The Ladies Who Dine were at it again. Veronica selected this month’s spot, Nick’s on 2nd at home in Long Beach. For once, parking in Belmont Shore was a cinch, so the ladies gathered for yet another restaurant adventure.
First, cocktails.
Emily tells us that Pimm’s Cup is a jolly good British drink (she didn’t really say “jolly good”). I sampled the drink and must say that I fancied it quite nicely (can you hear my accent?). It’s made with gin, lemon, cucumber, mint, and ginger ale. I also tasted a bit of whoopass, a definite uumph that I didn’t expect. Those crazy Brits. Of course, I went for my ol’ standy – the mojito, which I sipped very slowly as it was light, refreshing, and subtle with its mintiness (is that a word? Spellcheck says no). (Including this one, that’s already four parentheticals for me. I’m in a sidebar kind of mood, I suppose. I will try to refrain myself.)
Next, appetizers.
So we have the deviled eggs, the asparagus, and the artichoke – three things I don’t really eat. But this is LWD – the point of our group is to explore new foods, to challenge our palates. I liked the fried part of my asparagus, but not the asparagus part of the asparagus (which is surprising, as I’m from Stockton, home of the Asparagus Festival – I should love asparagus). The other ladies seemed to find it fabulous, however, saying they would order it again. While they also agreed that the artichoke and the deviled eggs were tasty indeed, the eggs arrived topped with bacon (not mentioned on the menu) and the waitress admitted that the secret to their scrumptious artichokes was that they were marinated in chicken stock – news to our resident vegetarian. Might be nice to put that info on the menu. Still, the non-veggies and the non-Dianes found all three appetizers quite delectable.
On to dinner!
Mine was the halibut sandwich. The brioche bun was firm and chewy, the tartar sauce spread thick and creamy, and it was topped with french fried onion rings (and I’ll eat almost anything topped with french fried onion rings). Perhaps the slaw was a tad too tangy, too sugary, not deserving to have the word “peanut” in its title, but I still ate all of it – half at the table, half when I got home.
And I can’t forget about the Ladies…
The Ladies all looked fabulous as usual. So fabulous and so full of kinetic energy that we garnered the attention of the staff, the server saying she might start a restaurant club with her girlfriends. Our waitress got so friendly, she felt up (yes, I’m slightly exaggerating… but not really) Jen’s belly without even asking (Read: awkward table moment). Of course, Jen is as chill as they come so she didn’t get upset. Good thing it wasn’t Ivonne who was pregnant – we call her Lady Wilkutabitch for a reason.
Oh, one last thing: Dessert.
A moist buttery cake with a sugary, almost caramelized crust served a la mode. Did we enjoy it?
‘Nuff said. See you next month, LWD.
Nick’s on 2nd
4901 E. 2nd Street
Long Beach, CA
*9 parentheticals (with this one – could have been worse)