New Year’s Eve dining ideas in Long Beach and nearby

My past of New Year’s Eve celebrations has tally beauteous overmuch from bittersweet to sorrowful.

Growing up successful New York City, I really went to Times Square galore years agone — agelong earlier they started corralling the celebrants for hours connected end, forcing them to deterioration big diapers. My representation of it was that it was acold … bone-chilling cold.

After the shot descended, the assembled masses each ran for the subway entrances. The New York subway strategy had, thoughtfully, gone connected a post-midnight schedule. Meaning that respective 100 1000 of america were clustered connected the borderline of the platforms, praying for a bid — and that nary 1 would propulsion america off.

Then, determination was the clip I was invited to a gala meal astatine a friend’s location — lone to observe the gala meal consisted of bags of chips and cans of bulb dip, with Lawrence Welk playing connected the TV, and a batch of pitiful characters sitting connected couches, trying to enactment awake.

There was the repast astatine a favourite Italian restaurant, wherever I discovered, excessively late, that what was being served was a repast consisting of 2 pasta entrées, a greenish salad, and immoderate benignant of store-bought cocoa barroom for dessert. I deliberation the repast included a divided of champagne. That’s fractional a bottle, for 2 persons. It was atrocious champagne. And they charged excessively overmuch for it.

After moving to the West Coast, to simplify New Year’s Eve, I decided to enactment connected East Coast clip the nighttime of Dec. 31. This allowed maine to observe early, and past spell to slumber whenever I wanted. And to get up aboriginal capable for the Rose Parade, if I wanted to.

After each these years, there’s been lone 1 New Year’s Eve that stands retired arsenic an unmitigated triumph — and it progressive going into a satellite wherever Dec. 31 is not New Year’s Eve. I organized a assemblage to spell to 1 of the sprawling Chinese seafood restaurants of Monterey Park for an aboriginal evening banquet. It was rather the experience.

Getting disconnected astatine the Atlantic Avenue exit, conscionable aft 6 p.m., I recovered myself stuck successful a postulation jam, caused by constabulary moving a sobriety check. At 6 o’clock? The Chinese New Year wasn’t coming up for different period oregon more, truthful this was conscionable different night. Except that the larger hallway of the edifice had been taken implicit by what I was told was a Chinese precocious schoolhouse reunion. There were hundreds of celebrants. There were speeches and songs — each successful Chinese. There were acrobatic acts. Prizes were awarded. And I sat successful an adjacent room, eating shrimp and lobster, and having a precise bully time.

I notably retrieve bringing my ain wine, and asking if determination was a corkage fee. I was told, yes, $10. Per bottle, I asked? No, I was told — for the table, for the evening. What’s not to love? I had a large repast — and was location aboriginal capable to drawback the shot coming down successful Times Square.

I’ve repeated it galore times successful the years since. A Chinese edifice New Year’s Eve connected Dec. 31 has ever been a joy. And reasonably priced, too. (I’ve besides varied the feeds with meals astatine Thai restaurants, Filipino spots, Vietnamese places; Persian, Lebanese and Indian cafes; Korean barbecues, adjacent the occasional Cambodian eatery, of which we person precious few! The prices are ever great!

We bring our ain amusive with us, which does not see comic hats and noisemakers! These days, if you’re astatine Times Square, you’re locked successful till aft midnight. How is that fun? But meals astatine the pursuing restaurants are ever a joyousness — however could it beryllium otherwise?

Chinese seafood (and overmuch more)

With the closing of Royal Garden successful Cerritos, our astir notable Chinese seafood location has gone the mode of each flesh. But astatine slightest Northern Café (11468 South St., Cerritos; 562-402-9588, www.northerncafecerritos.com), though not chiefly a food house, does connection a capable enactment of seafood dishes — among them grilled reddish stripe full rockfish, saccharine and sour food filet, food filet successful blistery chili sauce, and food filet with soy legume paste. Heck, adjacent shrimp chow mein, for those who similar a small retro for dinner.

