Fuego is the prescription for a lot of ailments – tough times at work, bad hair days, spats with lovers and ex-lovers. Its healing powers come via a combination of sassy drinks, elegant plates, and that view!
Oh, and then there are cookies.
Yep. Fuego is the anti-hotel hotel restaurant at Long Beach’s Hotel Maya – A Doubletree Hotel. Don’t sleep on the cookies. [*Skip this if you already play the DoubleTree cookie game: I’ve got my routine down. I casually stroll by the front desk in the lobby. But, something stops me. I hesitate, and then turn around approaching the desk, my brows raised in curiosity. “Excuse me. Can I buy a few cookies?”
“I’m sorry. You cannot buy any cookies here,” one of the two attendants will say, straight-facing it. “But, we can give you some cookies. How many would you like?” I’m not the best actress, but I feign shock and awe, clutching my pearls as if I’ve just won Powerball. I always say five, which makes the staffs raise their eyebrows in judgment. Little do I care. I do this at all DoubleTrees. My husband and I take on every city we visit, hitting up as many outposts as we can, like if Bonnie and Clyde were fat asses. A few of the affiliates do actually sell a tin of eight for about ten bucks – ask for one or two free, warm cookies, and buy the tin if you’re feeling especially desperate. I’ve purchased many tins.]
Not that Fuego needs anything more. With a whimsical, fiery menu and a view that begs you to kick off your shoes and meditate, it’s an ideal spot to spend an evening or a morning or a Saturday afternoon. I can’t think of a better outside space to dine in Long Beach. Even if the food were mediocre, I’d visit to grub on chips and salsa.
But no worries. Fuego throws down in the kitchen. Many of the Ladies have visited before, but for April, we met up during Dine LBC Restaurant Week, getting three courses for forty buckaroos. Nice, as it forced me to try a plate I probably wouldn’t have otherwise (I’m an enchilada/fish taco kind of girl). We had to start, though, with margaritas. And a proper photograph in front of the water.
After being seated came our choices for appetizer, which included calamari (lightly breaded, perfectly seasoned), beef churrasco (Julio called his portion tender and succulent), or spicy tortilla soup (smooth and hearty).
We didn’t mix it up very well for our entrée, not one of the Ladies selecting the Pollo a la Parrilla (sounded fine enough, but the side scared me – caramelized sweet plaintains; this Lady doesn’t care for plantains or bananas or any other relatives in their family). All but one of us (myself included), instead, went with the seafood crepas (I know, I know – an enchilada in a different wrapper). As you might have guessed, this dish was rewardingly rich: a creamy bite of the sea folded in a velvety package. As crepes usually do, they filled me up. I stopped halfway through so my leftovers lunch would be a nice portion, and to make sure I had a little space left in my belly for dessert.
Julio tried the citrus pork carnitas, served with a flavorful tomato sauce, black beans, and yucca. It looked yummy, but I like yucca only slightly more than I like bananas. Which means that I don’t like yucca (if you’re new, I’m in treatment for being the pickiest eater in America). Oh, and one Lady opted for an off-Dine LBC item – the mac n’ cheese (with bacon!).
It would only be fitting to end such a beautiful evening on a sweet note. First option? Flan. Not to be a brat, but I like flan only slightly more than I like yucca. 🙂 So I was forced (not a very difficult feat) to ask for the flourless molten chocolate cake. I kept saying it was too rich, too delicious, too much to finish. But I finished it. It would have been tragic to leave any of it behind.
But those last few bites did put my stomach at full capacity. And guess what – I FORGOT to do my whole cookie routine on the way out. So learn from my mistake: the next time you go to Fuego, get your cookies up front and slip them into your purse. That way your post-dessert meal (I like mine at about 10:47 on weeknights) is all set.
Thanks, Fuego, for showing the Ladies a good time, and to Dine LBC for encouraging us to eat local.
Fuego, at the Hotel Maya (a DoubleTree by Hilton)
700 Queensway Drive in the LBC