Raffaello Ristorante - San Pedro

Need a place in San Pedro to feed out-of-town guests at 3 PM on a Sunday. 

Challenge. Accepted. 

Raffaello is up to the task, and judging by several other large tables of multigenerational parties, we're not the only ones in the know about this family-friendly, open-all-weekend, picky-eaters-welcome house of Italian hospitality. 

 

The Grilled Octopus is quite tender, simply seasoned with some citrus. 

The pasta is quantity over quality but the quality is still good. They even throw in a simple salad. 

And a plate of roasted peppers to start. 

Spaghetti and meatballs is quite nice and comes with some seriously savory tennis balls.

I do love this restaurant, but if I am to be honest, I didn't love the Manicotti alla Bolognese. It’s a tub of ricotta but it’s encased in a tube of pasta instead of a plastic tub. There is such a thing as too much cheese, and when the pasta to cheese ratio is 1:500, it’s too much of a good thing. 

Those who had entrees enjoyed them - I tried a bite of the swordfish special and found the unforgiving fish to be skillfully prepared. I may have enjoyed an entree more, but having so many dishes that kids can share with their parents is truly a blessing, and for that I love them. When in the area, would absolutely come here again with family. 

The Chori-Man - San Pedro

For true-blue foodies, Chori-man makes every list. A pick-up window slinging succulent sausage puts this sweet little San Pedro street on many a foodie-destination map. The hours are odd, and it's a long drive from Lawndale, but it's one I may never stop making. 

They sit behind a closed door and a tiny takeout window, but they'll come right out to help you order if you need some help. I felt like family...maybe better than family because my family has never given me a Mexican Chocolate Horchata just for showing up. 

And this Breakfast Burrito is worth showing up for. The South Bay's best burrito lives here, and it is filled with juicy red chorizo nuggets which have a uniquely sweet and spicy chile finish and good hit of garlic. Crispy potatoes bring the texture, contrasting the ooey-gooey runny eggs. 

Chilaquiles Verdes are fun to try, but I like the burrito better. Get two if you must, but don't by any means miss the Tolucan green pork chorizo. The green is a godsend with aromatic herbs and earthy poblano.  

The Chori-Wings are an obsession at only $17 for the dozen, red chorizo drippings clinging to the crispy skin.

Both the best burrito and the best wings come from this South Bay institution. I dare say Choriman is a must-stop on the road to sampling the South Bay's best. 

Colossus - San Pedro

A branch of Long Beach's most beautiful bakery sits right next to Choriman. 

The display case is so small, be sure to snatch up multiple offerings before they're gone. 

The Country Loaf is their basic bread, best for...eating. This loaf is dense and moist, almost wet inside with an addictively sour finish that makes you immediately reach for more. Makes beautiful sandwiches, equally pleasurable to eat alone, free of any adornments.

Here lies the first Pecan Sticky Bun that has made me look since Boston, back when I could walk to Joanne Chang's flagship Flour. Then there's a Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Cookie, chocolatey but more bitter than sweet, perfect with earthy pumpkin. Classic Chocolate Chip is dotted with grains of sea salt which make the sweetness pop. 

Good bread, great bakes - you can tell they're made by a pastry chef. There's a polish to them, the way the flavors mesh and meld and harmonize, the way boldness mirrors restraint. The location may be subtle, but even the smallest storefront couldn't contain the greatness within. 

Sandwich Saloon - San Pedro

I just wanted a Breakfast Burrito the size of my face with meat and melty cheese. 

They make that here, and it's the best one I've had all year. Juicy strips of seared steak, packed with three soft-yolked eggs and melty mild cheddar mixing with a smear on refried beans and cubes of potato. 

They say there's a lot of hidden gems in San Pedro, but you need to know where to look. I barely even looked for Sandwich Saloon, and already I am hooked. They also offer omelets and staples like pancakes and biscuits with gravy, but I don't know if anything can be better than this burrito!

