It wasn’t quite a quorum at our latest Ladies Who Dine outing, but a decent number of Ladies got themselves over for our May trip to Long Beach’s Roe Seafood. This place had us excited. We’d been awaiting a visit for weeks, a couple of us even begrudgingly turning down asks from non-Lady pals to go for dinner so that a first go at the place would be with the LWD. Nestled at the edge of Belmont Shore, on the evening of our outing Roe, couldn’t have welcomed a more delighted bunch. We especially marveled on the fact that there was a real life branch-and-leaves tree smack dab inside the place. Now that’s Long Beach classy!
To boot, we arrived in time for happy hour, a generous one with ceviche tostados, spicy tuna hand rolls, and “You Call It” $2 oysters as options on the food side, and five-dollar cocktail staples like mules and cosmos and margaritas to drink. I was so thrilled at getting my butt on a seat with 15 minutes of happy hour to spare that I even sucked down an oyster. Me!
And then, there were entrees. We may have been closer to the full side after bringing on happy hour plates right up until the closing bell, but there was no leaving without experiencing a full-fledged dish from Roe. I could hardly pronounce it, but got the waitress to understand my want – my need – of the lobster & sweet corn agnolotti (and luckily, sitting next to me was Lady Lady, who is fluent in Italian; and I can point). Lady Thick Leg ordered the same, while other Ladies opted for the smoky seafood chowder and the nigiri sushi. The many seconds of quiet around the table said it all – the grub was too damn good to interrupt things by talking about it. Though really, who isn’t a sucker for freshly made pasta? But when twirled in a corn-laden lemon butter sauce, my decadent yet airy agnolotti ascended to new pasta heights, making me ashamed about the pot of whole wheat spaghetti with Prego (Four Cheese) and ground turkey that I crank out for my family on the weekly. They must never, ever experience Roe’s agnolotti, as, after tasting it, I’d be expected to up my pasta game exponentially.
My evening’s only regret was saying no to dessert. It might have been a first – that none of the Ladies indulged in a post-meal goodie. Thankfully, Roe is hometown placed, so there’s nothing but a short drive keeping any of us (or you if you’re an LBCer) away.
And yet our visit was still sweet and grand, as is any time when the Ladies get together…with the exception of those couple-few occasions when we become drunken-mad Bee-yatches who break beer bottles over one another’s heads and hurl cursing insults and gossip about. But that’s only once in a while.
Roe Seafood
5374 E. 2nd Street