BBQ April 16th, 2016: 3pm - 6pm in MacAthur Park

MacArthur Park's 1st City Wide Breakfast: Updated

Thank you to We Love Long Beach for the kind donations, the neighbors who came out, Wrigley Community Neighborhood Groupp for the help organizing and Tania Morales for the additional support in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood's first City Wide Breakfast.

It's hard to read but hear were the suggestions: 

• A neighborhood grocery store
• Shuttles for seniors - People with no cars
• More neighborhood events
• Speed bumps for cars turning off PCH
• Neighborhood cleaning
• Neighborhood watch
• Game day 
• Board game pot lucks 
• Neighborhood Olympics.

Business Review: Lily Kim Bakery

While the outside declares this a French Bakery, and there are a lot of breads, the main attraction is clearly the premade meals. Most of those meals, while not necessarily Cambodian, are of an Asian flavor. Know in advance the Lily Kim Bakery does not accept credit cards, so you will have to bring cash. $10 is more than enough for a decent meal here.

Generally speaking within the Aspara Plaza on Alamitos and Anahiem, the Lily Kim Bakery is probably the most popular attraction. The family owned store features a counter of plates of pre-made meals to go, neatly wrapped in saran wrap. The prices of the food range from $2.50 to a high of about $6.50, and $6.50 gets you a lot of food. They also have all the usual drinks you would find at a 7-11, an equally expansive rack of chips and an impressive smoothie menu that will run you about $2.50.

The food, is good, I wouldn't rate it as exceptional. Here's the main reason: everything is served cold. That means, the Lily Kim Restaurant is probably better suited as a take out store, than it suits dining in. .That is reinforced by the fact there are only two tables and no outside seating. I was there at a time that wasn't busy and you had to join an occupied table to sit down.

The restaurant itself is usually pretty packed around breakfast and lunch time, but since most everything is made in advance service is still very quick. And the person behind the counter was very friendly and helpful when I asked about different dishes. Cleanliness could have used a little work, but I think that was partly because I showed up later in the day. The venue could add a star just by giving customers access to a microwave to heat the food up when you're eating in. 

 In terms of overall expectations, quality may not be up to par, but it's about the best you will get in the area at that price. I haven't seen an entire meal for $2.50 in years. Three stars seems unfair, since they clearly are trying to make the best impression on their customers; and four is too generous because there are some very simple issues, that could very easily be cleaned up.

The Lily Kim Bakery
1171 E Anaheim St
(562) 218-7818 

LBUSD: Free Meals for Children When School Is Out

Long Beach Unified School District is sponsoring the Summer Food Service Program to help feed children during the summer months. Free and wholesome lunches are available to children, ages one to 18 years old, at locations listed below: 

---

ONLINE MAP OF THESE SITES

---

El Distrito Escolar Unificado de Long Beach patrocinará el Programa de Servicios Alimenticios de Verano para ayudar a alimentar a los niños durante los meses de verano. Hay alimentos gratuitos y saludables disponibles para los niños y jóvenes de un año a 18 años de edad en las ubicaciones a continuación:

School/Escuela	Address/Domicilio	Dates/Fecha	Meal Time/Horario
Buffum	2350 Ximeno, Long Beach	7/6 to 7/31/15	11:10 to 11:40 a.m.
Cabrillo	2001 Santa Fe, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/31/15	10:25 to 10:55 a.m.
Franklin*	540 Cerritos, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/23/15	12 to 12:30 p.m.
Hamilton*	1060 E. 70th Street, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/23/15	12 to 12:30 p.m.
Holmes	5020 Barlin, Lakewood	6/22 to 7/2/15	10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
Jefferson*	750 Euclid, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/23/15	12 to 12:30 p.m.
Jordan∞	6500 Atlantic, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/31/15	10:25 to 10:55 a.m.
Jordan Plus	171 W. Bort, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/31/15	10:25 to 10:55 a.m.
Lindbergh*	1022 E. Market, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/16/15	12 to 12:30 p.m.
Lindsey*	5075 Daisy, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/16/15	12 to 12:30 p.m.
Madison	2801 Bomberry, Lakewood	7/6 to 7/31/15	11:35 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
Poly	1600 Atlantic, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/31/15	10:25 to 10:55 a.m.
Stephens*	1830 W. Columbia, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/23/15	12 to 12:30 p.m.
Washington*	1450 Cedar, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/23/15	12 to 12:30 p.m.
Wilson	4400 E. 10th Street, Long Beach	6/29 to 7/31/15	10:25 to 10:55 a.m.

