Fishing with Dynamite: Superb Seafood, Sublime Key Lime Pie

With a chef/co-owner who spent six years at Water Grill (which launched such superstars as Chef Michael Cimarusti), and a prime perch by the ocean in beautiful Manhattan Beach, you can rightly expect seafood to be nothing short of super fresh, and incredibly delicious at Fishing with Dynamite.

It's easy to love the cozy, 33-seat space with its beach appropriate laid back vibe, one that still manages to feel like a neighborhood gem - where locals may expect to see familiar faces when answering the siren call of shellfish of all sorts - but is helmed by one of the city's culinary stars.

I love sitting at the raw bar and hoarding giant trays of sea creatures: Chef David LeFevre always surprises and delights not only with the quality of seafood but in their presentation as well. 

Peruvian scallops ($2.50 each) on the half shell, enhanced with grapefruit and cilantro, dazzle not only for their taste, as if fresh-plucked from the ocean, but or the lovely visual fanfare as well. 

The rest of my heart was easily won by the live Santa Barbara sea urchin as well - which Fishing with Dynamite had often sold out of, so I am glad for it every time I'm able to get it.  

The times that I had them, they were not the most flavorful I'd had (I love that clean yet distinct and one of a kind ocean funk in uni!!) - but they were definitely among the biggest and plumpest.  And at $14 each sea urchin (containing 5 pieces) - not bad of a deal at all!  [Poppa's Fresh Seafood's uni is big, plump AND tasty, for $10 each, but they're not cleaned as well as FWD and if ambience is important to you as well, and/or you live in LA and don't want to drive all the way down to SD - FWD is a great option for not that much higher price.]

Dishes that are limited time or off menu will always get my attention as well - and on one of my visits last summer, FWD had a giant roasted scallop ($27.00) served in a giant pearlized half shell, gonad and all.  It was gorgeously presented, but in this case, just like lobster, bigger isn't always better.  Bigger means tougher muscles, so it's more chewy.  And it comes at a price: more than an average entree.  The Peruvian scallops, much more affordable, and to me much more delectable, remained my favorite.

Then there were the Santa Barbara Spot Prawns ($25 for 2): full bodied, split down the middle, beautiful smokey char marking the outside, gorgeous perfect roe adorning the sweetest, tender, juiciness to be discovered inside - this was one of the best preparations of SB spot prawns I could remember.  

On other visits we've had specials like the Maryland Softshell Crab with Chilled Corn Soup, Weiser Melons, Serrano Aioli and Thai Basil ($16), like a deconstructed crab cake with a hint of asian flavor, and Lobstah Dumpling Pie ($25) which was the best lobster pot pie I'd ever had - and this said after being stuffed to the gills with a 1.25lb lobster feast elsewhere earlier in the evening.

Fantastic as the seafood at FWD is - the one unexpected dish that I will never leave without getting TWO of (one for dine-in, one to go), is their Key Lime Pie.  At many restaurants which serve a spectacular meal - often the desserts are sadly neglected.  You hear top chefs say all the time, (especially on shows like Top Chef, actually) - that they don't care about dessert and are at a loss when it comes to that last part of the meal (and you often see great chefs on cooking shows stumble when it comes to dessert, as they've not paid much attention to it, it's not something they would normally need to take care of - it's left to their pastry chef).                 

Which makes FWD all the more extraordinary for putting out such an incredible dessert - hands down the best key lime pie I've ever had.  A sight to behold, with a small ocean of scorched meringue rising in peaks, a fiery but airy cover for the light only in consistency key lime filling (that announces its flavor identity with brazen zest) and a super crumbly, flavor-packed graham cracker crust.  Apparently, to make the lime flavor even more pronounced, Chef LeFevre also added finely chopped kaffir lime leaf to the meringue.

The pie is simply perfect - and I don't go to Manhattan Beach often, but when I do, even in passing - I will always go back for the Key Lime.  Oh and the seafood, too.

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6.5 stars
Overall experience - 6.5 bites
Price - $ (1 bite mark)
Probability of return visit - 100% 
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Fishing with Dynamite
1148 Manhattan Ave Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Ph: 310.893.6299

Website: eatfwd.com

Look for reservations (and rewards points!) at OpenTable.
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1MB Travels: Las Vegas: The Oyster Bar and Pavlovian Response

In that infamous experiment, physiologist Ivan Pavlov found that dogs, naturally salivating in anticipation of food, can be conditioned to react the same way to the sound of a bell, if trained to associate the ringing noise with food.

