Brunch at Michael's Pizzeria in Downtown Long Beach

I got to enjoy a heavenly Sunday brunch at Michael's Pizzeria in Downtown Long Beach last weekend. Curated by Chris, the general manager, I was taken through a journey of indulgent breakfast dishes, Napoli-style pizzas, and desserts. The mozzarella is made daily, all the pizzas are wood-fired and made of the freshest and tastiest ingredients that are either made in-house or at the Working Class Kitchen with no artificial coloring or flavoring. What stood out for me during the tasting was the quality taste of all the ingredients used in each dish. Read more about each dish that I tasted by scrolling through, and visit Michael's Pizzeria in Downtown Long Beach for weekend brunch on Saturday 11:30a-2:30p or Sunday 10:30a-2:30p; enjoy $3 mimosas, delicious food that not only feeds your tummy but your soul (at a great price point), and live music.

Michael's Pizzeria - Downtown Promenade in Long Beach
210 E 3rd St
Long Beach, CA 90802
562-491-2100

Regular Hours (Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays)
Mon-Thu: 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30 am - 11:00 pm
Sun: 10:30 am - 10:00 pm
Parking: Metered Street Parking, Public Parking Lots and Structures. The Public Structure across from Michael's Pizzeria on 3rd St next to the Harvey Milk Park provides 2 hours of free parking.

French Brioche Toast - Served with strawberries and cream or Nutella

This was the best French Brioche Toast I ever tasted. I usually don't eat french toast because it is dense, but this french toast was very moist on the inside with the perfect amount of egg; and with the brioche bread created an almost bread pudding consistency. The homemade strawberry jam was on another level and perfectly complemented the cream and french brioche toast. It wasn't messy to eat, and can easily be shared amongst 2-4 people. A MUST when visiting Michael's Pizzeria.

Guanciale Pizza - Working Class Kitchen guanciale (pork cheek), mozzarella, goat cheese, stone fruit, and honey

I've had sweet, savory pizzas before, but this has to take the cake on balancing the goat cheese and meat flavors with the sweetness of the peach and apricot slices. With the variety of fruit, the sweet flavors don't become redundant while eating, and along with honey drizzle, are also not overly sweet. If you are feeling adventurous and want to try a pizza other than margherita or all meat pizza, this one is for you. 

Porchetta Pizza - Pesto, smoked mozzarella, roasted peppers, and Working Class Kitchen porchetta

The porchetta pizza was very hearty (but not overwhelming) with the melted, smoked mozzarella, peppers and porchetta and I enjoyed the flavors combined with the pesto (I've never had a pesto pizza before). The cheese is concentrated in specific places on the pizza, so if you like more cheese distribution, this one isn't for you.

Margherita Pizza - Tomato, mozzarella, basil, and extra virgin olive oil

This has to be one of the best Margherita pizzas I've ever eaten. All the ingredients are cooked just right and proportionate to each other, so I'm not eating too much sauce or too much cheese.  A classic, and done very well.

Lasagna Napoletana - White pasta layered with mozzarella, meat sauce, and Parmesan

Holy cow, now this is a Lasagna. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to eat it all, but had to save some room for dessert. It just tastes homemade, but the presentation, especially in the cast iron, is impeccable. All the ingredients and flavors don't get lost, you taste each pasta layer perfectly balanced by the mozzarella and meat sauce. Aside from the French Brioche Toast, this is a favorite dish!

Fiori Di Zucca - Ricotta stuffed squash blossoms with basil honey pesto

A seasonal dish, these crispy squash blossoms were surprisingly delightful. I was thinking the Ricotta might be a mouth full, but the creaminess of the cheese is balanced by the basil honey pesto, and the outside shell adds the perfect crunch.

Dessert - Tiramisu, Salted Caramel and Mint Chocolate Gelato

I don't know how I made it to dessert, but I'm glad I did. The tiramisu is light in texture and taste, but also has more coffee flavors than the overwhelming rum flavors. The Salted Caramel gelato perfectly encapsulated the salty and caramel flavors, but the Mint Chocolate gelato is the winner. It tasted exactly as if the mint had been plucked from a garden and was complementary to the ribbons of chocolate within the creaminess of the gelato.