 

∞The entrance for Jordan will be on Myrtle Avenue. 
* La entrada para la Escuela Jordan estará por la avenida Myrtle.

There will be no service on Friday for sites with an asterisk (*). 

For additional information or summer meals sites that are sponsored by Long Beach City Parks, please call 562-427-7923 or visit the Nutrition Services  

No habrá servicios de alimentos los viernes en las escuelas marcadas con un asterisco (*). 

Para mayor información o lugares donde se servirán los almuerzos patrocinados por el Departamento de Parques y Recreación, por favor llame al 562-427-7923 

UPDATE: 06/23/15: Free lunches are again being served to anyone under 18 at MacArthur Park. Lunch is served from 11:30 to 12:30 every day Monday through Friday, with the exception of July 3 when the park is closed. Aside from the age limit there are no restrictions, and service is first come first served. The free lunch program continues through August 21. 

Business Review: Pinches Pizza

Pinches Pizza is located on 1711 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90813. That is next to the La Gaviota Market just east of Gaviota and Anaheim. The venue can boast very good pizza and clean, comfortable dining area. It has about five tables, two video games and a very simple and classic New York style decor. 

It also had friendly and fast service. The pizza itself was very good for the price. The place also delivers and has daily specials.

Those specials ranged from 50 cent wings to 99 cent garlic bread to a sandwich and sub for $3.99. The bottom line, you will get your money's worth here. If you are getting a special deal, you may well get more than your money's worth.

To be fair, Pinches Pizza isn't much different than a small mom and pop Pizza Hut. But the pizza is well made, served quickly and the toppings are generous for the price. I ordered the vegetarian and there were enough vegetables on it that I lost count. The venue is about twenty by forty feet in size. 

There is a single TV.  When I was there they were playing the Spanish Version of Die Hard. But then again, "Yippie Ki Yeah," is the same in any language so I could easily follow along. 

Where Pinches Pizza could improve was the venue is a little dark inside. It's painted a dark red, so without a light on, the place is a little dim. Also, they do not have any wifi connection. Where they shine was the food itself and the fact that they were encouraging their customers to review them on Yelp.

Overall, their reviews on both Yelp and Google+ are impressive.

Guest Review: Stem Reap Cambodia Town by Jeff Leon

Siem Reap Cambodian Restaurant 1810 East Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 562-591-7414 Cambodian cuisine has elements of Vietnamese and Thai food, yet from overlapping palettes of flavors and ingredients comes distinct mélanges of tastes, textures, and aromas. 

The menu may look a bit unfamiliar but the staff are used to serving first timers and they are always ready to describe a dish or make a recommendation. The Cambodian national dish, “amok trey” is a gingery, delicate tasting coconut fish curry served in a coconut. The fish melts in your mouth. 

Cambodian hot and sour soup is a different beast from the Chinese soup of the same name. The taste is a bit lighter, a bit more sour, and less peppery. I’ve had this dish in Cambodia and the house hot and sour soup here did not disappoint. A boba drink for dessert tops off the meal. The prices at Siem Reap are reasonable and the service is good. For me, Siem Reap Restaurant was the first place I tried Cambodian food. It’s a good place for anyone to try Cambodian food.

Jeff Leon: Jeff is a musician and comedian who has appeared in New York, California and on Last Comic Standing. You can check out Jeff's comedy at his website by clicking on his name.