Beachwood BBQ

So I finally ventured out of my little comfort zone and made it to Long Beach.  While not actually a part of the OC, it seems that most residents of Orange County have been making their way to the restaurants, bars, and food festivals in the area.  So when I had to find a middle spot between LA and OC to meet my parents, I chose Beachwood BBQ.

The original location is in Seal Beach I am told, but the Long Beach location is quite large, has a brewery, outdoor patio, and excellent food.  We started off at the bar, familiarizing ourselves with the lonnngggg beer menu.  The great part about their selection is that between my dad, my boyfriend, and I there is something all of us can drink.  They have a great selection of their own brewed stuff as well as a ton of guest kegs.  Of course we had to get the flight...

the funny, creative names of Beachwood Brewery beers

The beers were surprisingly great, actually.  I have never been a huge fan of LA beers, and SD beers can get pretty hoppy.  Somehow Beachwood has been able to find a middle ground, and it was a pleasant surprise.

pretty good deal of 4 great Beachwood beers

Once we sat down, we were faced with a tough decision: what to order.  Because we weren't particularly hungry but it was dinner time, we decided to split three sandwiches.  We started off with the fried green tomatoes, which unfortunately were horrible. (I want to try the fried pickles next time.)  The fried part was just very bland, and if you didn't have ranch it would have been inedible.

We ordered the BBQ chicken, pulled pork, and BBQ brisket.  The BBQ Chicken was the best by far.  It had pickled cabbage on it, and you could add any BBQ sauce you wanted onto the pretzel bun!  (There were about 6 bottles of different kinds of homemade BBQ sauce on the table.)  We also had sides of the cornbread, sweet potato fries, grits and a barley-kale salad thing my mom had to try. 

Everything was impressive except the brisket.  Normally a very tender meat it just was a bit tough and tasteless and didn't wow me.  The sweet potato fries as expected were absolutely delicious.  The portions are quite big and eating a sandwich and side on your own is more than enough food (especially when you add in all the beer). 

Beachwood is definitely a spot to check out.  Although a bit farther from the OC then I typically go, it is worth the car ride for good beer, great food, and a nice outdoor seating option.  Highly recommended, and great for big groups or a date!