Killer Shrimp, Marina Del Rey

Secret recipes, delicious food, and waterside dining is what you can expect from Killer Shrimp. I suppose its called Killer Shrimp because they are known for their Shrimp dish. I recommend getting the "Original"....Shrimp cooked in their famous and super secret sauce. A recipe I'm told that only the owner knows. I can't tell you what is in it, but I could definitely taste the chili flakes and saffron. It was a very unique sauce for shrimp and because it's what they're known for, I do recommend trying this. 

Although the steak can be hit or miss, my grilled hangar steak happened to be uhhh-mazing!!! It was incredibly juicy and tender. Cooked perfectly, seasoned well. I'm picky when it comes to steak but this was a good one! But my favorite part would have to be the bone marrow griddle cake that it comes with. So indulgent but totally worth it!

For a side, we got the Lobster Mac and Cheese...because, well, Lobster mac and cheese. This was creamy and had quite a bit of lobster pieces.

If you want something a little fresh, I recommend the aquachile for that.

For dessert, I went with the sweet potato pecan by. Very rich and sweet. Two bites is all you need!

All in all, I'm very happy with what I ordered and would recommend them all. I would also recommend this place for a nicer family dinner or date "night"...but instead of going at night, you should definitely go while the sun's out so you can truly enjoy the ambiance. Hope you enjoyed my review! Leave a comment and let me know if you have ever been to Killer Shrimp.

xoxo,

Nellie Christine

Surfside Bar & Grill, Venice

Venice Beach, CA was originally founded by Tobacco millionare Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a beach resort town. Fast forward a century and it is now one of the biggest tourist attractions in LA. Visitors can take advantage of the beach which stretches for miles, watch live performances, OR my favorite thing to do which is, eating of course!

Venice Beach has so much to offer but when it comes to food it can be hit or miss. That’s why I was excited to try a new restaurant that happens to be in the heart of it all, Surfside Bar and Grill.

Venice has a plethora of carnival food like hot dogs and pizza, but I was looking for something a little more for the adults. That’s why I was excited to try a new restaurant that happens to be in the heart of it all, Surfside Bar and Grill.

The menu at Surfside is as diverse as the people in and around Venice including both Mexican and Asian influence, from Korean fries to Mexican Pork Skewers. Personally, I’m open to it all, as long as it tastes good, I’m in.

The Korean Fries was made with caramelized kimchi, onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, cheese, bulgogi steak, and sriracha mayo. The bulgogi had so much flavor and went really well with the fries and cilantro for freshness. I’d order this for taste and biggest bang for your buck. Definitely great for sharing in a group.

You can’t go wrong with the Mexican pork skewers or the chicken wings. Loved em! 

The salad I had was also worth ordering too. It was very well portioned. Dressing was deliciousl Loved the sweetness from the caramelized pear and sugar coated pecans. But most importantly, had two little fried goat cheese patties. YUMM! This may not be a regular on the menu, but all their salads are equally incredible.

I'm always a little skeptical of Korean/Mexican food fusion because of one bad experience I had, but their Korean tacos were so tasty, just like the fries. The tacos are made with bulgogi, short rib, carm kimchi (not even sure what carm is), onions, cilantro, and a sriracha aioli. 

The Surfside fish tacos are made with grilled wahoo, tropical marinade, pineapple habanero slaw, served with chips and salsa. I think this dish might be a little more filling than the other tacos because you get a generous portion of fish. 

The breakwater Burger is made with ½ lb angus beef, Applewood bacon, aged cheddar, tomato, grilled onion, lettuce, pickles, tangy sauce on a brioche bun. It was so juicy and tasty, and another great option for biggest bang for your buck.

The Mac and Cheese was more of a pasta dish than mac and cheese, not enough cheese or sauce to my liking so I would probably skip this, even though my expression says otherwise :) I'm just happy to be here! 

They’ve got brunch daily from 11 to 2 pm, and happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 to 7pm on drinks and Food! You really can't go wrong with any of the drinks so I'll leave that one up to you to figure out. 

The dessert on this day happened to be a cast iron skillet of freshly made bread pudding, topped with vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled with caramel. Yes, this was as epic as it looks. Something you definitely want to share. 

The next time you go to Venice, head on over to Surfside and let me know what you think of it! Check out my video as well and show some love! 

Xoxo,

Nellie Christine

EMC Seafood, Koreatown

EMC Seafood and Raw Bar is restaurant located in Koreatown of los Angeles. I had the pleasure of experiencing it first hand and I'm now a fan.  The ambiance is that of a upscale restaurant with plenty of seating.  They have many options to choose from when it comes to the raw bar, from Octopus, to scallops, to live uni. Everything was extremely fresh and delicious. Read on to see what we ate.

From the Raw Bar, I tried the Octopus, Scallops, and the uni. All are great options and I would order them again. If you are an uni lover, then you'll like the uni here. Its soft, buttery, with a hint of the sea. It's difficult describing the taste of uni to those who have never had it. All I can say is go with someone who likes uni and try it out. 

Uni

Octopus

Scallops

My favorite dish though, besides the uni pasta (more on that later), is the Spicy Albacore Tuna Crisps. Holy Moly! First of all, I'm a sucker for crispy wontons, secondly, their tuna mix was really flavorful. It was drizzled with eel sauce and topped with micro greens for freshness. I seriously wish I could order like 5 of these and eat them all myself. I was really sad that I had to share...(insert fat girl "humpphh"). I would put this on my must order list.

Spicy Albacore Tuna Crisps

Oysters

If you're the kind of person who knows your oysters, then you'll love EMC because they actually have different kinds to choose from like the Fanny Bay or the Fat Bastard, freshly shucked to order. They come with horseradish, cocktail sauce, and homemade ponzu sauce, but I always have my oysters with just lemon and salt. My mouth is literally watering as I'm writing this!

Oyster shooter

Now on to the cooked food...I ordered shrimp, seafood stew, and the bone-in rib eye steak. They were all delicious, so its just a matter of preference and if you happen to be feeling it when you go. But I do want to elaborate on the steak a bit because this was quite different. First off, the meat was cooked exactly how we ordered. It came with a semi-sweet balsamic glaze that had caramelized onion and whole garlic. This was different than how I normally take my steak..(covered in loads of butter), but I think unique enough and worth mentioning. 

Whole Shrimp

But of course, my favorite dish, and probably their most popular dish, is the Uni pasta, made with cream, fish roe, chives and dried seaweed. This was so rich and creamy, and had the taste of uni throughout the dish, without it being overpowering. They really got it right in my opinion.

The drinks at EMC Seafood are also noteworthy, as they take a lot of pride in their mixology. My favorite, also highlighted in the video, was their lychee drink. The good news is that they've got happy hour that includes both food and drink! Two happy hours in fact, a daily one and a late night one. Before you go, check the day and time of their happy hour as it varies with each location. 

To sum up everything, if you're into the raw stuff, you can't go wrong with anything. I had an assortment and there wasn't anything I didn't like. Same with the entree's as well, but out of everything the absolute must orders are the spicy albacore tuna crisps and the uni pasta. And if you're not into seafood, they have a good number of delicious options for you too! 

Watch my video and if you like it give it a thumbs up and leave a message in the comments section. Love you all and thanks again for your support!!