ROSCOE'S!

The LBC! Home to the Queen Mary, Port of Long Beach, Snoop Dogg, and Roscoe's! One of the 5 locations in Southern California, this monument to the infamous chicken and waffle combination requires a hajj by foodies everywhere. Not only am I a huge Snoop Dogg enthusiast, I had never had the pleasure of experiencing this seemingly wonderful combo. What better opportunity than the present?!?! In true Doggfather style we rolled up 6 deep and hit the bar while we waited for our table. Even at 9:30 PM on a Sunday this place was packed!

Believe me when I say the ambiance of the place is cheap. Neon lights, wood siding, and old-fashioned trappings that looked like they haven't seen an update in about 30 years. Nonetheless, under the neon flickers and decades-faded paint job the place was bustling and the food looked solid. Our server D. was one of the best servers I've had. No kidding. I'm not talking about fancy schmancy schmoozing, I'm talking about get down to business pleasantries and fast, accurate service. Truly a pleasure to have him serving us. I even asked him what if the grits were any good, and since I'm from South of the Mason-Dixon line he couldn't fool me. He didn't know what that meant, but offered me a free plate of grits for me to make up my own mind! They were fine, by the way.

In our inebriated state everything looked like the best option, so finally I decided on a #9 Country Boy- 3 wings with a waffle. The service was fast, despite the crowds, and the waffle was great. Not anything standing head and shoulders above regular batter, but I have an inkling that the atmosphere lent itself well to the experience. The wings, unfortunately, were pretty tough and nearly meatless- nothing a little ranch dressing couldn't fix! Actually, the ranch was great. Nice and thick, not the cheapest variety to be had.

All in all, the experience outweighed the food, but the next time I find myself in Long Beach with the munchies, it will be the first place I go!







Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles
730 E Broadway
Long Beach, CA
90802-5134

Frosted Cupcakery in Long Beach

This weekend my friend from Philly happened to be in Long Beach visiting her old roommate, so I thought I'd join them for a girl's weekend of drinking, debauchery, and of course massive guilt-free sugar consumption. After a lovely evening in which we were the absolute role models to young ladies everywhere, we grabbed some lunch in Belmont Shore and decided we deserved a hard-earned sweet fix. Luckily, Frosted Cupcakery was just across the street, and came recommended by our Long Beach resident friend.

I know that right now the big fads are "fro-yo" and cupcakes (of the two weddings I have attended this year, both have had cupcakes in place of a cake) so I was interested to see just what made these cupcakes so special. They had a nice selection of about 15 different varieties out, and I can assure you that every single one looked amazing. I was torn between a few, but ultimately settled on the Cookies n' Cream cupcake.

One (of many) thing(s) that I truly enjoyed about this cupcake was their masterful application of frosting. Here in America we are trained to think bigger is better, and more more more is preferred! It's sickening to see a stale, shabby looking cupcake with a mountain of frosting to try and disguise its poor exterior and bland flavor by relying on a never-ending swirl of mediocre sugar piled on top. This cupcake was moist and obviously had homemade icing gracing the top in a perfect amount of sweet goodness to fill the mouth.

Other selections were the Chocolate/Peanut Butter Buttercream and Red Velvet/Cream Cheese cupcakes, and since I have the best, most generous friends ever, I got to sample both in the name of food blogging. All of them were equally moist, fresh, light and still filling without having to depend on cheap sugar rush or artificial flavors to satisfy my sweet tooth.

On a nerdy design note, their interior designer and product designers are to be commended for their bang-up jobs making the interior feel modern and cozy, with matching packaging that really captures the spirit of whimsy that their branding just screams. Be sure to check out their blog as well for more eye-catching stuff!

Jess Pollard didn't have to think twice about her selection. The Orange/Cream Cheese cupcake she held in her hands disappeared in less time than is appropriate. I can't judge, I was the first to finish, even with my sneaked bites!

All in all, I completely get the cupcake fad. I can only hope it's here to stay!

Frosted Cupcakery
4817 E. 2nd Street
Long Beach, CA 90803
562-987-1080