The other day, four coworkers and I headed out for lunch and decided to try out Roxanne’s Lounge on Wardlow in Cal Heights. I had heard great things and couldn’t wait to try the food. We rolled in on a Friday at noon and were the only people in the joint—not usually a good sign—but we were greeted kindly by the bartender and found some seats.
The bartender quickly came to the table with menus and took our drink order. A few minutes later she returned and took our orders, which included four lunch entrees and one appetizer. Soon, we were lost in conversation about ongoing escrows, clients, and what we had going on for the weekend. Before we knew it, we had been sitting there for 35 minutes and our appetizer had not yet arrived. We all shrugged it off and continued with the conversation. At the 40 min mark our appetizer finally showed. It was the Roxanne’s Platter. With empanadas, deep fried wings, fried plantains, and some home-fried potatoes, it was tasty. The salsa that accompanied the dish was fresh and flavorful. With all of us being hungry, we made quick work of the platter and went back to the conversation.
The next thing we knew, we had hit the one hour mark and still hadn’t seen our lunch plates. The group was starting to get a little restless, and we were still only one of two tables in the entire place. The bartender apologized when she came to the table to fill our drinks and heard all of the mumbling and grumbling. At the one hour and ten minute mark, our food showed up.
Two of us had ordered the Cali Wrap. This was a wet chimichanga-style flour tortilla, chorizo, red potato, eggs, and sautéed onions, served on a bed of tomato salsa puree, topped with black bean sauce, then drizzled with sour cream and chopped parsley. I was pleasantly surprised. The flavors all came together very nicely. The chorizo was not greasy at all, and the black bean sauce was truly fantastic.
Two of the other people with us ordered the Priscilla’s Chicken Sandwich, which consisted of grilled chicken, mayo, tomato, avocado, and sprouts. They all approved and enjoyed every crumb.
The last dish that was ordered was the Pork-Stuffed Chili Relleno. This one of their specialties, and it looked fantastic. Mike enjoyed it, but the portion was super small, and he ended up eating half of one of the sandwiches to curb the hunger.
I would have to say that I need to try Roxanne’s Lounge again. Hopefully they were just having a bad service day, because the food is really delicious. But who has time for a 1.5 hour lunch?
Until Next Time, Keep Eating Long Beach,
Cliv
Roxanne’s is located at 1115 E. Wardlow Blvd., (562) 426-4777
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