Recently, I discovered Vegas is my bell, and the seafood/Combo Pan Roast at Oyster Bar my unconditioned stimulus.  The mere mention of the city triggers thoughts of that almost-traffic-cone-colored-bowl-of-pure-delicious, and sets off unseemly drooling.

Even though everything about that place is all wrong.

With the exception of its incredible food/cocktail offerings, I hate everything that Vegas is.  The arid desert weather, the perpetual blanket of smoke that sits over every public indoor space, the constant barrage of light and sound, signifying nothing (but the most futile of dreams) trapped in claustrophobic bullet time. Especially seedy old school Vegas, with its worn carpets, dense with decades of cigarette and alcohol fueled footfall; its wrinkled old souls, feeding their lifeblood into the slot machine, who look like they will need to be surgically removed from it when they reach the end of their days.

And Palace Station, home to Oyster Bar, is off-off-strip, and probably one of the most OG casinos left standing. When foodie blogger friends first recommended this place, I honestly thought they were out of their minds.  Though off-strip, cozy authentic eateries are often the ones that offer the most amazing food...this was the kind of place where you would expect the $2.99 casino buffet - a fueling pit that is all utilitarian quantity, not quality.

And then they mentioned the place was basically a counter, 18 seats, no reservations - and the wait could be between one to three hours.  If we're lucky, and go during off-peak time.

Sound great so far?

Well, don't judge an oyster bar by its location - because this turned out to be one of my favorite places to eat in Vegas (see Pavlovian response).

There is indeed without fail, a long line snaking from this place at all hours - for good reason.  Their pan roasts, made fresh to order by snarky-funnyman chef Bob, are pretty damn amazing.

What is pan roast? It's your choice of seafood, roasted fresh in a cauldron/pan with a slot-machine-like-handle, with brandy, cream and tomato.

You also get to choose the level of spiciness: from 1 to 10, with 10 so extreme that even the chef discourages most people from ordering it.

They do take 'made to order' very seriously, and it takes a while to get it to just the right (roiling) temperature and consistency.

So, usually, you're starving by the time a seat opens up and you've been tortured tantalized by the untouchable scent of that magical pan roast for the last few hours... 

Many customers order a platter from the raw bar to relieve hunger pains until your pan roast is deemed ready by the chef. 

I went 1/2 for my half dozen ($12.99), since not many places serve clams raw and I really wanted to try it.  Neither the clams nor the oysters had the spring of the freshest catch, nor that neat, perfectly chilled brine that conjures deep ocean - but Water Grill this never tried to be, and when you've been waiting in line for hours, you start to appreciate any bite of food you can shovel in to stop your stomach from consuming itself while you await the main course.

And then came my Combo Pan Roast ($21.99).  Packed with lobster, crab and shrimp.  Immersed in rich brandy tomato cream sauce that has that irresistible tug on my tastebuds, that happens it seems whenever alcohol is used in cooking, leaving me lapping for more.

Into this very generously sized bowl, the chef turns over a cup of white rice, the better to both offset the heat in the sauce while highlighting its flavors. (I was only able to handle level 5 heat comfortably)

While the pan roast initially may seem pricey for this essentially 'seafood shack' style Cajun joint, the pieces of seafood are a healthy size, snappy-fresh, and there's lots of it in each gigantic lake of a bowl.  Most people (i.e. averaged sized Asians, in our group) would either be able to share a bowl between two people, or have enough leftovers for your next meal.

Since that first time, every time I go back to Vegas I must now stop at Oyster Bar.  (Beyond the food, there is a lovely  instant camaraderie between those 'in the know' and lots of bonding / commisserating while in line and at the counter that provides nice human moments while in sin city.)  While there are other tasty sounding Cajun dishes on the menu from gumbo to jambalaya: I can't imagine not getting the pan roast.  Because I know that the minute I've settled the bill, no matter how stuffed I am or if my arms are already filled with to go containers, I already wish I had ordered more.  And next time someone says 'Vegas', I will be right back at Oyster Bar, without question. 

