I don’t have a chance to drop by The Factory Gastrobar in Long Beach very often, but when I do, it is always well worth it. The Factory is the brainchild of Natalie Gutenkauf, a native of Long Beach and a great believer in local food long before the trend became popular.

Apart from a strong commitment to supporting her community, Natalie always sources ingredients as close to home as possible in order to guarantee the freshness of the dishes served at The Factory. You may have seen our earlier story on The Growing Experience farm in Long Beach, which we visited with Natalie and her chef.

Natalie and her crew will be at the Aquarium’s Sea Fare event on October 16th. Drop by then to see her and about 30 other excellent local restaurants.

A point worth mentioning is that Natalie is well connected to local breweries and she knows her beers. This is a goldmine for someone like me who enjoys a good microbrew, but can’t always be bothered to keep them straight. Solution: ask Natalie for a recommendation. She started by bringing me small glasses of a classic dunkel and a sessions ale to help me make up my mind. Nice. Every dining experience should start this way.

I should also note that we sat outside on The Factory’s ridiculously comfortable furniture on their dog-friendly patio. They’ll even bring you a dog treat so your pet can stay occupied while you enjoy your meal.

We chose a number of menu items almost at random. There are no losers on this menu, trust me. Here’s what we sampled:

• Beer-B-Q Pulled chicken slider
• Ale-Braised Bison Slider
• Happy Cow Slider, with caramelized onions and spicy mustard
• Spanish Orzo Salad, with manchego cheese, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, lemon and olive oil
• Jimmy’s Farm Box, with citrus miso dressing
• Steamed Mussels – Carlsbad black mussels steamed in new Belgium Brewery’s Mothership Wit [not a typo] Organic Wheat Beer
• Avocado, mozzarella, and grapefruit salad