Elvi's Kitchen - San Pedro, Belize

San Ignacio was an incredible culinary immersion, but I was getting pretty bored of San Pedro's tourist-traps. Lonely Planet has always been my gustatory guru for going off the beaten path, but the last few recommended restaurants were more beaten than a dead horse. 

Apparently, opposite day is the only way with Lonely Planet Belize. Elvi's Kitchen was criticized for tourist-trap prices despite being a good place to try local favorites, but the menu would suggest otherwise.

What's up with Elvi's? The Wasaceviche is what's up. Fresh-off-the-boat ceviche for fresh-off-the-water-taxi Asians. The sweet soy marinade brings out the flavor of the shrimp, squid, and conch with wasabi on the side to give those sinuses a memorable kick in the nose.

I don't know what herbal remedy Lonely Planet was using, but there's no tourist-tampering in Elvi's Basil Pasta. The pasta itself is made of basil, angel hair lightly tossed in slightly sharp tomato. Tossed with a tender, full-flavored garlic chicken, this confident combination is a stroke of pure genius.

It has been said that in order to win, one must go back to basics. Coconut rice and beans is as basic as it gets, but this one had just the right amount of sweet coconut to mix with a slightly-bitter Garlic Butter Conch. Conch is yet another San Pedro staple, but this thick, pungent, unforgettable garlic butter literally stayed on my breath for days...This was also the first time I wanted to eat my own breath. 

It seems San Pedro's seafood gets better as you inch your way inland, and you'll eat just fine if you completely ignore your guidebook. In Elvi's Kitchen, the price stays fair, the quality doesn't suffer, and Lonely Planet stands corrected.

Caramba - San Pedro, Belize

"To go north, you must go south. To reach the west, you must go east. To go forward you must go back"...if you're Daenerys Targaryen. If you're Kel-nerys Chen-garyen, to go to the sea you must go inland because ironically, they serve much better seafood.

I don't know what was in that sweet Sangria or just how much rum they mixed in the Mint-Chocolate Mojito, but clearly the Chen-garyen party was destined to cavort at Caramba.

The cocktails were wet n' wild, but the Broiled Lobster was undoubtedly dry. Fortunately, all crustaceans come with garlic butter for dunking, and the mere excitement of getting two tails for the price of one (compared to Blue Water Grill) was more than enough to juice it up.

Did I dig into the Stone Crab Claws or did the stone crab dig its claws into me first? Those prominent pinchers are a hybrid of flaky snow crab texture infused with blue crab juice. You never forget your first time, and my first time with stone crab certainly won't be my last.

The problem with prophecies is that they are often counterintuitive, and sometimes they don't make sense. Technically Neville Longbottom killed Lord Voldemorte, and who knows what will happen to Daenerys Targaryen, no thanks to the citadel. And while I haven't the slightest idea what path my Lonely Planet prophet has planned for me, those claws at Caramba were clearly the key to restoring my faltering faith.

Wild Mango's - San Pedro, Belize

Everyone has their bible. For everyone there is a most sacred source of all their wisdom, a good book that cannot fail. Vogue is the foundation of fashionistas, rockers stand on a Stairway to Heaven, and every chef pays homage to Pepin. I haven't figured out my foodie bible yet, but Lonely Planet is the only travel companion I'll ever need. Wildly wise and always authentic, this has been the text of travel junkies and adventure addicts far and wide.

After I discovered Lonely Planet, I needed no other source. San Pedro was no exception. I knew I could count on Lonely Planet to deliver me to the freshest seafood in town.

Lonely Planet described Wild Mango's as "sev[ing] up some of the island's most consistent and creative cuisine." The pan-seared Wahoo with lime sauce was exactly that as I can definitively say I've never had anything like it. The wahoo was so over-seared it had the texture of undercooked pasta, el dente with a side of FAIL. I somewhat appreciated the wasabi mashed potatoes but only after I spat out a chunk of scales and dislodged a gigantic bone from the roof of my mouth. The so-called lime sauce was sticky and slightly sour, mostly sticky. After digging into this disaster, all I could think was, Wahoo-the-hell-made-this-godawful-dish?

