Talking Points Bulletin

Long Beach has tons of restaurants that cater to every taste and budget, from fine French dining (see my blog entry about Frenchy’s restaurant below) to hamburger joints, but perhaps none of them offers quality and value quite as well as Italian cuisine Cafe La Strada located on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore. I have been there a few times, and this family-owned and operated restaurant never fails to please me and my guests. Chef German is a genious with literally dozens of dishes! Which restaurant in Long Beach do you think offers the best experience for the price?

Many people don’t know it but, Bristol Farms, in addition to having an incredible selection of high quality foodstuffs, also hosts wine tastings on a weekly basis. And the tastings, which always includes a pairing with food, are a remarkable value. I recently attended a sushi and sake tasting in the Los Altos store that offered a full sushi dinner and samplings of seven different kinds of sake … all for $23 per person.

Easter Sunday found me dining with new friends at Frenchy’s for the first time. I looked forward to this dinner out more than usual because the restaurant is highly rated by Zagat and voted the best in Long Beach by a Press Telegram reader’s choice survey. Six of us feasted on dishes as varied as New Zealand spring lamb, king poached salmon, wild boar pate, roasted stuffed quail, and pork tenderloin. A fun group, we each tried what the others had ordered, and declared them all fabulous (with a single exception … one of us didn’t like the boar pate). We paired up the dishes with a sauvignon blanc and, later, a rose. Prices are reasonable for excellent French dining. Have you had a great dining experience lately?

Wine tasting is always a fun thing to do, but this time I actually learned a few things about wine. The owner of The Wine Country, Randy Kemner, did a great job of explaining and tasting our way through the differences between old world (France, Spain, Italy,etc) and new world (California, Australia, Argentina, etc) wines. He presented seasonal wines, and he also demonstrated how a really great wine doesn’t necessary have to cost alot. We sampled sixteen wines over a 2-hour period at a cost of $30. I recommend Randy’s wine tastings, but reservations are a must. The one I attended was sold out.

There are probably thousands of beer lables that fall into hundreds of categories, and some people even make their own beer at home! I was invited to a beer tasting at Vin de Pays (located in the Arts District of Long Beach), and it turned out to be fun. The place is small and quaint. Our server, Sean, served up 8 different kinds of beer for $13, peanuts included. If you’re at all into beer, I recommend the experience. (No, I don’t think I’ll start making my own beer. But I’ve been invited to a Cinco de Mayo party where the host does make two kinds of beer. Can’t wait.) Post Cinco de Mayo: check out my comment below.