The COVID-19 crisis has changed a lot of things, including the way we eat and drink. For the past 25 years, I’ve made my living dining out, and I am still visiting restaurants across the region and far-and-wide, but a bit more cautiously. In my Beach Eats column I’m going to bring you my fabulous foodie finds, along with observations at area eateries to help you make informed decisions both on where you visit, and what you select from the menu. From time to time, I’ll share other health and safety tips too, and other items of interest, just as I have for two-plus decades here in the pages of The Pilot.

Growing up in Atlanta in the a half-century ago or so, seafood options were limited.

Usually it was frozen, then fried. Markets and restaurants, as I remember, didn’t put a big emphasis on fresh seafood, nor did the public seem to demand it. If you wanted fresh seafood, it came from lakes or streams, otherwise you waited until your annual, obligatory trip to Florida.

So the fresh catch we had was along the lines of catfish, otherwise, it was frozen fish or shrimp. It was a big deal when we went to Red Lobster.

So when I moved to this region more than 30 years ago, I was like a kid in a candy store. I ate it all: crab cakes, soft shell crabs, flounder, rockfish, raw oysters, fried oysters, clam strips, you name it. I still can’t get enough.

And one of the first places my late husband, Wayne, took me was Beach Pub. In the three decades I’ve been going since, this local gem just doesn’t disappoint. There’s nothing fancy, and that’s the point. There are plenty of fancier restaurants in the region, and I love them too.

But Beach Pub, open since 1978, is vintage Virginia Beach. Here’s where you ate as a kid. Where your parents and their parents ate. Where food was prepared and plated before chefs became influenced by Food Network. It’s not going to win awards, but it’s going to win loyal customers.

THE EAT: BROILED SEAFOOD PLATTER

Throughout the years that I’ve been coming to Beach Pub, I’ve enjoyed a number of dishes here, principally seafood. One of my favorites remains the all-you-can-eat fish and chips special on Tuesday nights, and I can’t get enough of the clam fritters that are served only at breakfast time.

But for a good idea of the old-school seafood that’s served up here, the seafood platter offers a good taste of everything.

On board: flounder, shrimp, scallops. Oysters, crab cake, and the house’s signature Clam Barco, a Rockafeller-ish take on a different bivalve named after the owners of the eatery.

A choice of sides come along with the dish, most from mom-and-pop diners of yesteryear: steak fries, macaroni salad, three bean salad, cottage cheese, potato salad, apple sauce, and pepper jack pasta salad among them. Wanting to, but knowing we couldn’t order all of the above, I selected pickled beets and a garden salad with brilliant orange French dressing. I almost squealed.

Each item was straightforward and good. The fish was cooked through and flaky. It was seasoned well and moist. I avoid any cocktail sauce (and I despise tartar sauce, mayonnaise’s seaside cousin.)

The shrimp were tender and sweet, as were the scallops. The crab cake was light and much crab; news flash, if it doesn’t have some filler then it’s not a cake. The Clam Barco was tasty. Also enjoyed were the beets and salad. And we do not have enough space here to get me started on the golden brown and delicious hushpuppies.

THE DRINK: VODKA, SODA AND LIME

Many folks love to relax with an adult beverage during a meal, and I’m one of them. A full bar at Beach Pub offers beer, cocktails and wine. I decided to go a little light and get a vodka, soda and lime.

The drink was served quickly. The ratio of spirits to mixture was spot-on, and the bubbles and pop of citrus was refreshing and a good selection with the seafood.

If I’m feeling especially nostalgic next time, I may order a whiskey sour, which was always my father’s beverage of choice in the late 1960s and well into Reagan’s first term.

THE OBSERVATION

Multiple signs are posted on the doors and upon entering Beach Pub reminding folks to wear masks and to social distance. Once inside, a number of tables are pushed to the side, and it is apparent tables are pushed further from others to allow for spacing.

Disposable paper menus were handed to us for use. All wait staff who were observed throughout the restaurant, including the bar area, wore their masks properly. Other guests were observed wearing their masks properly.

Tables and several common area spaces were observed being properly disinfected and wiped down several times during my visit. Our server was very attentive and helpful.

Beach Pub is at 1001 Laskin Road. Call 757-422-8817 or visit www.beachpubvb.com.