Lola’s Kitchen & Wine Bar
180 W. Park Ave.
Long Beach, NY 11561

I had heard about Lola’s for a while before I decided to check it out. Maybe it was because all of the rave reviews I was hearing were coming from my girlfriend and her friends, but I was expecting a ‘Sex In The City” comes to Long Beach sort of vibe, not exactly my cup of tea. Yes, there ended up being a fair share of girlfriends out enjoying a bottle of wine (or four…), but overall Lola’s menu and atmosphere is built to please guy and girl alike.

Lola’s decor is very Floridian in it’s charm. The lush greenery in the barroom, the spanish tile roof and the neon blue sign that greets you at the door immediately call to mind a trendy restaurant in Miami Beach.

The vibrancy that this atmosphere creates seemed to translate into the overall mood of the restaurant. The patrons were a bit boisterous, which was fine for the bar but kind of a turnoff when we sat down for dinner. If its packed when you arrive, and you’re hoping to enjoy a quite conversation over your meal, do yourself a favor and ask to be seated outside. This may not be helpful advice as we approach winter time, but keep it in mind when the weather starts to warm up again.

The staff is another strong aspect of the restaurant. Our waitress was very accommodating when we switched tables (due to the aforementioned noise inside), and was present throughout the night without being overbearing. The manager also came to our table multiple times to chat, something that probably wasn’t easy to do considering how busy the place was. He even remembered us when we went back a week later, and again made the effort to visit our table even though the place was packed.

We went for the Wednesday night wine tasting deal, which consists of three full glasses of wine (would be about $8 ea.), soup or salad (would be between $6 and $10) an appetizer (would be between $8 and $13) and an entree (would be between $17 and $20). When all is said and done, you end up with between $39 and $67 worth of food for $30. That’s a lot of bang for your buck, especially when taking into consideration the quality of food and wine you’re getting.

For appetizers, my dinner companion and I split the “Kung Pao” Calamari and the Pernil Tortillas, of which I would recommend the latter. The calamari was good, although the sauce may have been a touch on the syrupy side, but I’m a sucker for pulled pork (which they slow cook for 7 hours) and guacamole in general, so this plate already had a one up. My favoritism aside, if your feelings towards pulled pork are anything better than mild aversion, I would say give this dish a chance. Chef Livingston definitely knows his way around a slow cooker.

Our salads came out about thirty seconds after the appetizer plates were cleared, another sign of their excellent service. They tasted freshly prepared, not as if they had been sitting in the back or pre-made. I opted for the Baby Organic Greens and my dinner companion went with the Granny Smith Apple Salad. Both were very good, again I would probably go with the latter next time I eat there. The white balsamic vinaigrette had a pleasant sweetness to it, and when combined with the bleu cheese crumbles complimented the apples nicely.

For the main course, we got Chicken Portobello, which could have used a bit more portobello mushrooms but was excellent otherwise, and the Grilled Hangar Steak. We could have used a bit more steak too, not because of small portions but because it was so damn good. Each bite melted in your mouth and it was cooked to my very definition of medium well. I can’t think of one thing I would have changed about the dish, and along with the Pernil Tortillas, it will end up being something I will definitely order again on a future visit.

The food was amazing, the wine superb, and the service couldn’t have been better. We even opted for dessert despite neither of us being big on sweets, and the flour-less cake was well worth the splurge.

I do however have two tips that could optimize your experience at Lola’s. First, go on a nice evening when you can sit outside. As I mentioned earlier it tends to get a little loud in the inside dining room on busy nights. Second, order something that has to do with pork or red meat. No knock on the rest of the food, but the Pernil Tortillas and Hangar Steak were clearly the stars of the meal and I’m willing to bet these types of dishes are where this restaurant excels overall.

Submitted by reader Richard J Nardo

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Max’s Kitchen Oceanside, NY

Not too far up the road from Long Beach is a new player in the game of good eats on the south shore. Max’s Kitchen opened some time last summer and from my experience should be a staple on Long Beach Road in Oceanside for some time to come.

