avocado on this sandwich 😋.

If I’m here for lunch, I like the oven-roasted turkey sandwich and a side salad with a Columbia Gorge organic Lemonade. 

So if your in the area, bring your laptop or a nice book, order some food, enjoy a yummy vegan friendly dessert or a nice mocha and enjoy. You can also check out their other location in Long Beach in the East Arts District called Berlin Bistro. 
Portfolio Coffeehouse is located at 2300 4th (at Junipero) Long Beach, CA. 90814
* all opinions are my own* 

Park Pantry The Original

I love downtown Long Beach. So many great food places down there that aren’t chain restaurants. Park Pantry is another favorite breakfast spot to go to. Of course they serve more than just breakfast food, but that’s the main reason I like to go there. Oh and of course their pies are lengendary. 

It’s not a large restaurant but they do have outside cafe style seating. I love sitting outside on a nice day to take in the sights and sounds of downtown Long Beach. This location is right by the beach so your immersed in a eclectic  rainbow of people which is what Long Beach is known for. 

One of my favorite food items to get are the stuffed pancakes. I usually order the short stack banana macadamia stuffed pancakes. The short stack is just enough for me to handle. These pancakes are made from scratch and very fluffy. And pairing it with a cranmoisa made it even better.

I’ve also had their California Omelette which was delicious. It’s bacon, avocado, sour cream and jack cheese. And with a mimosa of course. 

So if your in the area and looking for a great brunch spot his weekend,  head to the Park Pantry. It’s located on Broadway and Junipero. 

*all opinions are my own* 

The Pie Bar

Don’t you ever just want dessert for dinner? Why are you supposed to save dessert for last? Well.. sometimes all a girl needs to get thru the day is a nice slice of pie. Enter The Pie Bar in downtown Long Beach. This eatry is new to the Long Beach area and a welcome sight. 

They have a great menu of all sorts of different pies that excel beyond the traditional blueberry, Apple or Peach. You can either get a whole pie, a slice of pie, a shot of pie or pie in a jar and you get to keep the jar. They even have a offer where if you return 8 jars, you’ll receive a free slice of pie in return. 

Their menu also offers pot pies and ice cream. Me and my friend had a hard time deciding because everything sounded good. 

The two flavors that caught my eye were the Mexican chocolate and Bourbon Pecan. Then the girl behind the counter informed me that they also serve Mexican hot chocolate and I melted inside. I. Love. Mexican. Hot. Chocolate! 

Anywho, so after a few minutes my friend and I made our decision which turned out to be great decisions. She decided to get a slice of Pumpkin Mousse Pie which was yummy.

And I went with the Bourbon Pecan pie in a jar. It was Delicous!! Yes Delicious with a capital D. I finished the rest the next day and added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to it. 

I will definitely be coming back here as soon as the weather becomes cooler. I plan to get a Chicken Pot Pie, Mexican Chocolate Pie and some Key Lime Pie.

So always remember that when your having a bad day and need some cheering up…… 

The Pie Bar is located at 450 Pine Ave Long Beach, CA. 90802
*all opinions are my own* 

Beachwood Brewing & BQQ

Happy Labor Day! Hopefully your enjoying this holiday either resting or catching up with your friends and/or family. Holidays usually mean food is involved and it’s always an excuse to BBQ. 

I’m a fan of BBQ. Especially when the perfect cooker is involved. The best BBQ is done from home but sometimes you just don’t feel like firing up the grill and doing all the work.  If your in the downtown Long Beach area, head on over to the Promenade between 3rd and Broadway and head over to Beachwood Brewing and BQQ. For those near the Seal Beach area, there’s also a location on Main St. 

Now I will admit, I’m a Lucielles fan all the way but my friends boyfriend insisted that I try this place. For him this type of BBQ reminds him of Ohio where he’s from. So we went to try it out and it’s good. Lucille’s is still #1 for me (as far as a BBQ chain restaurant) but I would definitely come back here. 

         Fried Green Tomato Salad

  Smoked Chicken w/ collard greens, vanilla scented pecan yams and skillet baked cornbread 

Choose 2 combo: Smoked Chicken with Andouille sausage, green beans, onion & bacon ragout, Brussel sprout celery root slaw and skillet baked cornbread

Beachwood Brewing and BBQ- 210 E. 3rd St. Long Beach, CA. 90802
*all opinions are my own* 

Zephyr’s Vegetarian Cafe

Last weekend, me and some friends got together to for some belated birthday fun to celebrate our girl L’s birthday.  At the last-minute we planned out our girls day that included food and water sports. One of my friends is Vegan so we let her pick our lunch spot. She took us to Zephyr’s Vegetarian Cafe in Downtown Long Beach.  I’m not Vegan, but every now and then I do tend to eat at vegan restaurants myself. Two of my faves are Native Food and STEAMED organic eatery. Besides.. you can’t be a true foodie and not appreciate different types of cuisine.

Zephyr’s is a really cute, quaint restaurant… Very boho which I loved.

I saw the table with a checkerboard on it and immediately sat us there.. I thought it was cute that we could have lunch and play a game at the same time.

I accidentally deleted my drink but in the checkerboard photo in the left hand corner, is a picture of the Mandarin Orange Soda that I got. It was delicious. Very refreshing. One of my friends ordered the Ginger Soda and to my surprise it was very good.

We started off with some Vietnamese Spring Rolls that came with this delicious bon bon sauce. There are three options that you can get: 1) raw: collared greens leaf wrapper 2) almost raw: rice wrapper 3) not raw: grilled tofu $1 extra. We went with option 2 and it was yummy. These rolls are filled with bean sprouts, romaine, baby greens, shredded carrots, cucumber, and cilantro. Very filling to the tummy.

I was in a sandwich mood so I ordered the Herb Chickenless-O-Burger with a side of carrots and celery. What sold me on this sandwich is that sprouts came on it. For me, nothing makes a sandwich tasty than some sprouts. This sandwich can be filling especially after eating some Vietnamense Spring Rolls. I added some of the bon bon sauce onto it which made it even better. They should use bon bon sauce on this sandwich rather than the vegan mayo.

While I went with the sandwich option, my friends decided to get some bowls.

This was Zephyr’s special of the day: A berry salad bowl.. Filled with strawberries, blueberries with a raspberry vingerette dressing

The Teriyaki Vegetable & Tofu Bowl: Pineapples, mushrooms, grilled seasonal vegetables, bell pepper, onions, black beans and rice served with teriyaki sauce

Nothing is better than a day with good food, good fun, and good people. I will be returning here.

Zephyr’s doesn’t have  website but you can check out their menu here:

http://dineries.com/ca/longbeach/zephyrvegetariancafe/340e4thst

*All opinions are my own*