The Northern Café — which is situated successful the aforesaid precise engaged promenade that besides is location to specified crowd-pleasers arsenic Gen Korean BBQ, 85C Bakery, North Shore Poke Co. and Sake2Me Sushi — does not look similar what you mightiness expect a promenade Chinese edifice to look like. There’s unfastened ductwork, the benignant of airy bars recovered successful creation galleries and, matching the lights, modernistic creation connected the walls, including colorful drawings of what look to beryllium immoderate of the café’s dishes. Also, there’s pottery connected shelves.

Were they offering tuna tartare alternatively than chickenhearted gizzard kebabs, it wouldn’t beryllium a surprise. Even the takeaway paper is agleam and glossy — multicolored with flowers and fruits, and photos of galore dishes.

The constituent is, this isn’t an old-school Chinese restaurant. Northern Café is decidedly now, with the bluish dishes of the infinitesimal — adjacent if you volition find chow mein and chow amusive connected the borderline of the menu. Orange chicken, too.

They’re astute capable to recognize that spicy duck cervix isn’t for everyone. But lamb is. Lamb is notable astatine Northern Café — successful the sautéed grilled lamb with cumin, and with scallions…and connected a sheet of 3 smallish lamb kebabs, dense with spice, intolerable not to devour arsenic accelerated arsenic you can. This is nutrient that goes from nourishment to obsession successful thing flat.

And speaking of the kebabs, they’re a small, tasty appetizer that comes retired accelerated on with the acold cucumber with garlic; seaweed crockery and spiced peanuts travel retired adjacent faster. I tried the “chicken brushed bones,” which weren’t each that soft. They were chickenhearted bits connected lumps of cartilage, which my server insisted were edible, and I insisted were going to ace my molars. He told maine helium ate them each the clip successful his colony adjacent Shanghai. It’s thing you person to turn up with, I guess.

There’s plentifulness much — a conception of grilled dishes, and of griddled dishes (including grilled cooked bullfrog, which doesn’t entreaty adjacent arsenic overmuch arsenic the griddle-cooked spare ribs; sorry). There are blistery pots, and capable vegetarian dishes to support your favourite veggie blessed — mapo tofu is ever a treat.

And if you consciousness similar sticking to the tried and true, somewhat unexpectedly, there’s orangish chickenhearted and  saccharine and sour food filet, twice-cooked pork and beef with broccoli. There aren’t galore restaurants that connection some pig intestines with pickled cabbage and kung pao chicken. But then, Northern Café isn’t similar galore restaurants — either successful its nutrient oregon its style.

Asian eclectic (part one)

On a thoroughfare of galore nutrient dense mini-malls, SUP Noodle Bar (11314 South St., Cerritos; 562-402-8286, www.supnoodlebar.com) is, similar Northern Café, surrounded by a satellite of restaurants — successful this lawsuit Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ, Chronic Tacos, Chung Chun Rice Corndogs, Umaya Ramen, Tasty Noodle House, Gyu-Kaku, King Shabu Shabu, Poke Bar, Panera Bread and Frostbite Crepes.

That said, the wildly fashionable SUP Noodle Bar ever seems the busiest, wherever the assemblage extracurricular speaks volumes astir our emotion of pho. For this is Pho Heaven — serving heavenly pho! But then, there’s plentifulness of fusion connected the paper astatine SUP arsenic well. All you person to bash is bid the outlandishly large, wholly over-the-top appetizer called Shaken House Fries to admit however madcap this each is. It’s a tiny upland of crispy skinny fries, layered with what SUP refers to arsenic “shaken beef,” though “shaking beef” is the much communal name.

The accepted look involves cubed rib eye, garlic, brownish sugar, soy, oyster sauce, soy sauce, food sauce, achromatic pepper, achromatic sugar, vinegar, onions, watercress, tomatoes — and goodness knows what other — each stir-fried intro a wonderfully aromatic heap which is usually served atop rice. Jumbling it onto skinny fries — oregon abdominous fries, for that substance — is simply a precise alternate culinary universe. And a batch of chow for an appetizer. Especially since it’s further topped with crisp cheddar, and spicy tartar sauce. It’s a precise tasty, precise gilded lily of a dish.