On a 7 point scale:

Flavor - 6 bites  
Presentation - 5 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience -  2 stars
Service - 5.5 stars
Overall experience - 5.5 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100% 
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The Oyster Bar at Palace Station Casino

Las Vegas

2411 West Sahara Avenue Las Vegas, NV 89102

Ph: 702.367.2408

Website: palacestation.sclv.com/Dining/The-Oyster-Bar

Open 24 hours!

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Maruhide Uni Club: aka Unitopia: Sign Me Up for Lifetime Membership! (CLOSED)

Imagine a place where they serve uni, which may not be live, but are caught daily and tastes fresher than any live sea urchin you've been able to access at any given local farmers market.

Imagine a place where they center their *entire* menu around this tastiest of delicacies.

And then imagine that a *bowlful* of this fantastic sea urchin costs UNDER $13.

And then completely die of happiness when you realize that this place is REAL, and it's just a short drive down to Torrance.  That was me, having a lucid dream that came to life, last Saturday night.

When it comes to Japanese food in LA, it seems that the best spots are tucked away into strip malls or other off the beaten path venues. At least that is true of my favorites: Asanebo, Sushi Iki (post to come), Sushi Gen and Marugame Monzo.

Maruhide Uni Club also has this qualifying trait - it's in a strip mall off Redondo Beach Blvd in Torrance, neighbor to a beauty salon, dental and optometry offices and other shops that are far from making the mall a dining destination.

Once you're inside, it's a serene escape from its outer surroundings: the design feels like what I would imagine a family run restaurant from the 90s that aspired to emulate a western tea room from some resort hotel/country club in Japan would look and sound like, complete with soundtrack of classical music.

I was in heaven the minute I opened the extensive menu - it took all my willpower not to order everything (this was actually my second dinner of the night, after filling up on pizza with a friend who is not into uni).  I finally settled on the Sea Urchin Cream Croquette ($12.80) to start. It was beautifully plated, and tasty with the panko crust over a creamy uni stuffed filling, topped with uni cream sauce.  But the next time I go (I will be back again as soon as I can!!!) - for the price and the amount of superfluous (to me) veggies filling the plate...I would skip this and stick to the other more uni focused (and more delicious) dishes...

...like the foodgasm inducing uni Specialty Bowls.  They all feature uni, but you can select from combinations with sashimi staples like ikura (salmon roe), scallop, tuna and/or salmon.  All bowls come in two sizes: Regular (comes with uni egg omelette, uni soup and salad) and Mini (comes with uni egg omelette and uni soup).  Since you know my feelings about veggies at this point, you know that I went right for mini (though I do want to see how much larger the Regular bowl is on my next visit)!
 
And, as an unrepentant uni fan, I had to go for the bowl with ALL uni.  The first thing to arrive was the uni soup, a light and refreshing clear broth with slivers of onion and pieces of uni - a great tease for what's to come.

Specialty Bowl #4 was basically Uni 4 ways: Fresh and Boiled Sea Urchin & Marinated Sea Urchin + the uni tamago (Japanese style omelette) that came with every bowl: at the risk of sounding like an infomercial or bad car dealer spot, I have to say "all for the insane price of $12.60"!!!

Here's how each one breaks down:
Fresh: fantastic Santa Barbara sea urchin, among the freshest I've had in the city, though not the absolute best - leaps and bounds above anything you can get at the farmers market (live uni doesn't always mean great uni), or at Quality Seafood and SO MANY MORE PIECES for the price.

Boiled: I've never tasted uni boiled before Maruhide, and this prep really tames the pungent marine funk that I love (but that may make it more palatable for people who don't love that as much) while creating a texture that for some reason reminds me a bit of bottarga - not at all as dense overall, but I mean in terms of each orb of 'roe' (ok really, gonad on uni) comes to stand out and make its presence known, texturally.  I still love the fresh more but it was really interesting to taste uni made this way.

Marinated: this is also a first for me - uni marinated in kombu-shoyu or kelp soy sauce.  It's like the different ways uni is prepped as it appears on this bowl can be placed on a spectrum of intensity of funk: in which case, it would go from boiled (mildest) to fresh, to marinated (super funky). Its creamy blast of umami is scooped onto what looks like a lilypad but is a thin slice of radish.  This tastes amazing with the perfectly cooked sushi rice underneath.