The restaurant floor is very homey and inviting. The booths are comfortable and the wait staff is very friendly. There were some delays with getting more drinks or asking for something during lunch but I think it was due to the servers inexperience and should take care of itself. The parking lot in front holds just a few cars but according to their website you can use the municipal parking lot right next to the restaurant on the south side.

Featuring many “comfort food” type dishes it is a nice change of pace from the usual entrees I order from the diner, Applebee’s, or Friday’s. With the menu containing dinner items such as Shepard’s Pie, Baby Back Ribs, Meatloaf, and Mac and Cheese; you can see why making a decision on what to order will take some time. Not because nothing appeals to you but because you want to try a little bit of everything.

My trip to Max’s Kitchen included three others with me. As an appetizer we ordered the Jumbo Sampler Platter. It came with most of the good things listed on the appetizer menu, though I wish it came with fried macaroni. The star of this dish are the two BBQ Chicken Kebobs. These little gifts from heaven are amazing. The sauce they come drenched in makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The potato skins were pretty large in size and were properly dressed in the fixings you’d expect. The fried provolone was a nice surprise as well.

For the main course we had Country Fried Steak, French Dip Sandwich, Fish and Chips, and a Buffalo Burger. First let me tell you, we walked out with four doggy bags. Portion size is not a problem at Max’s.

The Country Fried Steak was good. Wasn’t great, like some of the one’s I’ve had in other places down south, but it wasn’t bad either. The crust was just lacking the spicing I remember from some of the better country fried steaks I’ve tried. The mashed potatoes were excellent and I actually ate the vegetables.

Next we all tried the French Dip Sandwich. Another dish you don’t find everywhere. The Au Jus was nice and hot and extremely well seasoned. The beef was juicy and tender and not over cooked. I would definitely order this dish for myself next time I’m in the mood for some red meat goodness and I’m headed up that way.

The Fish and Chips were done correctly and don’t need an explanation. Crispy fish, crispy french fries and tarter sauce…….can’t go wrong here.

Lastly is the Buffalo Burger. Many places are jumping on this Buffalo craze that in my opinion should be kept to wings but Max’s does it right. Just enough buffalo sauce and the right amount of blue cheese make this a very enjoyable burger. The hand cut french fries that come with most dishes are very good but we substituted sweet potato fries on this dish and we were not disappointed.

Dessert was tough. We were extremely full so we only ordered two things. First was the cupcake of the day. It was a red velvet cupcake. Tasted great, problem was it was very very small. Compared to the other cupcakes you see when you walk in the front door of Max’s which were actually, in my opinion, over sized. The one I got was smaller than a normal cupcake; and was very overpriced. The other dessert we wanted was the Apple Brown Betty but it wasn’t available so we got Apple Pie A la Mode. Was a good substitute and didn’t disappoint but I’m really curious about their Apple Brown Betty. If done right, this could be something to take the ride for alone.

Prices are reasonable but in line with other places in the area. I tried looking for my bill to give you an exact amount that it cost four people to eat lunch with appetizers and dessert but it’s probably long gone along with my leftovers. The website says they deliver but I’m unsure if they come to Long Beach. They are about 5 miles from Long Beach which is about a 15 minute drive. I suggest you try the food at the actual location to get the best taste for your money. These type of dishes need to be eaten right away from the kitchen. If you live locally in Oceanside, order away!

All in all Max’s Kitchen is a nice addition to an area of Oceanside that has been under recent development. I expect Max’s to continue it’s dedication to home cooked meals and offering something a little different than the larger corporation type eateries. It is a must visit.

Max’s Kitchen Oceanside, NY
2710 Long Beach Rd.
Oceanside, NY 11572
Phone: (516) 280-8715

LBFoodie.com

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Anthony from Sea by the City has generously written a review on Monterey, the new restaurant where Corbin’s used to be.  Be sure to visit Sea by the City for whats happening in Long Beach!

Monterey opened their doors last Friday. My dad always told me never go to a restaurant the day it opens; that’s when they clean the dust off the pans. So I waited a few days and ended up going last night.