I guess the Coconut Basil Grouper can be considered consistent. The fish was tender and flaky from a nicely-flavored coconut broth, but it was any dish from any beach. I didn't dislike the dish, but I wasn't a groupie for the grouper.

I figured I couldn't sit down at a place called Wild Mango's without trying the Tropical Mango Smoothie. Turns out, I've already had it...at Jamba Juice.

You lied to me, Lonely Planet. I believed in you like I believed in Santa Clause all those years and then you took him away. I followed in your footsteps and listened to you without the faintest shadow of a doubt. You will remain my valued travel companion as my loyalty is not so easily forsaken. You have so seldom steered me astray, but I can't help but wonder...What the heck were you smoking when you wrote so highly about the munchies at Wild Mango's?

Blue Water Grill - San Pedro, Belize

The citizens of Belize are truly bilingual. The schools are taught in English, but everyone grows up speaking Spanish at home. The great naval powers of colonial Europe played tug-of-war with this country, and the result was a conglomeration of all that is right in the world. Belizean culture is a fusion of the Caribbean candor and Spanish seduction, an English-speaking Mixteco masterpiece where any culture can feel at home.

Nothing shows off the cultural combination better than Belizean cuisine. While local favorites like salbutes and escabeche do exist, Belize kind of borrowed a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and in a way, its fused identity often feels like a lack thereof. 

No restaurant exemplifies a lack of identity better than Blue Water Grill. Literally a beachfront grill and bar, the patio is privy to quite the view. The clear blue sea stretches as far as the eye can see, and the menu is full of seafood staples, straight-up steamed or generically grilled.

Judging by the price of the Grilled Lobster, there must have been a seaside surcharge. Lobster isn't cheap, but $24 US is a bit much for a single lobster tail with a so-called "passion fruit soy and pineapple sauce" that tastes suspiciously like butter with a ton of garlic. It hit the spot hard enough, but it hit the wallet harder.

The Island Style Ceviche doesn't really have a style. The marvelous mixture of shrimp, lobster, and conch had a tomato and cucumber crunch, but I'm not sure what part of it was island except that it was prepared on one. But few things are more refreshing than eating ceviche by the beach while watching pre-ceviche swim before your eyes.

Belize may be a blend of every culture, but Blue Water Grill is as generic as it gets. The menu can be found in any seafood restaurant on any street, anywhere in the world. There's no denying it's delicious, but it does a huge disservice to a place as special as San Pedro.

DandE's Frozen Custard & Sorbet - San Pedro, Belize

I started missing small-town San Ignacio the minute after I stepped off the water taxi into tourist-town San Pedro. Not a cloud in the sky with a beautiful beachfront for miles, but San Ignacio's personal touch and fresh-squeezed fruit juice had clearly drowned along the way.

I had sat below deck on the water taxi, shielded from the wind and sweltering sun, and so I didn't think I had lost anything on the way. What I didn't realize was that going to San Pedro was the equivalent of throwing half my money into the deep blue sea. Everything had doubled or tripled in price somewhere along the way, and I was missing those dollar-dollops from the San Ignacio ice cream stall. 

When I need a fix, I need a fix so I went to DandE's where the custard isn't custard, and the ice cream is thrice the price. Unlike the half-sweetened, half-ice concoction from the streets of San Ignacio, DandE's dense, triple-cream is ice cream without the ice, pure cream and sugar, for here or to go. The Soursop is sugar with a hint of tropical, flavored fruit with not much fruit, soursop without the sour. I like my sugar with Cookies and Cream, and a crunchy sugar cone sure hit the spot. 

DandE's ice cream may be better, but this quality will cost you. But there is a difference between value and price, and that day, I valued my cravings way more than I valued the price.