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.

Food Porn of the Week

Last weekend I got to visit the new SteelCraft food court in Long Beach. It’s a great little place to hang out, enjoy some food, music, drinks and relax. I went to eat at the Pig Pen Delicacy and got their Bacon Mac n Cheese Burger. The buns are fried macaroni and cheese with a beef patty with cheese and bacon in the center. It.. was… delicious!!! And the perfect meal for recovering from your fun filled night out. 

* 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* 

Belmont Shores

On the edge of Long Beach, right near the Orange County border, is one of my favorite areas, Belmont Shores. It’s not a well known area unless you live in or near Long Beach but that’s one of the things I love about it. It’s a hidden treasure. The highlight of the Belmont Shores area is 2nd street. 2nd street is full of great bars, restaurants and boutiques. I’m going to highlight a few of my favorite restarants in this area:

                    Open Sesame

When you open up the menu at Open Sesame there’s a quote that says ” In Lebandon, to eat is to feast” and I agree! Open Sesame is one of the best Mediterrean restaurants out there. They have a location in Los Angeles and will be opening up on Torrance at the Del Amo Mall. Their tabouleh is the best I’ve ever tasted. 

Open Sesame Combo: charbroiled skewers of kafta, chicken tawook and beef kabob served over basmati rice w/hummus 

Kafta combo with tabouleh, basmati rice and hummus 

Vegetarian Combo: Falafel, salad and hummus 

                  

                 Domenicos 

Some of the best pizza ever is on 2nd Street at Domenicos. They were voted best pizza in Long Beach for a reason. Other menu items such as their pastas and salads are also good. My favorite salad is the apple walnut salad but when it comes to Domenicos, it all about the pizza!!! I highly recommend their pepperoni and the  chicken  pizza. It’s so delicious.

                      Panama Joes

The Long Beach Sharkeez location. Always a great place to go for drinks and food. The Rise and Shine pancake platter for brunch is good and for the $4.99 price that includes an hour of mimosas.. You can’t beat that deal  

                       Tavern on 2

This gastropub is small but the food is excellent.They also have an unlimited mimosa brunch that I need to go back for. 

Short Rib Poutine:  braised short ribs, hand cut fries, duck fat and Wisconsin cheese curds. This was so good! I could eat this everyday and be happy. 

Black and Blue Burger: Maytah blue cheese, bacon, lettuce, and horseradish mayo served with a side of chips and a pickle 

                      Super Mex

Super Mex is an oldie but goodie Mexican restaurant. Your taste buds will thank you for treating them to something from Super Mex. 

             Veggie wet burrito 

                     Guacamole 

                     Sweet Jills 

So after you eat all the delicious food, you have to indulge in a dessert. Sweet Jills is the perfect place to treat your sweet tooth. They have a large assortment of desserts but I’m going to spotlight what they’re popular for; 

                Cinnamon Roll 

   Cinnamon Roll with walnuts 

And my favorite, the Apple Pull Apart 

Doesn’t all this food look delicious!!! So I’ve probably overwhelmed you but don’t fret. There is a way that you can enjoy all this food plus other food in the area all at once. Every summer, Belmont Shores holds their annual Stroll and Savor food tasting event that gives you the opportunity to sample all the food along 2nd street. 

Each book holds 12 tickets for $10 and you can eat as much as you want.. As long as you buy enough books. This event is held two days each month from May to August. Being ziplock bags or Tupperware for leftovers. I love coming to this event just so I can enjoy the food and have food for lunch and dinner the next day. 

*all opinions are my own* 

Hiccups Tea House

No this post isn’t about involuntary spasms of the diaphragm and respiratory organs.

It’s about Hiccups Tea House which is making waves across the SouthBay area. They just opened one up not to far from me and I’m not even gonna say how often I’ve been since it opened. 

The inside is very cute.. Very hipster havenish. Bench seating, rustic with a modern vibe. 

I had lunch with a friend and her daughter recently and her daughter enjoyed the food. You really can’t go wrong with kids when noodles are present. And who can blame her. They are good. 

I’m a fan of garlic noodles and the ones here do not disappoint and you must also purchase a smoothie with your meal. Well you don’t have to but it’s apart of the Hiccups experience. Get the smoothie folks! 😊 oh and the Green Iced Tea is great also.. Now on to the food:

Garlic Noodles with Veggies and a Strawberry Delicious Smoothie 

Mongolian Beef Noodles

Filet Mignon Pho- traditional beef soup base with filet Mignon, rice noodles, and aromatic herbs

Combination Fried Rice- fried rice topped with carrots, peas, shrimp, and squid 

Pad See Ew with a Chicken- flat noodles stir fried with egg, chicke, and Chinese broccoli

Fruity Booty Slushie- mango peach strawberry blended with ice served with peach bits

Mango Delight with boba- real mango and banana 
I am very happy they are in Carson. Carson lacks a lot of gastropub type places so I’m very excited for this. 