There besides are truffle fries, topped with parmesan and Italian truffle oil, a chickenhearted nugget handbasket (with skinny fries and spicy mayo), ail chickenhearted wings and parmesan chickenhearted wings. And conscionable to punctual america that this is simply a Vietnamese restaurant, determination are fried pork dumplings — “Golden Bao.”

But then, you flip implicit the menu, and find a conception of Peruvian lomo saltado — filet mignon, rib eye, shrimp oregon tofu, served with some gallic fries and achromatic rice, with some a “white vino soy” (White vino and soy? Is that possible?) and aji verde aioli. It’s each wonderfully mad.

And then, you crook to the leafage of pho noodle soups, and astatine past you’re backmost successful realm of the restaurant’s namesake. And precise happily, too. In a portion of the satellite with an abundance of pho, this is 1 of the best, with a broth created by boiling bones for 24 hours, astatine which constituent they’ve fundamentally liquefied, and achromatic onions, scallions and cilantro are included for further flavor.

But wait, there’s more. Along with the lomo saltado, there’s a prime of 8 fried atom dishes, including 1 with Spam (which is oddly, oregon possibly not truthful oddly, not disposable successful the pho; it’s imaginable Spam volition overwhelm the spirit of the soup…and each the different ingredients arsenic well!) Fried atom with Spam sounds much Hawaiian than thing else. And the beingness connected the paper of some a Shirley Temple (usually lemonade with grenadine) and a Roy Rogers (cola with grenadine) sends the edifice successful yet different absorption — since they’re not served arsenic substitutes for alcoholic cocktails, they’re just…there.

Asian eclectic (part two)

To find Nomad Asian Bistro (6563 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach; 562-430-6888, www.nomadasianbistrolongbeach.com), you person to go a spot of a nomad, searching amidst the galore restaurants successful the Long Beach Marketplace, until you find it semi-concealed connected a backmost roadworthy — down branches of El Torito, Claim Jumper and the Tilted Kilt.

That’s astir apt due for a Chinese edifice that mixes the dishes we cognize good with dishes from the Hui radical — the taste tribes that unrecorded on the Silk Road of the Northwestern Provinces and Central Plains, wherever the cuisine is influenced by travelers from China connected 1 side, and from Persia and the Middle East connected the other. Which is to say, a repast astatine Nomad is arsenic overmuch of a culinary escapade arsenic you privation it to be.

There are really respective unexpected elements here. Beyond the culinary twists and turns, there’s a spacious outdoor patio, a rarity successful Chinese restaurants; outdoor eating does not look to spell with potstickers and broccoli chicken, though there’s nary crushed it wouldn’t. Or possibly determination is.

I’ve agelong heard that the champion Chinese restaurants are the ones wherever the nutrient is rushed to your table, inactive sizzling from the wok. If you’re eating connected an outdoor patio, that nutrient volition chill quickly. It’s not astatine its best, I hear. And I’m consenting to judge that, due to the fact that the past clip I was astatine Nomad, determination was a chill upwind blowing; I’d person had to beryllium extracurricular successful a down jacket.

Nomad is simply a cheerful restaurant, a spot oversized, with an businesslike staff, and a paper that stretches to astir 100 dishes — a batch from a edifice acold from our section Asian enclaves. If you agelong for the dishes truthful galore of america grew up with, it’s bully to find them present — those who interest astir the disappearing satellite of aged schoolhouse Chinese cooking should find capable present to nutrient galore blessed meals. I’m talking astir bully old-fashioned chop suey, made with chickenhearted oregon beef. (And with sole, which is simply a caller 1 connected me.)

There are wonton “stars,” filled with pick food and “krab.” If you agelong for wonton soup, present it is. Ditto chow mein, with chicken, beef, shrimp, veggie oregon “three flavors.” (The chow mein comes 2 ways — 1 with handmade noodles, the different with commercially made noodles. A constituent of quality that’s seldom made astatine section Chinese restaurants; it’s usually 1 mode oregon the other.)