Grand Marnier Tasting at the Center Club in Costa Mesa

You may have seen that I celebrated the Summer Solstice with Renee at Grand Marnier's Summer Solstice Party at the Roosevelt Hollywood. Before that, I had gotten to attend a Grand Marnier tasting with Andrew at the Center Club in Costa Mesa.
Prior to the formal tasting and dinner, we had small bites and Grand Marnier cocktails. Once we sat down for dinner we were taken through an amazing 5 courses accompanied by the Grand Marnier Grand Cuvee Collection and Fine Marnier Lapostelle Wines, hosted and curated by Master Distiller Patrick Rageunaud. I enjoyed learning about the history and craftsmanship of Grand Marnier all from the Master Distiller himself; there's really a sense of pride and passion that goes into every step of making cognac and wines.
I like that Grand Marnier's cognacs have unique and signature tropical orange notes, and Andrew and I couldn't stop raving about the Lapostelle Wines; we tasted the Clos Apalta and Chateau Sancerre, both from Chile. Each dish served by the Center Club wasn't better than the next, but a phenomenal flurry of flavors individually and with the cognac or wine pairing. My favorites included a perfectly seared scallop as well as goat cheese beignets on a bed of asparagus. Learn more about Grand Marnier here and the Center Club here.
Photos taken by Olga Mironova

New Spring Dishes at Fig & Olive, Newport Beach

I celebrated Cinco de Mayo this past week by dining at one of my fave Newport Beach restaurants, Fig & Olive, for a spring menu tasting. Check out the entire Newport Beach Spring Menu here, and see what I tasted below. Fig & Olive has exciting events coming up this season that you won't want to miss out on.

On Sunday, May 17, 2015 from 2:00pm � 6:00pm FIG & OLIVE Newport Beach will launch a monthly event series, �Sunday Rendez-vous� in collaboration with Veuve Clicquot for an afternoon of bubbly and bites. Stylish OC denizens will be greeted by the sounds of St. Tropez from FIG & OLIVE�s resident sound designer, Thomas Toccafondi on the terrace. Veuve Clicquot will capture the afternoon of festivities with a themed photo booth and offer party favors to lounging guests as they enjoy a midday getaway of champagne and cocktails.

Guests can enjoy dishes from FIG & OLIVE�s regular brunch and cocktail menu or explore new flavors with the Rivera Brunch Buffet ($24) on the terrace featuring endless selections of:

� Granola and fresh fruit
� Eggs (any style)
� Quiche
� Mini Fig Tartlet
� Tomato Burrata Caprese and select salads
� Carpaccio, Charcuteries, and Cheeses
� Apple Tart

Reservations for the Sunday Rendez-Vous and Riviera Brunch Buffet on the terrace must be made in advance.

151 Newport Center Drive
Fashion Island
Newport Beach, CA 92660
949 877 3005
newportbeach@figandolive.com

Lunch:
Monday to Friday
11am to 4pm

Dinner:
Sunday �Monday: 4pm � 9:30pm
Tuesday: 4pm � 10pm
Wednesday: 4pm � 11pm
Thursday: 4pm � 11pm/ Bar until 1am
Friday-Saturday: 4pm � 12am/ Bar until 1am

Brunch:
Saturday & Sunday: 11am to 4pm
Provence Margarita $14
(it's not Cinco de Mayo without a Margarita)
A classic margarita with a provincial twist Tequila, lime juice, triple sec, lavender bitters
The lavender bitters was a nice touch and gave the margarita a subtle and lovely fragrance with a refreshing taste. 
Assorted Crostinis 3 for $12 | 6 for $21
Pea, Asparagus, Ricotta Lemon Thyme
Crab, Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini Puree
Pata Negra, Crushed Tomato, Smoked Salt
I only tasted the crab, heirloom tomato, zucchini puree crostini and liked how the crab was balanced by the tomato and zucchini flavors. 
Crab & Heirloom Tomato $14
Jumbo lump crab, heirloom cherry tomato, garlic cilantro, shallot harissa, avocado basil tapenade Cobrancosa Olive Oil
I think I would have liked this dish more if I hadn't tasted the crab crostini beforehand. It ended up being too much crab for me. 
Rosemary Lamb Chops $39
Grilled, smoked � la minute with a bouquet of Herbs de Provence, grilled polenta roasted bell pepper and jalapeno with braised eggplant � Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil
The presentation of this dish is absolutely exquisite; the server brings out the lamb chops under an apothecary dome in which you can see the smoke festering. Once the dish is placed in front of you, the server removes the glass dome and the rosemary smoke dissipates and rosemary garlic olive oil is drizzled onto the lamb chops. I liked how the lamb chops were cooked and the taste which was complemented by the bell peppers, jalapeno, and brasied eggplant, but I would have preferred the polenta to be soft instead of compact.
Lavender Creme Brulee $12
Lavender ice cream, thyme shortbread, honey
The lavender ice cream was delicious, I absolutely loved it but felt a disconnect in flavors with the creme brulee. Because the creme brulee was not served in a ramekins, I feel that the consistency was not as creamy as a creme brulee tends to me. I enjoyed the dessert with a latte.