Uni 'omelette': this was my second favorite after the fresh uni. It's basically tamago - slightly sweet egg formed into a smooth textured 'cake' - with uni paste rolled into its layers.  Amazing.  I could eat these (plus that fresh uni) every day for the rest of my life and die a happy uni-eater.

Aside from the specialty bowls, they do also have other delicacies that will light food lovers' eyes on fire, like sea cucumber carpaccio, 'tongue stew' and things that I need to try on my next visit: grilled sea urchin, and sea urchin cream pasta (need to see how it compares to Marugame Monzo's uni udon!).

Here's a look at the Specialty Bowls page of their menu:

Maruhide's restaurant has only been open for a few months. I loved that I was able to slide in for a table easily on a Saturday night.  But since the LA Times scouted and wrote about the place, I'm not sure how much longer before the place starts popping, and was glad that I was able to experience it before the place is overrun.  So ecstatic that a place like this exists and Maruhide, may you live long and prosper!!!!

Update 7/13/13:
Yeah so I went back last night with friends @miffyeats and @munchabout, and made much better (and many more) choices.  We went on a bit of an uni bender!

First up was the Fresh Uni Sashimi ($12) we INHALED this one, the perfect platter for purists, and yes at an insanely great price.

Sated with the pure uni experience, we were then able to move on to the 'new' (at least to us) preparations we'd never tried before: in the "shutou" section. These are basically sea urchin 'preserved' in various marinades or frozen.  We got the sampler where you can experience 3 kinds (from 6 options): Ruibe was the most unique, almost like a frozen sea urchin terrine that could well serve as dessert.  The other two were whole uni marinated in various sauces, and presented in cute little round containers: Shutou with Yuzu Chili was my absolute favorite from this plate - the tartness and slight heat enhancing the taste of the plump tongues of umami.  Shutou Original was also delicious, but not one that sends your Foodie Senses tingling like the others.

I couldn't leave without trying the Grilled Sea Urchin ($12) which tasted fresh off the robata grill, delicious with a fragrant smokey char and delicate crisp warmth on the outside, and cool with the familiar and unique texture of uni on the inside.  With light sprinkling of salt on top to bring out flavors even more and add contrasting crunch. Instantly addictive and what I will make sure I get every time I come to Maruhide.  I haven't seen grilled uni offered anywhere else in LA (on its own anyway) - if you come to Maruhide don't leave without trying this.

And because this really is how much we love uni - while munchabout wisely chose Specialty Bowl #9 (Nigiyaka) which offers more variety to sample with uni accompanied by various fish sashimi over rice....miffyeats and I - true to our singular obsession devotion - EACH got a Regular-sized Specialty Bowl #1 Sea Urchin Bowl ($18.80).  Our server was kind of in shock and asked twice to confirm whether we really wanted to add two bowls after all we'd already inhaled.  The answer of course was YES, YES, YES.  On my previous visit I had questioned whether I wanted to larger size especially when it also came with salad.  We realized when our orders arrived that the Regular Bowl may be the smarter choice.  The bowl anyway was about three times the size of the 'Mini' and still under $20 (just $7 more than the mini).  The uni pieces were larger, and you get two uni tamago (egg omelettes) instead of just one.

The salad as you knew I would say was meh, with ordinary looking and tasting greens and tomatoes but for those who care, also topped with uni mayo dressing.

We were too full for dessert at that point (but no they did not have uni ice cream anyway).  Maruhide is actually a retailer of uni as well - apparently their shutou is served on Japan Airlines in the first class cabin! - so it was fun, on our way out, to check out their refrigerated case of goodies.  They do offer trays of uni to go, at various tiers of quality / pricing from factory farmed at $14 to fresh Santa Barbara uni in brine for $19.50 to premium fresh at $55.

Maruhide recommends eating the fresh uni the same day though - so since we were (blasphemously!) too full of uni to take any fresh ones home, I picked up two boxes of the much loved Uni Shutou with Yuzu & Chili ($10.50 each) that can go in the freezer for that little taste of uni-topia (and apparently JAL First Class VIP treatment) during the week...while I count down the hours til my next visit to Maruhide!!!



