"Sushi at Sunset" the best sushi by the Sushi King.....Chef Keith Roberts.

[Keith Gilabert]

If you want to have an excellent meal that leaves you feeling refreshed. Go to Ocean and Vine at Loews in Santa Monica.

The sushi is fresh and full flavor.

Enjoy,

Keith Gilabert

[Keith Gilabert]

This is another place I really enjoyed for sushi.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/828915

Enjoy,

Keith Gilabert

[kevin]

Really ?

[Keith Gilabert]

Do Killer Shrimp!!!

[westsidegal]

can you tell us the approximate pricing and whether or not they validate parking?
(the normal parking fees there are high.)
what varieties of fish did you try?

any pictures?

can you refresh my memory? are you the poster that likes killer shrimp?

[trojans]

Leroy Jenkins!

[Jwsel]

He is the poster who likes Killer Shrimp.

What does "full flavor" mean when it comes to sushi?

[Keith Gilabert]

Killer Shrimp Rocks!!! I will never back down from that one!!

[Keith Gilabert]

Hey, parking is a lot. I think I paid around $40 with tip. I meal for 3 of us was about $220

I hope that helps.

Take care,

Keith Gilabert

[PeterCC]

What's with the hate on Killer Shrimp? I understand that it may not be everyone's cup of spicy broth, but you Chowhounders are making me feel bad for liking it.

I remember in one thread where you, westsidegal, "respectfully disagreed" with my rec for KS, but without explanation or offering an alternative places for similar food. If it's personal taste and nothing on the menu appeal to you, there are plenty of restaurants that I don't like too. But I don't go out of my way to discourage someone from a place unless I think they'd have a bad experience with the food or service or unless a better alternative is available, so I am curious as to why.

Killer Cafe, on the other hand, I would not recommend. We went on Sunday and the meal took a long time (30+ minutes) to arrive after we ordered, and it was basic breakfast items. The brioche french toast was meh, the granola was standard, and the shrimp and grits were nothing to write home about. The best part of the meal was probably the hash browns, which had a nice golden crisp from the griddle. I would not go back there again.

[Servorg]

I found a very similar shrimp dish to the classic one featured at KS being done by Feast from the East. http://www.ffte.com/ which is served with French bread for dipping. I'm not sure if this is a "some time" special or it's always on the menu, but it was really good (if you like the KS style "soupy shrimp" dish that is...).

[PeterCC]

Thanks Servorg. Interesting, I would not have thought of an Asian restaurant.

[Servorg]

I was surprised when I first saw they were offering it (this was shortly after the "new" KS came back to life) and I was finally intrigued enough to give it a try. I thought it was very similar to the KS version I used to eat at their old upstairs location on Washington Blvd. in MDR. The broth is pretty spot on and they don't overcook the good size shrimp (which they don't skimp on in terms of quantity either).

[westsidegal]

ok, since you asked:

1) the quantity offered by KS for the money was adequate
BUT
2) the quality of the shrimp, was inferior to that of the shrimp they used to serve in the old days.
although the shrimp were large, they were not at all sweet, they were rubbery, and they were way overcooked. Dunno where they sourced the stuff, but it bears NO resemblance to the sweet, tender, shrimp they consistently served in the old days.
and
3) the quality of the sauce was also way inferior to the sauce that they served in the old days. was more like salty water with old, woody, bleached-out rosemary floating in it. (where did they even find this old stuff? the 99cent store offers better quality spices. it's not like rosemary is an exotic ingredient. . . )

if they were going to have such a disconnect in terms of quality from what they used to serve, maybe they should have given the place a different name.

at any rate, there will always be a customer base of folks who like quantity and may or may not care about quality of preparation: i'm just not part of that base.

imho, this dish, in it's present incarnation is simply not worth eating.

[PeterCC]

Thank you for taking the time to explain your reasons.

For me at least, it's hard to directly compare how something tastes in the here-and-now with the recollection of how something tasted in the past. I think sentiment gets in the way at least a little. Obviously I can remember if a dish had a particular flavor I enjoyed, but tastes can also change, so I don't know if something I had a recollection of enjoying, even if it could be recreated exactly, would taste the same to me years later as I remembered it tasting. (Does this make any sense at all?)

I will say that I do remember always being happy with my meal at the old place, that the garlic and rosemary in the sauce really stood out, with the shrimp not making as big an impression as I'd expect, so likely it was good quality shrimp (I'd remember if it was mealy or overcooked or whatever) but wasn't "OMG best shrimp ever!" separate from the preparation.

I've not found the quality of the shrimp at the new place to have the issues you stated. In the probably dozen times I've been to the new KS, only once has the shrimp approached overcooked. The rest of the time, they've been plump, "snappy", and not rubbery or shrivel-y as overcooked shrimp gets.

I think they must brine the shrimp to have it stay plump and flavorful, and I will say sometimes the saltiness of the brine (distinct from the broth) is a bit strong, and the sweetness gets overpowered a bit, but overall I don't think the quality of the shrimp itself have gone down much if at all.

I don't disagree with the lower-quality rosemary, and I think they skimp on the chopped garlic, as compared to the original sauce. But it's certainly not just salty water. However I will concede that overall, if I had to rank old KS and new KS, I would probably put old KS above new KS, but I can't shake the feeling that I'd be doing that partially out of nostalgia.

