Bigmista's Expands in Long Beach, Free Yeastie Boys Bagels, and More A.M. Intel

More Long Beach smoked meats, please

Neil Strawder, aka Bigmista, is on the move again. After working catering gigs and farmers markets for years, the barbecue honcho had plans to duck into a space Downtown, but those fell through and for almost a year now they’ve been doing Bigmista’s Sammich Shop in Long Beach instead. Now the Times is saying there’s a second location afoot, this time called Bigmista’s Morning Wood (har har), and it’s going to focus on smoked breakfast meats. Hell yes.

Boozy OC nights

Starbucks is expanding their Evenings menu in OC, says the Register, with plans to add alcohol permits and a late evening menu to their stores in Fashion Island, Huntington Beach, and even Downtown Disney. Who wants a boozy last call ride on the teacups?!

The pasta whisperer

Here's an interview with chef Angelo Auriana of Factory Kitchen fame, but it’s not exactly the most illuminating behind-the-scenes look at the former Valentino exec chef. TL;DR: he eats sushi, he uses simple ingredients for his handkerchief pasta, he gets told he looks like Antonio Banderas.

The view from 71Above

As current Cliff's Edge chef Vartan Abgaryan begins to plan for his Downtown dominance atop the U.S. Bank Tower with his new restaurant 71Above, he takes a moment to reflect on the heights he's reached:

My view from the near future... #excited #71above #comingsoon

A photo posted by Vartan Abgaryan (@vartanabgaryan) on Aug 19, 2015 at 4:55pm PDT

Oyster tech

Want an app that only locates places that serve oysters in Los Angeles? That’s terribly specific, but who are we to judge? Go for it. All you’ve gotta do is download the Pearl app, which gives eaters the info on where to find oysters (truth be told, it's also available for other cities, should you be traveling). Yes, it’s that simple. Or, you know, you can use this map.

Office lunchtime doesn't have to suck

You know how UberEATS will deliver local favorites from nearby restaurants during the week? Now there’s a whole separate company doing the same thing, but with an attempt at scale. Called EAT Club, the premise is that companies and their office managers will join up to plan large-format lunches for their worker bees — like a bunch of Bay Cities sandwiches or stuff from Gracias Madre, all delivered at once.

More Silver Lake Coffee

The Alfred Coffee team managed to turn around the former Heywood Grilled Cheese in no time, and to celebrate they’re doing a soft-opening this Sunday with the Yeastie Boys bagel truck. Free coffee and bagels for all, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.