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Long Beach Date Nights

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Long Beach’s first cidery, Ficklewood Ciderworks, scheduled to open Fall ’19

Posted on July 8, 2019

Cider tasting at Ficklewood Ciderworks in Long Beach

Long Beach’s first cidery, Ficklewood Ciderworks, will be opening in fall ‘19!

Whether you are a cider drinker, beer drinker, wine drinker, or iced-tea drinker, Ficklewood has something for you.

Variety of ciders at Ficklewood Ciderworks, Long Beach

For many people, when they think of hard cider, they think of an overly-sweet apple drink with alcohol. But Ficklewood Ciderworks will be focusing on dry ciders with rich flavors.

Ficklewood Ciderworks will be focusing on dry ciders with rich flavors.

If you’ve ever been to a wine tasting, you’ve probably either participated in or overheard a “flavor profile” discussion. “This one has notes of tobacco. That one has a hint of leather.” Confession time: I used to roll my eyes at these discussions. And yet when I tasted Ficklewood’s ciders, I found myself making these same type of comments because the ciders are all so diverse and interesting!

The flavors in the different ciders are so diverse, yet they’re all refreshing and easy to drink.

Ficklewood Ciderworks founders Joe Farrier and Stefan Enjem

There was a pink cider made with hibiscus and elderberry; a dark cider that resembled a red wine but with a lighter, crisper flavor; a cold brew cider with a bold coffee flavor and a bit of a kick; and I swear one even reminded me a little bit of iced tea. The flavors in the different ciders are so diverse, yet they’re all refreshing and easy to drink. (Almost too easy: you might forget they have alcohol!)

Ficklewood has a backstory that will warm your heart.

Along with their amazing ciders, Ficklewood also has a backstory that will warm your heart. Their founders, Joe Farrier and Stefan Enjem, are best friends as well as neighbors. They literally have a ladder over the fence in their backyard that they climb to get to each other’s houses. Using their engineering backgrounds and a love of cider, they have been methodically brewing their ciders at home and perfecting the recipes.

Ficklewood will be somewhere you can bring the kids.

Soon to be patio space at Ficklewood Ciderworks, 720 E Broadway, Long Beach CA

Joe and Stefan are also both family men, so along with being a great place for date nights or nights out with friends, Ficklewood will also be somewhere you can bring the kids. Joe and Stefan know that parents like having a place to go to kick back and have a drink that kids will enjoy going to as well. The building design is open and airy, and there will be a small patio area overlooking Broadway – perfect for cider-drinking and people-watching!

The building design is open and airy, and there will be a small patio area overlooking Broadway

Ficklewood is scheduled to open in Fall of 2019. It will be the perfect time of year to opt for the lighter ciders on those still-hot summery days, or go for the bolder, richer flavors on the cooler days. Start the countdown, Long Beach! Ficklewood Ciderworks is almost here!

*Ficklewood will be located at 720 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA*

ExploreLongBeach

The Grill at The Westin, Long Beach: Gourmet American Fare at an Affordable Price

Posted on March 6, 2019

Chicken Linguine at The Grill at The Westin in Long Beach

Tucked inside The Westin in Downtown Long Beach is a little gem called The Grill. And It’s not only for hotel guests!

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of eating at The Grill for my belated birthday dinner, and let me just say I’m glad we took a Lyft there because I was in a total food coma by the time we left! I chose some of the more indulgent foods because we were celebrating, and I waddled out of the restaurant full of butter and garlic and with a big smile on my face.

I waddled out of the restaurant full of butter and garlic and with a big smile on my face.

Pomegranate Green Tea cocktail at The Grill at The Westin in Long Beach

If you have never eaten at The Grill, you will find that there are rich foods, fresh foods, classic foods, pretty much every type of American entree you can think of. Whether you are looking for a summer salad for lunch, a buttery pasta for dinner, or just some drinks with friends, you will find it here.

There are rich foods, fresh foods, classic foods, pretty much every type of American entree you can think of.

When we arrived at The Grill, someone greeted us immediately and I noticed the restaurant had a really intimate vibe. You can feel that you’re in a hotel in a way that makes you wish you were vacation too, but it’s situated far enough from the lobby that you aren’t distracted by excessive foot traffic.

I started with a Pomegranate Green Tea cocktail, which was a strong but tasty martini. There were a number of other specialty cocktails, but this one is my favorite! (Another reason I’m glad we didn’t drive – these drinks go down way too easily!) There is an extensive beer and wine list as well, and Jason went with a Cabernet for himself.

The atmosphere was light, and quiet but not too quiet.

The atmosphere was light, and quiet but not too quiet. I got a Caesar salad before my dinner and was really

Caesar salad at The Grill at The Westin in Long Beach

impressed with the size of it. I easily could have shared it (but I didn’t want to because it was so good!)

For our entrees, I got the Shrimp Linguine and Jason got the turkey burger. My linguine was amazing. The sauce was buttery and garlicky, the shrimp were huge, and it was garnished with bacon that was cooked to perfection. Jason said his burger was great as well. It was gone before I finished my first shrimp so I know it had to have been good.