My wife and I were immediately greeted by the owner/manager. He seemed like a really nice guy and asked us for feedback since they’re still trying out the menu. Fair Enough. He also said how they’re focusing on a healthy food and that Long Beach is the “test market” for what will be a local franchise.

The decor was very nice; not hip or trendy. It was cute and unique to the area. You can tell they spent a boat load of money on this place. The decor reminded me of a modern version of Coastal Grill – lots of blues, whites and wood.

On with the food:

So the waiter came and said they don’t have specials yet because they’re currently promoting the new menu. I thought that was a good idea. They have a lot to deal with getting the place going. The first thing they need to do is make sure the menu works before they go with the bells and whistles.

First came bread, butter and homemade hummus which was pretty good. The hummus was made with sundried tomatoes, oil and garlic. A good bread dip. It tasted healthy – no sugar or overuse of salt.

We weren’t in the mood for salad, so we decided to split an appetizer. Now since I don’t eat seafood (what kind of Italian am I?) my appetizer choices were limited. All but two of the appetizers were seafood based. We went with the Southern Asian Fusion which is a fancy way of saying “BBQ Chicken Spring Rolls”. They were good, but they took forever to come out of the kitchen. As soon as they did I didn’t even think about taste. They were a little greasy and deep fried – not the healthiest thing in the world for a place chanting “health”. They came with a cilantro sauce which was light and seemed tasty as I shoved the rolls down my throat.

For the main course I got a the fillet mignon with spinach and mushrooms. Now there are two ways you can go about this dish: It was either healthy or bland. Since Monterey is a “healthy restaurant” I am leaning towards the healthy side, but I am sure most people will go with the later. The meat was cooked very well and it was a top notch quality. The spinach and mushrooms were healthy, but little bland.. May I suggest a little garlic? I did like how everything tasted together and all the food seemed fresh and good quality.

My wife ordered the Sea Bass with brown rice. She said the fish was cooked to perfection, but it was too sweet as if they cooked it with sugar. She felt like she was eating dessert. She also said the brown rice as a little too bland. We eat brown rice all the time so she was hoping it would have been better since she had better.

Speaking of dessert, we didn’t order any. While waiting so long for our BBQ Chicken Spring Roll appetizer we eat too much bread.

So would I go back? Sure, why not. My wife and I generally eat healthy, so it was nice to go to a local place a few blocks away from our house where every item isn’t breaded. We are going to wait awhile for the food to be adjusted and time tested. Some of our meal was bland and there are ways to make healthy food taste great; we do it all the time at home. Monterey is a new place and they spent so much time & money getting it going, so it’s only fair to give them a chance. We didn’t see the manager/owner on our way out, so maybe he will read this and take my review as feedback.

On a side note: The main website (http://montereyny.com/) doesn’t have the full menu – it’s missing the entries!

Thanks, Anthony from Seabythecity.com

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(Guest post by John P., Long Beach, NY.)

The LB Beach House is one of those places in LB that is perfect of you want to really experience a particular type of LB experience.  Sun kissed kids, sports fans and people from all over come here to revel in the great food, top shelf booze and… the craziness =)

From their website:

“On Thursday nights we have one of the best Ladies Nights on Long Island including great drink specials for the girls, lots of beautiful people, and the hottest D.J. in town.

Friday and Saturday nights our establishment recreates itself into the night club every town on the south shore wishes they had, all its missing is you and your friends.  So come on down and be part of the party!”

And dont forget about the 42″ HD TV’s planted all over the place, including the exterier, so even if you step outside for a smoke you do not have to miss a thing.  The food is good and my friends and I ALWAYS have a great time.  Summer or winter, I really do like this place.

SEE ALSO

LB Beach House Info & Menu on LB Foodie

LB Beach House NY website

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Joe Finchley, a local who has worked in both the front and back of a number of Long Beach area restaurants, has kindly shared some of his photography with us.  Below is a sample of his work. We will be posting more soon.

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