 
*For those who don't live within driving distance of Maruhide (i.e. out of state!) they do have an online store as well - enjoy!

Update Spring 2016: unfortunately Maruhide the restaurant has now closed for business.

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites  
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience -  5.5 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100% 

________________________________________________________________

Maruhide Uni Club

2130 W Redondo Beach Blvd., Torrance, CA 90504

Ph: 562.435.6509

Parking: free in strip mall open air lot attached to restaurant

Website: maruhide.us

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1MB Travels: Singapore: Old Airport Road Hawker Center

A trip to Singapore is not complete without a pilgrimage to one of its meccas of insanely delicious street food for crazy low prices - aka "hawker centers". 

Hawker centers are essentially a collection of street food vendors, in tiny stalls piled aisle upon aisle within giant industrial looking open warehouse spaces. Flanked by rows of food-court style tables.  The better for convenient, quick 'shopping' and dining among massive selections of every key cuisine represented in Singapore, from Malaysian to Chinese to Indian to fusions or unique creations born of any or all of the above.

You could have a meal made of different courses from several different stalls, and sample the best of street versions of all these cuisines, quick service style, no frills, just authentic, good food for cheap. It's a place where office workers, still in suits, are as at home as the blue collar diners in shorts and flip flops - they come for good food, not a 'scene'.

Before our family vacation there this holiday, I had gotten a huge and amazing list of types of food I must not leave Singapore without trying from Sofia of Burp and Slurp, and a rec from globetrotting food maven miffyeats for the hawker center on Old Airport Road. 

Out of Sofia's list of signature Singapore eats, I was most excited to try barbecue stingray - it sounded intriguing to me, and not something you can find easily anywhere else (definitely not in LA that I'm aware of!)  So it was actually by happy accident that we ended up at the Old Airport Road hawker center - we had a short amount of time to slide in a quick visit to the closest hawker center before 'proper' dinner - and so my 'strategy' (or rather, lack of) was to jump into a taxi and let one of the friendly drivers (who so far have been self-appointed, proud tour guides and ambassadors for the city) take us to the closest place for stingray.

We somehow ended up with the one cabbie on the island who was grouchy as hell though, and when he recommended something that at first didn't sound good to us - and we asked him to take us elsewhere, he sort of had a little tantrum and griped very vocally about how we were making a mistake!  Anyways, all is well that ends well - despite his grumpiness and poor social/communication skills - he ended up bringing us to Old Airport Road hawker center - so it all worked out!

It was exciting to stroll through the aisles looking at all the unfamiliar dishes - I was in heaven and wanted to order a huge spread, fan them out over several tables and spend the rest of the night working through them all!!!  My dad was weary of the cleanliness of it all though, and was merely 'tolerating' the space for my benefit (my mom is the adventurous diner) - so I knew the clock was ticking and I could probably only fit in one quick dish.

We asked fellow diners at the communal tables the best place for bbq stingray (love that everyone is at least bilingual - if not trilingual or more - in Singapore) - and got directed to a stall that seemed to specialize in all kinds of sea creature deliciousness. There were fresh plates of clams, and live crabs being...well...crabby...in their cramped little cages.

And then I spotted the sign / photo (i.e. for me the holy grail): "BBQ Stingray".

Photo: Jeremy.Collins via Wikipedia

So, what did we expect stingray to taste like?  Even my mom, the adventurous foodie, was skeptical it would be good - stingrays are kite-shaped marine animals that seem like they would have either a gelatinous, or tough, muscular texture like swordfish (check out the photo, they don't look like they would have much / soft meat, right?)

But, what arrived on the plate looked soft and tender, served up on the ubiquitous banana leaf, smeared in lush barbecue sauce, topped by onions and cilantro, with a side of lime and a translucent orange sauce that looked like it would taste sweet and sour. 

I think that was one of my favorite things about Singaporean foods - lots of bold, unabashed flavors with lots of (sometimes complex) interplay of layers working fantastically together - there is never anything that is just single note or bland.

I also loved that the stingray is served with skin-on - I always appreciate it when chefs leave the skin on with fish, it adds nice flavor and texture as well as gets points for presentation!