Hiccups Tea House also has locations in Long Beach at 1946 N. Lakewood Blvd in Long Beach 

*all opinions are my own* 

The Potholder Too

I’ve said many times that Long Beach has some of the best food spots around. The Potholder Too is one of the many reasons why I make this statement. It’s just one location of this restaurant chain that offers delicious breakfast and brunch style meals. There are two other Potholder locations. The original Potholder also in downtown Long Beach and just recently P3 opened in Lakewood. 

The location I frequent the most is The Potholder Too in downtown Long Beach right off the 710 south. I was introduced to this place by a friend two years ago and I’ve been hooked. It doesn’t stay open all day so you have to get up and get there because it closes at 3 midweek and 4 on the weekends. It is truly a breakfast diner. 

You can enjoy a meal inside which is decked out in random decor or outside on the patio enjoying the nice ocean breeze.

And if your a traveler, grab one of their Potholder stickers and take a photo with it. You might just end up on their wall of fame. 

Okay so what type of food is offered your probably wondering? Let’s look at a few of my favorite dishes. Oh and I just want to say that  one of the main reasons why I love this place sooooo much is because it’s a blend of Mexican dishes that you’d normally eat for lunch or dinner and the majority of the meals come with fresh avocado 😋

Nacker Snacker- turkey bacon, spinach, tomatoes, and avocado scramble with a side of fresh fruit.

And this is a Nacker Snacker with hash browns 

Fruity Pancakes- stuffed with blueberry 

Breakfast Enchiladas- eggs & cheese in corn tortillas, sour cream, avocado, & enchilada sauce 

Breakfast Quesadilla- eggs & cheese inside topped with salsa, avocado, cheese, lettuce, tomato, green onions, olives and sour cream

I attended a free Yoga class not to far from this location. Afterwards the last thing I want is something greasy and heavy, so I’ll stop by the Potholder Too and order the Tree Hugger sandwich. For all the real vegans out there this food item is right up your alley (or it might be depending of your level of veganism). 

Tree Hugger-spinach, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, onions and avocado on Squaw bread. You can lick the type of bread and I highly rexommens using the Squaw bread.

 

They also serve mimosas so you can definitely  have yourself a nice brunch outting here. 

Seriously if you haven’t experienced it yet, go visit!! Yes I’m yelling at you lol. You’ll see why is one of my favorite places in the downtown long beach area to grab breakfast. 
Www.thepotholdercafe.com

*all opinions are my own* 

The Attic

So I’m in my mid 30s day so naturally I’ve become a day drinker. Day drinking is so much better than night drinking and that’s why Brunch is life to the mid-30s crowd. By 6pm we’re done for the day and in bed by 9. Excellent!

Recently I caught up with a friend to celebrate my birthday and I chose to brunch at The Attic in downtown Long Beach. This is my favorite place to brunch at in the area. It’s cute and quaint.

Now the main reason I come here isn’t for the food which is good but it’s not my main purpose. I come for this.. Their Caiprihina!!!

What is a Caiprihina? Well it is a delicious Brazillian cocktail that will have you on your ass if your not careful. I am a weak link these days and two of these will have me not driving anywhere. A true Caiprihina is made with Cachaca rum which they have available here.

Ive also had this cocktail which was tasty but I’ll still chose the Caiprihina over any other drink.

Now on to the food..

The Southern Scramble

It’s good. Not extraordinary but it’s the perfect brunch item to help fill up the tummy and soak up the alcohol.

The Vegetarian Frittata

So when your out to brunch but want to stay committed, the Vegetatian Frittata is a good choice. Yes it depends on what type of vegan you are because of course a frittata is made with eggs. If your vegan and anti eggs, this isn’t for you but for the vegetarians who don’t mind them every now and then.. Go with this.

So as I was saying The Attic is a local eatery in Long Beach but there is an item on the menu that has made them a must try in the foodie world. They combined two food items that I don’t think anyone who doesn’t smoke weed would ever consider putting together. I was dead set against it but my friend I was with insist we get it. To my surprise.. it was delicious. It is their World Famous Mac n Cheetos. It’s  Mac and Cheese topped with Hot Cheetos!!

I can’t stand Cheetos.. I especially can’t stand Flaming Hot Cheetos.. But something about this mixture does it for me. We ordered the Mac n Cheetos and went with the OG Mac version that comes with bacon, chopped pecan wood and added some mushrooms. You can also get different variations or create it to your liking.

The Attic does get crowded if you don’t get there early enough and your wait can be up to 2 hours. But overall, I love the place. It’s a hipster dive tucked into the corner of Long Beach that provides great drinks and food.

And after plenty of good food and drinks, you and your friends might end up doing something random like getting henna on the beach afterwards.

The Attic is located at 3441 East Broadway Long Beach 90803