The classical dishes present are good prepared; they bring backmost tons of blessed memories of the Chinese nutrient we utilized to unrecorded on. I’m blessed to excavation into a sheet of outpouring rolls, with chickenhearted oregon with veggies, arsenic you wish. The honey-ginger chickenhearted wings are beauteous sweet, possibly excessively sweet, but that didn’t support maine from inhaling them. And overmuch the aforesaid tin beryllium said of sugary preparations similar the orangish chicken, the honey-ginger fried chicken, the orangish beef, the chromatic walnut shrimp and truthful forth.

But times change, and tastes alteration arsenic well. Which is wherefore the Hui dishes (or astatine slightest the dishes from the Northern Provinces) are truthful appealing. Northern Chinese cooking involves a batch of lamb — and implicit there, much apt mutton than lamb. The cumin lamb is simply a fantastic happening — tender and sweet, arsenic lamb tends to be, successful a heavy basting of pungent cumin, a hard dishes to halt chewing.

The lamb with scallions, is besides dense with ail and ginger — a large spirit explosion. There’s lamb with pickled cabbage and adust reddish chiles, and lamb with ail and jalapeño. There’s lamb tripe. And a blackboard by the entranceway lists lamb offal. Which is not a crockery for those who imagination of fried rice. Lamb offal is besides served arsenic a soup. And there’s lamb with pickled cabbage. A litany of beardown flavors, that acceptable Nomad apart.

Thai

We’ve got a batch of bully Thai restaurants present successful Southern California — it’s gone mode beyond the days erstwhile Siamese eateries would statement themselves “Thai-Chinese,” due to the fact that nary 1 knew what the heck pad Thai and mee krob mightiness be. We’ve moved from the days of generic Thai, to regionally circumstantial Thai, wherever the cooking of the northbound and the southbound are recognized arsenic distinctly different, and the power of neighbors similar Laos, Burma and Vietnam are some respected and duly noted.

But adjacent with that said, Panvimarn Thai Cuisine (4101 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach; 562-425-2601, www.panvimarnthaicuisine.com) is unique, not conscionable due to the fact that of the prime of its cooking, but besides due to the fact that the nutrient is served successful a country that’s, if not precisely elegant, astatine slightest a batch nicer than the norm. There’s a multitude of partition decorations and hangings, and a consciousness of being astatine what mightiness beryllium 1 of the champion places to dine disconnected Sukhumvit Road successful Bangkok.

So, what does 1 dine upon successful this sedate setting? Well, the paper is some encyclopedic, and a spot goofy, with sections headed “Oodles of noodles” and “Rice is nice.” At the bosom of the paper is simply a conception called “Panvimarn 9 Curries,” which ranges from emerald greenish curry (green coconut sauce), ruby curry (red coconut sauce) and golden curry (yellow coconut sauce), to exotic similar roast duck curry, babe pork rib curry and spicy shrimp curry.

Of people there’s beef satay and chickenhearted satay — “This volition tickle your sensation buds and marque you shriek of more!” says the menu. From the North comes house-made pork sausage with ginger and cashews, on with fried Thai beef jerky, which is simply a crockery that verges connected implicit and full addiction.

One of the champion ways to illustration the paper is with the appetizer sheet called a Panvimarn Delight — satay, outpouring rolls, shrimp blankets, chicken- and shrimp-filled wealth bags and fried wontons. There’s a perfectly bully appetizer of noodles, greenish papaya, shrimp and peanuts called “Bellflower Blvd” — a sanction astir apt chartless connected the Chao Praya River. But what the heck?

The paper goes connected and connected — galore soups, galore salads, superb barbecue chicken, and a conception of “Meatless Meals.” As with Indian cooking, vegetarians tin beryllium precise blessed present — the spices are truthful intense, you won’t announcement the lack of meat. In fact, you’ll astir apt observe it.

Vietnamese

As my fare has evolved implicit the years, overmuch similar maestro chef/humanitarian Jose Andres, I’ve recovered my eating moving much toward the blessed satellite of vegetables. This is not to accidental I’m a vegetarian (or a vegan). I’ve conscionable shifted from perceiving meals arsenic a hunk of meat, with veggies arsenic a sidekick…to a repast wherever vegetables star…and nutrient makes a cameo appearance.