With the stingray, once I cleared a path through the sauce and toppings, I could see that it was decidedly fish-like, with smooth, tender texture and structure of narrow strands that remind me of skate wing, one of my favorite fish ever!!!

The interplay of slight heat from the robust bbq sauce with bitterness and crunch from delicate strips of onion with clear, smooth sweet and sour fish sauce, over the softest, flakiest but sweet and flavorful fish - was amazing. In short, I LOVED it!!!  Wish I could have gone back for more.  There were also a ton of other must have dishes that I left without trying - like peanut pancake, radish cake, and char kway teow (though I ended up having a version of this at another restaurant later in the trip).

But, I was really glad to have had this adventure with my parents - these are some of the best memories that we will have of our awesome travels together.  Sharing new discoveries, the sense of adventure - and the joyfulness and sense of accomplishment that comes from pushing ourselves to continually see and learn and experience new things (even if it is at first uncomfortable to get out of our comfort zone!).  Which I realized I may not have had the appreciation for when I was younger - when I was a little more rebellious, and a much more self-conscious wallflower.  Now older, not at all wiser but much more appreciative of my parents, and their unconditional love and support (indulging, encouraging and enabling this little passion project of a blog) - I am grateful that we can have these kinds of adventures together - thank you for being the best!!! :)  Ok sorry for the temporary bout of sentimentality. 

So, fantastic time at our first Singaporean hawker center, as one of many stops and great eats on this trip.  Hope to be back again soon!

[For more photos and stories from our visit to Singapore, check out the album of over 120 pics on my Facebook page!]

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Singapore

Old Airport Road Food Center
Block 51, Old Airport Rd Geylang, Singapore

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1MB Travels: Miami: Tudor House

It was my first time to Miami, courtesy of a business trip.  I was going to miss the South Beach Wine and Food Festival by a week, but I was grateful to have the opportunity to experience the city at all!

I had an amazing view of South Beach (well, "mid-beach" according to Google Maps) from my hotel room - it was incredible to wake up to rolling waves, blue sky and white sand every morning...

And if I took a few steps to the other side of my balcony, I had a view of a marina packed with stately multi-million dollar boats (there preparing for the annual boat show which was also to happen after the end of my trip). 

 Our hotel had private access to the beach, and I had just enough time to take a few short walks - it was too cold in February to actually lay out or swim, but the view was breath-taking.  Loved the perfect little cottonball clouds that sat so low in the sky it felt like you could almost reach up and touch them - and clear, clear blue waters lapping lazily up to shore.

Our primary purpose for the trip was business, so we didn't have a lot of time to wander around the city (very sad I didn't make it to Little Havana)   I did convince a coworker, who I will call "Hawaii Issue", to go with me to Michael's Genuine Food and Drink one night. 

And on the last day, since we had a little bit of time before we needed to head out to the airport, I dragged him out to a Guiness-Book-of-World-Records-fast lunch in South Beach.  A fellow food blogger (and cook) Christine Guzman from Miami, had recommended Tudor House as one of her favorites via Twitter. 

Being Type A, I had it all planned - since we had to go direct to the airport after, and Tudor House was part of a hotel (Dream South Beach hotel), I arranged for us to leave our luggage with the bellhop there, so that we can grab lunch and walk around for a few minutes before heading out.

Dream South Beach Hotel's aesthetic embodied everything we thought (non-Miami Vice) South Beach was about - very sort of laid back, beach resort-like but in a sleek, sophisticated way.  All staff were dressed in immaculate whites.  Decor around the hotel was very beach-life inspired, with ocean and earth colors.  Tudor House was sort of unusual with a bright, bold, orange themed Moroccan inspired front waiting room, leading to a sleek looking Art Deco style dining room with dark woods and and airy space - leading to an outdoor patio seating area that was quintessential South Beach...

...complete with vintage outdoor fans that say "tropics", teak furniture and palm trees everywhere.  All lit up to great effect by the beautiful Florida sun.

We had technically arrived too early for lunch - they were still serving their breakfast menu.  But our super friendly server kindly asked the kitchen for a favor, hearing how we were from LA and so excited to try their lunch menu - this being our last meal before returning home.  I asked what items would really be a local offering - and was immediately advised to try the Florida Stone Crab (market price) - the season was coming to an end and we are just catching likely the last of it. 

