We decided to get our money's worth out of my temporarily-issued handicapped placard (bright red, hangs off of the rearview mirror) while we still could. In addition to allowing the vehicle to be slotted into a marked space, if you park at a meter and display the sign - it's free. Ditto a parking lot.
Ergo, we had a brief debate over the merits of two places on the Hermosa Beach Pier -- Killer Shrimp or Sharkeez. When no agreement was forthcoming, I suggested one tonight and the other next week.
Killer Shrimp is the replacement for a Mexican restaurant that was there for years. It was "upscale" with a big patio out front which had and still has a great view of the Pier, but it was cold - it's always cooler off of the water - so we ate inside.
Studying the menu I saw something entirely new to me. There is a marked-off section of the menu for the "Killer" items. What's this "killer" stuff? The menu boasts that there is a rolling boil pot of their secret broth into which whatever you ordered - shrimp or crab or lobster - is cooked and "rushed to your table." Frankly, the thought of servers rushing anywhere with a big bowl of boiling hot fluid seemed ... unattractive somehow. And certainly detrimental to your person if they banged it down on the table with too much speed. I could visualize one standing there, all puppy dog eagerness for praise at bringing your dinner in record time - while you dabbed at spots of burning liquid all down your front.
Ah well. Life is full of risk.
We started with a Stella ($6) for Richie and a dirty gin martini, up, ($9) for me and the popcorn shrimp ($7 - happy hour; $9 regular menu) for both of us. They were daamned fine! They arrived on a thick porcelain oval platter with a big wedge of lemon and an excellent tartar sauce on the side.
These were fresh, medium-size shrimp, lightly battered and roaring hot (temp not taste.) They were far superior to those found at Old Tony's on the Redondo Pier and to the Ragin' Cajun's offering. I told our server, Marcela, so and she cooed.
Richie ordered the Killer Shrimp, Shelled ($19) rather than the peel'n eat version. Having watched me laboriously peeling shrimp across France, he wanted no similar part. I ordered the Killer Shrimp and Lobster. The shrimp were peeled, the two Pacific lobster halves were not.
The "broth" a clear version, in bright orange, nearly set our hair on fire and we like hot/spicy. It took a minute to get used to it (and to quit coughing as both of us had Airplane Throats - you know, protracted time Up There?) But we did and we enjoyed it.
Portions are generous and despite eating our fill, we had enough left over for dinner last night. I cooked it as they did, with one variation - I put the cooked shrimp in our bowls, cut up the lobster meat and put it in the bowls with the shrimp and poured the boiling broth over them both, just to warm them as they were, of course, already cooked.
Dinner with drinks came to $105.73 plus a $21 tip for TWO night's dinner. Roughly $25 per meal is by no means bad. And the dinner was good. Especially those popcorn shrimp ... I wonder if they deliver?
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