To Order

By Sarah Mosqueda

Southern California summers are arguably the best summers. Besides the beaches and the sunshine, we also have access to the freshest produce and highest quality ingredients. Summer brings some of the most anticipated seasonal flavors and dishes of the and you can find a few of our favorites Steelcraft in Garden Grove and Bellflower, The Hangar at LBX in Long Beach and the city of Costa Mesa. From the fresh seafood at Poké2 Grill or the summer peaches in Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, you’ll find the perfect pairing for your SoCal summer.

Just Peachy

Handel’s has been making ice cream on site, the old-fashioned way, since 1945 when Alice Handel started selling it at her husband’s gas station. In those days, Alice created her flavors using fresh fruit she picked from her own backyard, which makes their highly anticipated summer flavor, peach, a perfect flashback to the old days. Handel’s uses fresh, in-season peaches to make this summertime favorite, which is available from July through mid-August. And don’t miss their other popular summer flavors like Banana Cream Pie, Strawberry, Mango Sorbet, Blueberry Cobbler and Key Lime Pie. Handel’s is open at Long Beach Exchange, Sunday-Thursday from 11am-10pm and Friday and Saturday 11am-11pm. | handelsicecream.com

Poultry Papa

Baba’s Hot Chicken began as a pop-up in 2019 before finding a home at the Riverside Food Lab. Successful locations in Costa Mesa and San Diego followed, and this summer, Baba comes home to roost at SteelCraft Bellflower. Baba’s Hot Sandwich is a labor of love. Baba’s signature sandwich includes two crispy chicken tenders, slaw, pickles, and house sauce on a brioche bun. Baba’s Loaded Fries are also popular and consist of crinkle-cut French fries piled with coleslaw, cheese sauce, ranch, and chopped chicken tenders. The SteelCraft Bellflower location will be open soon. | babashotchicken.com

Bowl Goals

Poké2 Grill at The Hangar at LBX is a Build Your Own Bowl restaurant. Start with a base of white or brown rice, chips, salad or a combination and customize your bowl with fresh tuna, salmon or albacore poke. Finish it off with toppings like seaweed salad, cucumber, sweet corn, ginger, avocado and even hot Cheetos. “We are very excited to be opening our second location inside The Hangar at Long Beach Exchange and can’t wait to get to know the Long Beach community,” says Sarah Kim, owner and CEO. Poké2 Grill will be open for lunch and dinner service 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at The Hangar at LBX. | poke2grill.com

Otter-ly Delicious

SteelCraft Garden Grove welcomes Tea Otter this summer with boba drinks and a love of all things “otter.” The concept comes from Adam and Sharon Go, the power couple behind another popular SteelCraft eatery: Barrio. Cool off this summer with their specialty drinks, milk teas and beloved boba with classic and original takes on beverages. Keep an eye out for their opening, coming soon. | IG: @teaotter

The Spice is Right

The Nashville Hot Chicken trend is still burning brightly in SoCal and the Hot Chicken Sandwich on the Toast Kitchen + Bakery menu is definitely on the must-try list. Chef John Park loves to use classic dishes as jumping-off points for creativity and his take on the hot chicken sandwich is fire! Nashville hot chicken is topped with buffalo hot sauce aioli, buttermilk blue cheese, garlic coleslaw, carrots, celery and pickled Fresno chiles in a soft but sturdy potato bun, making this sandwich a five-alarm favorite. Toast Kitchen + Bakery in Costa Mesa is open Tuesday-Friday from 8am - 7pm, Saturday and Sunday from 8am - 3pm and closed Mondays. | toastkitchenbakery.com