So of course I then had to try the crab!  It came as a platter of gigantic claws with a small bowl of additional meat in the middle.  Our server explained that the crabs are very muscular and there's a cartilege in the middle of the claw, so we should try to bite around it.  I'd never seen these crabs before - they had interesting black tips and reminded me of parrot beaks, huge and indeed very musular - the claw meat is slightly tougher than I'm used to but very flavorful and tasty.

I actually enjoyed the knuckle meat (in the bowl) the most - this was incredibly tender, sweet, juicy and delicious.  Possibly one of the best crab I've ever had.  I was glad I got to try the claws though (until at least, I got the bill - should have asked what market price meant - but these turned out to be $31 EACH CLAW!!!) Ok my fault for not asking up front.  But it was the last meal in Miami, so...splurge it was.  And I really was glad I got to try it.

Hawaii Issue got a rec for the Tudor House Ugly Burger  bread & butter pickles, fries ($16) - apparently the executive chef here - Geoffrey Zakarian, was featured on Iron Chef America, Chopped (and recent winner of The Next Iron Chef Super Chefs), and this is one of his creations, that he named after a customer made the cryptic comment: "This burger is so beautiful, it's ugly!".  Normally it's not served stacked like this with a pickle speared on top, but apparently the brunch crew decided that's how they wanted to serve this lunch item.   

We were almost out of time when we finished our entrees, but I couldn't leave without trying the cool-sounding Popcorn Milkshake salted brown butter, chocolate hazelnut crisps ($10) - so I got it to go, to down in the cab on the way home.  This was an awesome shake made with caramel popcorn flavors and sea salt for a savory meets sweet blended drink that was refreshing in the now sunny and warm weather.   And it came with two housemade chocolate hazelnut crisp bars which were like kit kat bars but a million times more delicious!!!  Loved this creative shake with the fun snack bars on the side!!!

All in all, a great time at Tudor House, albeit with the one very expensive splurge.  Loved the casual chic ambience and modern American fare, well executed  (thanks Christine for the truly lovely rec! :)) Would definitely go back next time for brunch or less spendy menu items.

[For other photos and stories from my trip to Miami, check out the album on my Facebook page.]

Note for tourists: Tudor House builds in a 20% gratuity to the bill, so no need to write in extra unless you received exceptional service or feel like being generous. I didn't notice and ended up leaving too much (double) tip! Oh well, our server was pretty fantastic!!

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%
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Miami

Tudor House (at Dream South Beach hotel)
11111 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139
Ph: 305.534.8455

Website: tudorhousemiami.com
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CHAYA Venice: Oyster Food Fair

Did you know that the Japanese family who owns Chaya have been restauranteurs for nearly four centuries?  They started with a 'tea house' (apparently that's what Chaya 茶屋 means in Japanese) in Japan under a large shade tree, catering to weary travelers and their horses 390 years ago.  Today, we can experience a version of that hospitality in Venice, CA in a modern setting of a neighborhood hangout that gives off the vibe that it's there to serve the community.  Of traffic-worn commuters like myself and their metal stallions.  And apparently Venice loves Chaya back - the two times I've been there, it's always been packed.

With Chef Shigefumi Tachibe at the helm for the last 22 years, and his blend of "Euro-Asian" or "Franco-Japonais" fare bringing people back week after week to an area that doesn't have many fine dining stakes in the sand - Chaya Venice admirably does not rest on success, but continually tries to put forth new menus.

There is the unusual dual menu that customers have come to expect - sushi and European dishes with Japanese influence, but there's also special menus created around a theme, a main ingredient - rotating each year.

A few months back it was the Venison Fair.  This month brings the Oyster Food Fair - and I was excited to receive an invite to a media tasting kicking off the event on February 16 (the Food Fair runs through March 3rd!)

The idea is there are many dishes created around the featured ingredient - oysters, and you can choose a la carte from the special menu.

We started with a round of Fresh Oyster on the 1/2 Shell ($14 for half dozen) - for the tasting we got both kinds of oysters: Hama Hama from Washington (the bigger ones shown on left in the photo) and Fanny Bay from British Columbia.  These were not the best oysters I've ever had (Monterey fisherman's wharf restaurants win on that one) but they went fast - there was nothing but empty shells left 60 seconds after they hit the table.

