Click It. BEAT picks of the week - Manhattan Beach edition.

It's no secret we're big fans of Kiehl's here at the BEAT, so to celebrate last night's opening of Kiehl's Manhattan Beach, here's a roundup of MB favorites ...

The Kettle - for a classic American breakfast or late night milkshakes. Don't miss their Honey Bran muffins!

Sloopy's - for post-beach burgers, and/or fresh fruit smoothies.

Mama D's - solid neighborhood Italian. BYOB.

The Beehive - a cute local boutique that stocks quality brands like            J Brand, Splendid, and JET. Great for browsing and for gifts! Their vintage-style candy selection is a fun touch.

Allison by the Beach - a great stop for pretty and unique jewelry.

Magpie - a well-named pretty home goods shop.

Kiehl's - to stock up on Coriander body wash, and Creme de Corps.

The Coffee Bean, Peet's, or Starbucks (all on Manhattan Beach Boulevard) to get a hot bevvy and a treat to-go for an evening stroll up the boardwalk.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: hlgz.org

Eat Out. Queso.

Going out for Mexican food is one of my favorite activities. From tortilla chips to various salsas and guacamole, and entree combinations of all kinds, I feel like I know a fair amount about the cuisine, at least how it's served in the United States anyway. Until I had Mexican food in Nashville, where a delicious cheese dip, "queso", is as common as guacamole.

While it must be entirely unhealthy, it's also creamy, cheesy, spicy, and all-around delicious. Now try to find it out on the West Coast. There are Chowhound threads dedicated to this problem. It's nearly impossible, but was achieved this weekend at El Segundo's Cozymels. The small chain has locations sprinkling the map fairly evenly, and fortunately doesn't reserve the queso only for Arkansas, Texas, and Tennessee.

There are plenty of recipes for making queso at home, and you might even be familiar with the Tostitos jar of it (which actually isn't half bad), but the experience of having it out, with a full Mexican meal, is pretty nice.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: rssmemphis.com