Playa Amor

., West Hollywood, (310) 657-4662; pizzana.com Pizzana’s Amatriciana pie. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Playa Amor (59) At Playa Amor, Thomas Ortega’s beachy, marina-adjacent restaurant in Long Beach, Ortega goes full-bore into his brand of Chicano

, cooked until they collapse into a fragrant, musky birria. — P.I.E. 6527 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, (562) 430-2667, playaamorlb.com Pescado zarandeado, a 1.5-to-2-pound striped bass, at Playa Amor. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Spoon by H

Alta Adams 5359 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles    Angler    Apey Kade    The Arther J    Auburn    Birdie G's    Bon Temps    Burritos La Palma    Chaak Kitchen    Dear John's    La Diosa de los Moles    Hasiba    Hayato    Joy    Konbi    Northern Thai Food Club    Nightshade    Pizzana    Playa Amor    Spoon By H 7158 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles    Taste of Tehran    X'Tiosu Kitchen    Yours Truly   

Cerritos and Long Beach’s Playa Amor, two restaurants that are redefining what Mexican food might look like in California, as informed by his Cerritos upbringing as they are by chefs like Suzanne Goin or Michael Cimarusti, using organic produce and grass

restaurants, it is easy enough to see them as two sides of Ortega’s personality, or more to the point as the tiny devil and angel sitting on his shoulders as if he were in an old Tom and Jerry cartoon. At Playa Amor, there is a careful take on the Sinaloan

Tacos, you could almost call it classier—romantic, even. Inside Playa Amor—a cozy space behind a BevMo and tucked away in a sprawling shopping complex—people crowd around a horseshoe-shaped bar under twinkling-star lanterns that dangle from the ceiling

. It inevitably reminds you of the roasted corn you ate last summer at the OC Fair. But you get two ears for $7 here—far cheaper. Though Playa Amor is a smaller restaurant, the menu is more expansive than its predecessor. In addition to the array of

the casual, quick-serve offshoot of chef Thomas Ortega’s fancier restaurants Amor y Tacos in Cerritos and Playa Amor in Long Beach. This isn’t the first location of Amorcito, though. Ortega opened the original in Long Beach awhile back, which is where

Provenance in Newport Beach and a beautiful roasted chicken with handmade tortillas from Playa Amor in Long Beach. As this pandemic stretches on, I’ll continue looking for innovative takeout and chef-driven meal kits, which many restaurants have promised to

with sides and dessert. 32431 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel, 949-248-1912, hendrixoc.com Playa Amor Changes daily: roasted chicken, enchiladas, pot roast… 6527 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, 562-430-2667, playaamorlb.com Puesto Interactive taco

County Register/SCNG) Margarita kits from Playa Amor The margarita kits include a quart of housemade sweet-and-sour mix, spicy salt and a full bottle of Rancho Alegre tequila. The instructions say this makes five to seven stiff margaritas. A full bottle

of tequila for seven margaritas? Yowza, but OK. $49 for the kit. 6527 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, 562-430-2667, playaamorlb.com Margaritas from the temporary takeout menu at Playa Amor in Long Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County

Moles. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Playa Amor (59) At Playa Amor, chef Thomas Ortega’s beachy, marina-adjacent restaurant in Long Beach, Ortega goes full-bore into his brand of Chicano “pocho” cooking. He makes poutine dolloped with black mole

served over a bowl of the buttery, house-ground hominy — Ortega’s smart, delicious take on shrimp and grits. 6527 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, (562) 430-2667, playaamorlb.com Pescado zarandeado at Playa Amor in Long Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los

to DIY. Order on Resident’s website. $18-$36. Amor y Tacos Amor y Tacos in Cerritos, along with chef Thomas Ortega’s two Long Beach properties, Amorcito and Playa Amor, shuttered temporarily but have chosen Cinco de Mayo to mark their return. Pickup

newish taco shop from chef Thomas Ortega of Long Beach’s Playa Amor. It’s located inside The Hangar, the 17,000-square-foot food hall at the Long Beach Exchange, a mixed-use complex near the airport. If you live anywhere near the O.C./L.A. line, you’ll

” chef behind Amor y Tacos in Cerritos and Long Beach’s Playa Amor, among others. It was in those kitchens that Krouch got the nickname that lends his restaurant its name: Chinito, Spanish for “little Chinese boy.” Still widely used across Latin America