Baked Oysters Rockefeller ($19) spinach, bacon, cream, parmesan This one is a classic, well executed.  Even for someone who is really a purist with their oysters, I thought this was nicely done - I've seen so many places overdo it on the cheese so it ends up overwhelming the oyster, and/or overcooking the spinach so that it's a sloppy mess atop the oyster - but Chaya's is just right in terms of balancing all ingredients.

Baked Oysters w/ Nori Lemon Butter ($18) tamari, soy, chives.  I had to look up tamari - it's basically a soy sauce made with more soybeans than regular ones, so that it has a more complex, smooth and balanced flavor.  This was added with a deft hand as it was in perfect balance with the nori (seaweed) lemon butter - again as a purist with oysters, I normally prefer to taste nothing but pure deep ocean around the oyster, but this broth-like sauce was light and clean tasting and very enjoyable.  I did like this one more than the Rockefellers.

Angus Beef Tartare with Fried Oysters ($16) sweet potato chips.  When this dish came out, if you listened to the sounds around the table - you would just hear alternating sounds like this: "crunch", "mmm", "crunch".  The creamy, lush (and pink?) beef tartare paired and contrasted perfectly with crunchy panko-crusted deep fried oysters - and the fresh fried chips made with a Japanese sweet potato were 'favorited' by all around the table.  My only note would be to apply a slightly thinner panko crust so that the ratio of crust to oyster (as the highlighted ingredient) would be in the oyster's favor to allow a more pronounced flavor.

Oyster Citrus Cured Salmon Chowder ($20) Tokyo winter negi, yukon potato.  This one was another favorite for the night - the salmon is cooked sous vide with citrus, and has the lushest, smoothest texture and intense flavor, infused throughout the chowder.  There is also of course oysters in the soup along with a Japanese leek and chunks of potato for added texture and flavor.  Really gorgeous soup.  The portion size shown in the photo was just for the tasting, knowing we would be feasting on almost the entire menu - but the regular dinner size would be much bigger for the $20. How much bigger?  We didn't get to see so judge for yourself if you would spend $20 on soup as your entree.

Kobe Short Rib Pot Pie ($29) baked oyster zucchini champagne cream, caramelized sweet onion sauce.  Loved the description on this one, and it was a cute presentation with a bloated pastry puff topped by an oyster baked with zucchini champagne cream and cheese.  The contents of the pot pie were infused with rich flavor (interesting that the chef used a 'white' sparkling wine versus the expected red wine) with fairly generous large chunks of meat - though it was just a tad chewier than I expected for Kobe.  But overall very nicely done pot pie, and I loved the buttery flakey pastry puff.

Striped Sea Bass & Oyster Papillote ($29) celery root, shitake mushroom, tomato, black truffle vin blanc.  If there were Oscars for food, this dish would probably win for Best Drama - it arrived in a square, puffed up paper bag with rolled edges, and we all found ourselves waiting for the big reveal to see what's inside.  Our server tore into the bag to expose a delicately cooked filet of loup de mer, steamed inside the bag with a slice of lemon, celery, shitake mushroom, and tomato - and of course the pleasant 'surprise', creamy oysters.  The whole thing was then dressed with a black truffle white wine sauce that infused it with fragrant and unmistakeable truffle flavor. 

After the great meal (not sure if it was the aphrodisiac effects of oysters, but felt huge love for oysters!) we were treated to oyster-free desserts from the regular menu.  Chaya's signature dessert is their Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with Caramel Ice Cream ($9) which was delicious with its buttery, light, layered pastry a departure from the normally dense, heavy bread puddings at other restaurants. 

We also had Lemon Curd Cake ($9) - a light and refreshing finish with a cheesecake-like round topped by a cookie half shell filled with blueberries, and light, subtly tart lemon curd in between.

Oyster lovers can check out Oyster Food Fair at CHAYA Venice through March 3rd.

* Disclaimer: This meal was hosted
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CHAYA Venice
110 Navy St., Venice, CA 90291
Ph: 310-396-1179

Parking: Self-park in structure $4 with validation

Website: thechaya.com/venice
OpenTable: opentable.com/chaya-venice

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