District Six Primary: Josephine Villasenor: 04/12/2016

Walnut Street Cleam Up: Recap

Sorry, no there are pictures this time. So north of 15th Street, I was able to clean Walnut with room to spare. I actually filled 75% of the bag with trash from the alley behind the U-Haul Station. Had I had a little room left over, I would have done an unscheduled clean up on the north side of Gaviota today. Unfortunately, south of 15th Walnut is pretty bad. South of 14th, next to the three large apartment complexes bordering the industrial businesses on Anaheim, on the east end of the street, I was able to fill a bag. Usually one bag can do half a street. One bag should have handled all of Walnut from 15th to Anaheim; it handled half of that. 

In other words, Walnut took four bags, and I still haven't finished the east end of 15th to 14th Street; I may finish that later in the week, but no promises. I did meet some neighbors who said they would like to be involved in future clean ups. Hopefully, they will follow through and we soon meet a lot more. Also, don't forget to take the pledge to keep your part of the MacArthur Park Neighborhood clean. It is your neighborhood after all. Next week, I have a clean up on Junipero scheduled. It may get rescheduled due to the Ready Long Beach Event, planned by CERT as I am on a list of potential volunteers.

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 

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.