March was the last hope for El Niño hitting Long Beach, with several of us Ladies poised (in fancy rain boots) to respond with our City partners to the massive storms predicted to hit the Southland over the winter and early spring months of 2016. But with day after day after day of dry, relatively warm weather, the Ladies decided to make March’s outing be all about the shoes.
Lady President of the Ladies Who Dine (PotLWD) put out a challenge for those attending to bring it; to slay with their shoes for the evening. Of course, Lady PotLWD (which is me, by the way) forgot to wear fabulous shoes of her own. I apologized. Thankfully, most of our focus was on the food, which was all things Peruvian at Aji. We had Lady Peru to issue final judgment on the meal, her palate able to discern between authentic and not.
Drinks were easy, the bulk of us settling early on sangria. Hard to go wrong with sangria. So we ordered two carafes. And it proved an excellent choice. And drinks required starters, as the Ladies like to get the grubbin’ going right away. As a banana hater (we do exist), I did not indulge in the fried bananas despite how appetizing they looked. I did, however, partake in more than my share of Aji’s chips served complimentary.
I also tackled most of the Papa Rellena de Camarones, a fluffy assemblage of potato (banana hater, potato ho) filled with shrimp. Lightly fried and topped with red onions and salsa, it proved marvelous – my favorite bite (okay, bites) of the evening, particularly when joined with the lovely sauce served alongside. Others at the table enjoyed the beefy version. Surf or turf, it’s a hearty way to get the party going at Aji.
Our entrees made us happy as well. Mine – the Shrimp Chaufa My Way (it was a prawny kind of night for me), sweet rice with a little bite to it with shrimp, ginger, and sweet chili. Oh, and it was egg topped. Quite fantastic – although I offered a couple shares with those curious about my dish, I left Aji without leftovers. Others around the table had the Lomito Saltado (a Peruvian must), the Arrocito Norteno, ceviche. The portions worked out so that we did not have room for dessert – bad for our tastebuds but a good thing for our pants (especially mine, the poor little threads holding the button closed on my pants feeling the stress and tension of a narrowed artery).
At the end of the day, Lady Peru gave the meal a thumbs up, joining our city’s mayor, fellow Peruvian Robert Garcia, with her accolades. The Ladies are so please to have Aji as part of the Long Beach restaurant scene. And Lady PotLWD (that’s me) is beyond thrilled to bring together potatoes and shrimp and fruit-sweetened wine any dang day. And I’ll save the rain boots for next year!
Aji Peruvian Cuisine
2308 E. 4th