Presented on the next several pages are the annual picks, along with mouthwatering photography by Matt Fukushima. Our entire staff chose the top two winners from 30 categories to encompass all the various restaurants, bars, foods, and drinks that Long Beach has to offer. Find out which restaurants – new and old – really got our attention this year.Read More >>

The smell of an apple pie, fragrant with cinnamon, is one of our most popular memory-making scents. The pie is also one of the quintessential American desserts. We serve it hot, cold or frozen. It can be topped with whipped cream, ice cream, meringue or cheddar cheese. It can have one crust or two. The crust can be on the top or the bottom. Crusts can be traditional pastry or cookie-crumb crushes. The fillings are baked or fresh, smooth or crunchy. Picking a favorite is very difficult. Making these pies is not. Easy-to-use fillings and ready-made crusts of all types are available at your supermarket – and they taste terrific.Read More >>

Everyone is afraid of something. Horses, skydiving and cooking for more than a party of one have long sat at the top of my list. Tonight I’m assisting Executive Chef Pete Lehmar of Gladstone’s Long Beach, in preparing a three-course meal for a private banquet of 100. Needless to say, I’m shaking in my nonslip shoes.Read More >>

Kitchens are the place of gathering in our home, a meeting center of sorts. We catch up at the end of the day with our loved ones as we unwind while preparing dinner for the evening or socialize with good friends over a favorite bottle of wine while preparing a dinner party. Whatever your activity, for many of us the kitchen is the nucleus of our homes.Read More >>