And erstwhile I accidental meat, I mostly mean beef — the “red meat” that’s go a enactment successful the soil for would-be steadfast diners. Fish and chickenhearted are our friends. But vegetables are our champion friends.

And then, I spell to a spot similar Vinh Loi Tofu (11818 South St., Cerritos; 562-403-3388, www.vinhloitofu.com), a tofu-based vegan Vietnamese, and I person to face the adjacent level of my narration with nutrient and vegetables. One indispensable respect what they bash astatine Vinh Loi. One indispensable besides inquire if tofu is simply a vegetable? Well, of people it is. But it’s been transformed from soy beans (our much-loved edamame) to soy beverage to soy curds to prepared tofu successful dishes. It’s a Franken-vegetable.

I’m not definite I’ll ever emotion it. I’ll devour it, and often rather happily. Often successful 1 of those palate-destroying Szechuan dishes, flavored with fiery peppers and sautéed pork, wherever the tofu is hidden nether a upland of utmost flavors. At Vinh Loi, the tofu is always…tofu. Even successful a stir-fry, it’s tofu. And since the cooking is decidedly subtle, the tofu isn’t hidden. And so…tofu is what we spell present for. Tofu…and a repast that represents, arsenic the paper says, “A amended mode of life.”

What I similar to absorption connected is the line, recovered connected the website, encouraging america to “Indulge successful authentic, flavorful Southeast Asian Cuisine prepared from caller ingredients and bold spices.” Which is what Vinh Loi is precise bully at.

Putting speech my mixed opinions connected tofu successful particular, and vegan nutrient substitutes successful general, this is good chow, a tiny enactment of dishes, drawn from the extended satellite of Vietnamese (and to a lesser degree, Thai) cooking. The paper is astir arsenic minimalist arsenic a Vietnamese paper ever is. Rather than dozens of pho noodle crockery variations, each with a antithetic operation of meat, there’s conscionable 1 — the Ironman Pho (love the name!), a rootlike broth, with atom noodles, tofu and “beef” slices, topped with onions (both achromatic and green), cilantro, beansprouts, basil, lime and jalapeño.

It’s 1 of 5 soups connected the menu, a precise engaged conception — a lemongrass and chili crockery called Kevin #1, a Curry Soup (my idiosyncratic favorite), a noodle-less rootlike soup, and a wheat noodle ramen soup, which comes with fried shallots, an unexpectedly elegant touch.

The appetizers thin toward the rolls, besides 5 of them, 1 of which was made with “ham,” different with “beef,” and a 3rd with “chicken” that’s got a benignant of spongy texture. It’s improved by the bully peanut condiment that comes with each the rolls. Peanut condiment is happily vegan, though it does unfastened up a satellite of allergies. Which is wherefore there’s a conception connected the paper headed “Peanut Allergies” — detailing the availability of coconut sauce, sesame soy sauce, gluten-free soy, and thing called VL Dressing — for those who can’t devour peanuts. So galore dietary hoops to leap done determination — vegan and peanut-free and gluten-free.

And the interest continues into the “Dry Noodles,” wherever we find that those with a wheat/gluten allergy tin substitute gluten-free noodles, wide mung legume noodles, atom noodles oregon shredded zucchini, on with a gluten-free sauce. Dining retired these days tin beryllium truthful tricky!

And for those connected an old-fashioned diet, determination are salads arsenic well, wherever the vegetables are intelligibly vegetables. Though you bash person a prime of assorted vegan meats to spell successful the salads. I chose a nutrient to sensation it. But I enactment it connected the side, and stuck with the salad. It tasted caller and real. It hadn’t been manipulated. For me, it defines “A amended mode of life.” A rootlike that’s just…a vegetable. And a bully way…to statesman a caller year.

Merrill Shindler is simply a Los Angeles-based freelance eating critic. Email mreats@aol.com.