{"id":81608,"date":"2024-02-15T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?post_type=newspack_nl_cpt&p=81608"},"modified":"2024-02-17T09:37:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-17T17:37:33","slug":"3-sweet-treats-for-midday-coffee-breaks","status":"publish","type":"newspack_nl_cpt","link":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/newsletter\/3-sweet-treats-for-midday-coffee-breaks","title":{"rendered":"3 sweet treats for midday coffee breaks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Long Beach Eats<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Weekly tips from the Long Beach Post’s food reporter on what to eat and where to score sweet deals. Subscribe here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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An assortment of pistachio baklava and Turkish delight from Coffee Station. Photo by Caitlin Antonios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the longest time, I was not a coffee person. But as I\u2019ve grown, so has my dependence on caffeine; I\u2019ve even started to love it. But I am not a picky coffee drinker. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s considered \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d coffee, and because I don\u2019t drink my coffee black, a lot of it tastes the same to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, I love my midday coffee break all the same. At home, in our Downtown office \u2014 wherever I am \u2014 I\u2019ll usually break away to grab a coffee when that 3 p.m. slump hits. I\u2019m sure you can relate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s where I\u2019ve been going Downtown: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A couple weeks ago I wrote a story<\/a> on Coffee Station,<\/strong> which opened at the end of January right on Pine Avenue. The owner, Alptekin \u00d6zk\u0131l\u0131\u00e7, a Turkish, ex-UFC fighter wanted to bring a piece of Turkish coffee culture to Long Beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop opens later than most cafes, sometimes closing around 7 p.m. depending on the amount of customers. When I went with my editor Kat Schuster, our visuals editor Thomas Cordova and fellow reporter Maison Tran, we grabbed coffees, a few of us grabbed sandwiches, and we were offered some baklava<\/strong> on the house (it\u2019s Turkish tradition, so \u201cno\u201d wasn\u2019t really an option). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas and I ordered the Cereal Killer <\/strong>($8), a cold coffee with espresso, vanilla, hazelnut and oat milk. It\u2019s also topped with Cinnamon French Toast<\/strong> cereal. For those who prefer milk alternatives, it\u2019s nice to be able to order those without having to worry about the extra charge. It\u2019s a refreshing, not an overly sweet drink. The vanilla and hazelnut flavors aren\u2019t overpowering either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I may not be picky about my coffee, but I am<\/em> picky about my baklava because I\u2019m Lebanese. I\u2019ve always favored baklava filled with pistachio, so these pistachio-stuffed filo dough <\/strong>(thin layers of unleavened dough) squares were crispy, chewy, and sweet. It was incredible. We also tried the pistachio Turkish delight. The squares of sugar and starch are gummy, and dense, but the bites of pistachio nuts add the perfect crunch. Having the option to enjoy those treats with coffee has made Coffee Station my new favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cereal Killer coffee from Coffee Station with hazelnut, vanilla, oat milk and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal on top. Photo by Caitlin Antonios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next time I swing by I plan to grab the Turkish coffee which, of course, they don\u2019t serve to-go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coffee Station is at <\/em>440 Pine Avenue<\/em>. <\/em>Directions<\/em><\/a> | <\/em>Website<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve written about how much I enjoyed Zuzu\u2019s Petals\u2019s <\/strong><\/a>The Skillet <\/strong>which comes with crispy hash browns, onions, red and green bell peppers <\/strong>and cheesy, creamy scrambled eggs. But it\u2019s also become one of my favorite places to grab a coffee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cinnagave Shaken Espresso<\/strong> ($7) comes with agave, milk and cinnamon. It\u2019s shaken until frothy and the agave adds a nice sweetness. I\u2019ve also tried their Crosswalk Latte<\/strong> ($7) which is birthday cake flavored (it has rainbow art). While I tend to avoid this type of flavoring, this drink did not have that artificial vanilla taste that I find in a lot of birthday cake-flavored things. I would happily order it again \u2014 I just have to remember the restaurant closes at 3 p.m. every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a sweet treat, the acai bowl ($11) with coconut flakes, mixed berries, sliced banana, house hazelnut “butter,” and maple pecan granola itches that sweet tooth craving but it is a genuinely filling energy booster to help get through the rest of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zuzu\u2019s Petals is at <\/em>801 E. Third Street<\/em>. <\/em>Directions<\/em><\/a> | <\/em>Website<\/em><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creme de la Crepe<\/strong> is another great afternoon spot, although you have to carve out a good amount of time to go because the service is pretty relaxed \u2014 they\u2019re not in a rush to get you out the door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll always go for a dessert crepe<\/strong>, usually the one with strawberry, nutella, banana and vanilla ice cream ($9.50). They also serve a chestnut cr\u00eame brul\u00e9e<\/strong> ($11) which I am always tempted by but have yet to try. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that same note, they also serve a chestnut latte <\/strong>which I also haven\u2019t gotten (yet), because I usually pick a small French press ($5) or a cappuccino ($5). Italians say not to drink one after 11 a.m. \u2014 but arrest me! It\u2019s just too good to resist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creme de la Crepe is at 400 E. First Street. <\/em>Directions<\/em><\/a> | <\/em>Website<\/em><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you enjoy our food coverage, help us sustain it by giving a tax-deductible donation here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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New eats around town<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not a new spot, but Sura Korean BBQ & Tofu House<\/strong> just added tableside grills to its outdoor seating. Now, guests can grill up their own meat to get that full K-BBQ experience. Read more about it (and check out some mouth-watering photos from Thomas) here<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chef Bernard James, a Guyanese native just opened a Long Beach location of Taste of the Caribbean<\/strong>. The restaurant serves traditional jerk chicken, curries, pasta, and slow-braised oxtail. The new location is at 3400 Los Coyotes Diagonal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you been to any new restaurants or have some recommendations for me? I would love to hear your thoughts. Make sure to reply to this email or reach me here: <\/em>caitlin@lbpost.com<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Events and Specials<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Date Night on Pine <\/strong>is set for Feb. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. Last time, people got to check out Altar Society<\/strong> which had just opened, and this time around people can check out Broken Spirits<\/strong>, a new distillery opening soon that took over the former Portuguese Bend<\/strong> space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prix Fixe menu options have not been released yet, but check back on the Hi-lo<\/a> for updates. Attendees can choose a wristband that\u2019ll let people know if they\u2019re taken, interested in chatting, or things are complicated. Find out more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Caitlin Antonios<\/strong> is the Long Beach Post’s food reporter. You can find her on Twitter at @caitlinantonios<\/a> or reach her at caitlin@lbpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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These Downtown spots serve up great coffee and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":81663,"template":"","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","pmpro_default_level":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"hidden","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","disable_auto_ads":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"coauthors":[32152],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81608"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newspack_nl_cpt"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81664,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81608\/revisions\/81664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81608"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=81608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}