2nd Eat LBC (Long Beach Restaurant Week) Runs March 22-28, 2015

Long Beach Restaurant Week starts this Sunday with more than 50 restaurants participating citywide! Called "Eat LBC," the celebratory week encourages people to dine in Long Beach and get some deals while doing so. This is the second year for Eat LBC and with three-course meals priced at $20, $30, and $40 (tax and gratuity not included), there seems to be something for everyone. New this year is also the option to opt for the "Chef's Tasting" menu which is available at the fine dining restaurants which are participating; this selection runs for $50 per person. The launch party took place March 15th at Hyatt the Pike Long Beach, giving people a week from then until Eat LBC's start date to decide which restaurants they will visit to get the special steals and deals this last part of March.



In addition to the multitude of participating restaurants, several sponsors have signed on to promote the festivities of garnering more attention to Long Beach's restaurants. Sponsors include JetBlue, Celebrity Cruises, Stella Artois, Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, Hyatt The Pike Long Beach, Press Telegram, Yelp, Groupon, and Dreambox Creations as well as partners Gazette Newspapers, OC Weekly, Greer’s OC, Mercedes-Benz of Long Beach, and Open Table. During the launch party, guests were able to sample wine from Celebrity Cruises and beer from Stella Artois and grab free goodies from the Yelp table.

To get the full list of participating restaurants, check out http://www.eatlbc.com/all-locations/ which also categorizes the eateries by neighborhood, price point, and cuisine. Whether you visit Belmont Shore or East Village or Naples, you'll find a spot to chow at.


Curious what was being dished up at the launch party itself? These were just teases of what would be on the restaurant week menus for these participation restaurants:

• Kihon Sushi & Japanese Tapas - Smoked Octopus Carpaccio
• Panxa Cocina - Creamy Mushroom Chicken Penne
• L'Opera - Sacchetto Di Cioccolata (dark chocolate cup filled with chilled zabaione and fresh fruit)
• Bay Street Bistro - Exposed Spinach Empanda, Korean Beef Skewers, Mini Shrimp Rolls (not pictured), Lemon Creme Fraiche + Tobiko, Chevre & Nori with Mustard Vinaigrette
• Auld Dubliner - Shrimp Cocktail with a Marie Rose Sauce
• Buono's Pizzeria - Eggplant Rolls (thin slices of lightly battered eggplant stuffed with goat cheese and baked with spicy marinara sauce and Mozzarella) and Traditional and Gourmet Pizza (not pictured)
• Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen - Jerk Chicken Wings
• Honduras Kitchen - Baleadas (Honduran flour tortillas served with beans, cheese and Honduran cream), Pastelitos Hondurenos (fried empandada stuffed with ground beer, rice, and potatoes served with pickled onions and covered with Honduran tomato sauce), and Platano Maduro (ripe plantains served with beans, cream, and cheese)
• Gladstone's - Lobster Mac N' Cheese

Proceeds from the launch party benefited FoodFinders, a community-based food rescue organization that aims to mitigate the mass amounts of food waste we experience daily. In addition to the special pricing people can take advantage of by participating in EatLBC, there is also a perk for those particularly social media savvy. Win a trip for two to San Francisco through JetBlue by posting images of what you eat at a participating restaurant and using hashtag #EatLBC during restaurant week on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. The winner will be selected April 6th and will receive two round-trip tickets from Long Beach to San Francisco with suite accommodations at Hotel Monaco, dinner for two and champagne at the hotel's restaurant BDK, unlimited cable car/MUNI rides, and a pair of vouchers good for up to four attractions/museums. You're going to post pictures of your food anyway - why not win something in return?

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.