As I've not found the shrimp itself to be lacking, and since no other place nearby serves a satisfactory bowl of similar stuff (and I've tried JACKshrimp down in Newport Beach even, and don't like it as much as either old or new KS), I'm happy to have the new KS than no KS.

I guess you could say that means I don't care about the quality, since you've judged the quality to be lacking, but certainly if the shrimp I had were overcooked or rubbery every time I went, I wouldn't go back no matter how cheap it was or how many shrimp they gave me. Perhaps we may just have a difference in threshold for the quality we're each willing to bear, or perceive the gap in quality between the old KS and the new KS differently.

I am curious how may times you've been to the new place. Not trying to convince you to try it again, but just wondering if the restaurant had an off-day (or days) when you went. Of course, after a certain point a place gets no more chances, and it looks like the new KS has reached that point for you.

[Keith Gilabert]

Hello Westsidegal,

Here what I have to say about KS

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/839638

Don't forget...YOU MUST TRY THE SWEET POTATO PECAN PIE....IT'S TOO DIE FOR!!!

Cheers,

Keith Gilabert

[kevin]

I will have to agree that I sort of like Killer Shrimp, but it's not as good as before. Not nearly.

And it's sweet potato pecan pie with fresh whipped cream is good.

But I'm confused Peter, is there a Killer Cafe and Killer Shrimp, and you like one of them but not the other?

thanks.

[PeterCC]

Yes, they opened the other side of their humongous space as a separate restaurant: http://killershrimp.com/killercafe/.

[kevin]

so the cafe version is better in your opinion?

And thanks for being a frequent poster now, good to hear your thoughts.

esp on sushi.

[PeterCC]

No, I said above that I would NOT recommend Killer Cafe. Service was slow, food was mediocre. Wanted to like it, but couldn't. Probably like how westsidegal feels about the new KS. :-)

(Thanks for the kind words. I've lurked on CH for years, figure I'd start adding to the conversation.)

[J.L.]

Have you tried the cajun shrimp at The Boiling Crab?

[trojans]

All this talk of shrimp is killing me. Who has the most full flavored killer shrimp like dish?

[PeterCC]

Here you go, trojans: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/850563

[PeterCC]

No, but I've had similar dishes at Bubba Gump and Bourbon Street Shrimp years ago when KS first shut down, and neither could hold a candle to the original KS. Haven't tried the dishes at those places since then to compare to the new KS.

[J.L.]

If you're gonna do the spicy shrimp thing, do it right and go experience The Boiling Crab. Try it, and then we'll talk.

[PeterCC]

Will do, but I thought The Boiling Crab was in the same vein as Joe's Crab Shack and Bubba Gump, a chain seafood restaurant that isn't that great, as chains often aren't. Is Boiling Crab the best of the bunch? Also, is their cajun shrimp like KS's, in broth with bread to dip, or is it steamed/boiled shrimp with a cajun rub, a la Maryland blue crab with Old Bay?

(Mods, should this be spun off into its own Killer Shrimp thread?)

[kevin]

Boiling Crab is a mini-chain at best, shrimp or rather crawfish boils with allt he sauces boiled in a huge plastic bag thrown at white butchered paper covered tables and great washed down with copious amounts of cheap beer.

it's La. by way of vietnam by way of vietnnamese expats who made the trek from texas after settling there, supposedly, i think jg, mentioned something along those lines.

[PeterCC]

It does look and sound a lot better than other seafood chains. I'll definitely have to check them out.

[bulavinaka]

The spice levels are there for a reason. It can be quite so - order accordingly. Also, I don't know if this is still the case, but they didn't offer bread when we went long ago - it seems a natural to sop up the juices and double as a sort of primary napkin. I don't know if this is still the case, but if you want bread, I don't know if you can bring your own - banh mi places in SGV and Garden Grove/Westminster that sell nice Vietnamese baguettes. It might be worth a call. And don't wear your Sunday best. Hand wipes of some sort get bonus points.

[Servorg]

Another option: http://www.clawsrestaurant.com/

Yelp photo: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/p3dRFk...

[westsidegal]

PeterCC:
imho, bubba shrimp's version is substantially worse than the new KS.

neither one worth eating.
neither one compares to the old KS, which actually was chow-worthy.

[PeterCC]

Finally something we agree on (Bubba Gump's being worse than either KS--well I'm assuming it's worse than the new KS). :-) The Bubba Gump experiment was in a fit of desperation after the original KS closed.

[westsidegal]

can't figure out how the place stays in business. . .

[bulavinaka]

People over the years who claim to know good food have claimed to me that this place was amazing. We've eaten here once out of desperation and I have to say - the movie is one of my favorites - just the movie.

[westsidegal]

someone who knows good food claimed that the food at the bubba gump chain was amazing? unbelievable!

[Keith Gilabert]

I agree.

[bulavinaka]

Squeeze in, "claimed," in the first part of your response. They obviously don't know.

[kevin]

Suupposedly there's also a killer shrimp style dish, near the old KS space, on washington called Sunny Days, or Sunny ?(something) where beechwood used to be located.

anyhow, they have the langostinos in a new orleans-inflected broth.

[J.L.]

Can you describe the dishes instead of using general adjectives?