The shrimp were huge, and it was garnished with bacon that was cooked to perfection.

Chocolate lava cake at The Grill at The Westin in Long Beach

Every server who stopped by our table was incredibly friendly. They asked what occasion we were celebrating and when we had finished our meals, someone brought out a chocolate lava cake for my birthday! It was warm and gooey and even came with a candle on top. Jason doesn’t eat sweets at all, so I ate most of this delicious dessert all by myself (which left me wondering if other diners just assumed I didn’t want to share…)

Prices were really reasonable for such high quality food, with most entrees in the $14-24 range.

Prices were really reasonable for such high quality food, with most entrees in the $14-24 range. They had a variety of apps like nachos and flatbread pizzas that were in the lower price range also. It was mostly American fare: there were the classics like burgers and sandwiches, and then your more dinner-style entrees like salmon and steak. There were several pastas too, and I was in the mood for carbs!

We are always looking for new happy hours that have good prices.

They have a really great happy hour with even cheaper prices on apps and great drink specials, which would be perfect for a night out with friends or a date night. Jason and I are always looking for new happy hours that have good prices, but we don’t always want a sports bar vibe. The Grill is the perfect spot to fill that niche.

ExploreLongBeach

Cafe Sevilla: A Romantic Culinary Tour of Spain

Posted on February 23, 2019

Cafe Sevilla Long Beach tapas bar night club

What exactly is Cafe Sevilla: A nightclub? A tapas bar? A happy hour chill spot? A fancy restaurant? It’s literally all of these things! We had visited the nightclub section of Sevilla before, and had also tried some of their tapas at the downtown tasting events, but last weekend we had the opportunity to have dinner in the restaurant for the first time.

There is really something for every budget on the menu.

Flight of sangria at Cafe Sevilla Long Beach

My expectation was that it was going to be VERY expensive, which is one of the reasons we had never gone for dinner before. However, we realized there is really something for every budget on the menu. They had great happy hour specials and an assortment of tapas in the $7-15 range. There were reasonably priced bottles of sangria, you could opt for a family-style dinner, and they even have brunch. You could go for drinks and apps and spend $40 on a date night, or $150 on a date night. Both would be excellent, but different.

They had great happy hour specials and an assortment of tapas in the $7-15 range.

Because this was a belated Valentine’s Day date for us, we decided to splurge and do the “Journey Through Spain” 5 Course Dinner for 2, which was $79.50. Even though the price tag was a splurge for us, it was a steal considering all that it came with. We got to choose 3 different appetizers, 1 entree each, and a dessert. AND! When you opt for this dinner, you can take $20 off a bottle of select wines or pitchers of sangrias, so we did that as well. (Be careful, their sangria packs a punch!)

Even though the price tag was a splurge for us, it was a steal considering all that it came with.

Albóndigas al Jerez at Cafe Sevilla in Long Beach

Around the time we ordered, the live music started. It was Latin Jazz and the perfect volume for conversation. A few couples even got up and danced over the course of our dinner. It really added to the ambiance and the overall vibe was very romantic.

The overall vibe was very romantic.

So, back to the food. For our first appetizer, we chose the Albóndigas al Jerez, which was meatballs in a garlic wine sauce. It was light and delicious.

For our second appetizer, we ordered Grilled Spanish Salchichas, or flambéed sausages. This was extra fun because they came and flambéed them tableside. And who doesn’t love seeing a giant flame go up next to their table?

This was extra fun because they came and flambéed them tableside.

For our third app, we got the Mushroom and Fig Coca Flatbread. We normally stick to carnivore meals (as you may have noticed from our first 2 app choices), but this flatbread gave the meat apps a run for their money. It was surprisingly substantial for a meatless dish and almost could have been a meal of its own.

Mushroom and Coca Flatbread Cafe Sevilla Long Beach

It was surprisingly substantial for a meatless dish and almost could have been a meal of its own.

For our entrees, I got the salmon with a chimichurri sauce. It was cooked to perfection and I loved the black rice it came with. (Can you tell I’m not officially a food blogger? I’m sure it has a real name besides “black rice”, but it wasn’t on the menu, so just know that it’s an excellent bonus side dish.)

Jason got the 16 hour braised short ribs, which he also said were delicious and tender. Also around this time, we decided to order a flight of sangria so we could sample more flavors. I always thought sangria was just red wine and fruit, but there are so many varieties! And the flight is really aesthetically pleasing too.

I always thought sangria was just red wine and fruit, but there are so many varieties!

Almond Tarta de Santiago at Cafe Sevilla in Long Beach

And then the dessert came! It was an Almond Tarta de Santiago. It was sweet and moist and also practically could have been another meal, as well. It came out warm and tasted incredibly fresh. After we had eaten as much as we could (because we were already pretty stuffed!) we headed over to the nightclub for one last drink.

Our nightclub visit ended up being rather short (because sangria!) but we danced to a few songs and enjoyed the last of our romantic evening. We will definitely be returning for future date nights, and can’t wait to try out their salsa lessons on Tuesdays nights too.