Mr. Lee's Korean BBQ

I know its been awhile since I've posted, but I wasn't eating out as much during the holidays. But now I am back to school and back to my usual habits. Mr. Lee's is not actually in Long Beach, but it is not far, located in Cerritos. This place is delicious. Its $9.99 all you can eat brisket, marinated beef, chicken and sides. Needless to say, it is heaven. It may look slightly sketchy to first timers, but I assure you the B health grade and the hole-in-the-wall atmosphere are well worth it. If you have more than 3 people you can sit at the tables that allow you to bbq your own meat, however with only 2 people, you have to sit at the tables where they bring it to you. Both ways are fine in my opinion, but if you opt for the do it yourself route, plan on being there for a long time. They also don't offer utensils other than chop sticks, so for some it may be a new adventure. I would strongly advise you to take it though as the food is definitely worth it.

Kavikas Grill & Bar

Kavikas Grill & Bar was such a cool place. Everything about the bar had a lounge type feel and I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant. They have a huge fireplace in the center of the bar and the bar top and lights change colors that match the colors of the lighthouse at the Pike in downtown. Aside from the awesome atmosphere, the wok-style food was delicious. As an appetizer, I ordered the chicken spring rolls, which had a spicy sauce that gave it a real kick. They were really good and made me more excited for my entree. I ordered the Mandarin Wok with tempura fried shrimp and jasmine rice. The rice was really sticky and the slight hint of jasmine made it very unique. Paired with the citrusy sauce on my shrimp, it was a perfect combination.

Kavikas also had some interesting martinis and drinks on their menu. I decided on a caramel apple martini and it was amazing. The glass was lined with caramel sauce and tasted like a real caramel apple. It was sweet and tangy and did not taste like alcohol.

The prices at Kavikas seemed a little bit expensive when I first looked at the menu. However I definitely feel that the $14.00 I paid for my shrimp was worth it. I did order one of the least expensive entrees, but I think the food would be worth it.

Gallagher's Pub and Grill

Gallagher's Pub and Grill is an Irish pub located on Broadway. The menu consists of your typical bar food such as burgers and sandwiches as well as traditional Irish dishes like corned beef and shepard's pie. I ordered a stuffed cheddar burger and fries. The burger was good, although I did not get to specify how I would have liked it cooked. I prefer my burgers medium rare and this was well done. However, the cheesiness of the burger was delicious. I think my favorite part about Gallagher's was definitely the atmosphere. This place had more of a bar type feel than a restaurant. The TVs were all playing college football games since it was Saturday and they have bottomless mimosas until 2pm. I felt that the drink specials that they offer all week were pretty good. They have a different promotion for drinks every day of the week.

The prices were pretty reasonable. My burger was $10.95. I added an extra dollar because i added avocado. I had a pint of snakebite and that was around $5.00, which I found very reasonable.

In conclusion, I will definitely go back to Gallagher's for drinks. Next time I go there for food, I think I would try a more traditional Irish dish instead of a burger.

Kafe Neo

Kafe Neo calls itself and "American kitchen with Greek soul." I would say it's just that. They have a variety of food that included all sorts of pitas, rice bowls and burgers. I ordered as an appetizer spicy feta fries, which strongly advocate the American Kitchen with Greek soul idea. They were french fries covered in a spicy feta mix and they were delicious. I love feta cheese and the spicy gives it something extra. Since I loved the spicy feta so much, I decided to get a spicy feta and chicken pita as my entree. It also had tomatoes and tzatziki, which is like the greek equivalent of ranch. The tzatziki was really good so I also ordered a side of that to dip pita bread in. Kafe Neo also has a lot of organic and vegetarian food, so it would be a good option for all different palettes. Located at 4th St and Temple, it is pretty centrally located between the Pike and Belmont Shore.

The prices at Kafe Neo were very reasonable. My pita was only $6.50 and the spicy feta fries were only $4.50. Overall, I would say that Kafe Neo is a good place because the menu includes something for everyone. They also have a variety of coffees and teas so it could be a nice place to just relax with a snack and a nice cup of jasmine tea.

May's Thai Kitchen

May's Thai Kitchen is a small restaurant located at the corner of Miramar off of Anaheim in Long Beach. Today when I went in for lunch, I was waited on by May herself. The food was exceptional. Since I was in there for lunch, I was able to order off the amazingly priced lunch menu. I ordered beef with black pepper and garlic. As part of the lunch special, I also had my choice of won ton or spicy mushroom soup, fried or steamed rice and it came with an egg roll as well as a side of pad thai. The pad thai was delicious and pad thai is not my favorite part about Thai food. My beef was exceptional and I wanted to continue eating even after I was stuffed. The amount of food I got was well worth the $8.95 that I paid. Even though I ordered a lunch special, I felt that the rest of the menu was very well priced. It looked like the average entree was about $10.00. Which, for the way the food tasted, I found amazing.

I really like the atmosphere. You can tell that the food that is made is authentic and May made sure my dining experience was great. She was also interacting with all her other customers, which I thought was really nice. It is very small and there were signs promoting the cooking classes she teaches there once a month. I will definitely be going back there and trying some different items on the menu!

Olives Gourmet Grocer

Today I had one of the best deli sandwiches I have ever had. Olives Gourmet Grocer is a deli and grocer that carries gourmet cheeses and meats and even has an olive bar. The sandwich I ordered did not have a name but was filled with hot cured Italian meats, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onions, pepperoncinis, mayonnaise, red wine vinaigrette and olive oil. It was spicy and delicious. Sometimes, the bread on an Italian sandwich is too hard, but this bread was perfect. My sandwich was only $7.29 but I also spent $2.00 on some olives from the olive bar. I would say that the quality of the food was no where near representative of the price. It was amazing and I truly felt it was worth more than the price I paid.

Since it is a grocery store as well, the only seating for the restaurant is located at small tables outside. Since I was there on a nice day, I didn't mind sitting outside and enjoying the atmosphere that accompanies most places on Broadway.

Olives Gourmet Grocers has two locations, one on Broadway and one on 2nd street in Belmont Shore. If you are ever in the mood to cook something fancy, Olives would be the place to go to get fresh ingredients as well some ingredients that you might not find in a normal grocery store. They have a variety of fresh bread and meats as well as side dishes such as whipped yams.

Nino's Ristorante Italiano

So last night, I had a hankering for some real Italian food, in other words, not the Olive Garden kind. I Googled some places and settled on Nino's Ristorante Italiano. The restaurant has a very traditional appearance and as you walk to the front door, you can hear the sounds of the water fountain and the buzzing from the neon lights that light up the entrance. The atmosphere was very nice and I would describe it as perfect for a date. The lights are dim and there is soft Italian music is playing creating a slightly romantic setting. After getting the menu, I had a very hard time deciding on what to eat because everything sounded so good. Eventually I settled on ordering bruschetta for an appetizer and Gnocchi Mamma Chiariana in a tomato basil sauce for my entree. The bruschetta came out first and was absolutely delicious. It made me more excited for my gnocchi. Even though I waited a longer time than I would have liked for my entree, the wait was well worth it. The gnocchi tasted homemade and it fell apart in my mouth. I was in Heaven. It all went perfectly with the glass of house Cabernet that I had ordered. Nino's offers an extensive wine list and a full bar.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. The prices seemed pretty reasonable for the amount of food I received, $13.95 for my entree and $7.00 for the appetizer. However, with drinks, it was slightly more than some might want to spend on just a normal night. The food, in my opinion though, is most definitely worth it!!!!!!