Let me continue with the eating adventures we had on my recent trip to California. I took you through the first 24 hours. Now let me tell you about some old favorites and some new discoveries. (By the way, the lovely creature featured at the top is from our favorite sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills.)
Sushi Yu & Mi
On every trip we find a day when we are ladies of leisure in Beverly Hills – having sushi at Yu & Mi and shopping on Rodeo Drive. The baby octopus was a special on the menu. I love the tender chewiness of octopus and while this wasn’t my favorite preparation, it did make for dramatic photography.
Among the things we enjoy there are:
We ordered so much more than what I’m sharing here. All the fish is fresh and their rolls are creative and delicious.
Ice Cream Lab
Just a couple of doors down from Yu & Mi we discovered Ice Cream Lab. I got very excited when I realized this was one of the new types of made-to-order ice cream shops that uses liquid nitrogen to instantly freeze the custard base. I’m a sucker for this type of high-tech cookery. Although we were full from eating sushi, we had no problem devouring this ice cream.
In addition to the Salt Lick Crunch we also tried Blue Velvet Frozen Yogurt and Mulholland Mint Chip – all delicious and if we weren’t so full, we could have easily had more.
Umami Burger
On another day we headed over to Umami Burger in Costa Mesa. I’d been here before and really enjoyed the Truffle Burger but I’d heard about a special, limited time only burger created by Michael Voltaggio and I had to try it. The Voltaggio Monte Cristo is an experience and just as over the top as you might expect a burger to be. Here’s the description and a photo:
It’s beautifully presented but I have to admit it was a bit much for me. Thankfully I shared it along with a Truffle Burger with my friend. Turned out to be a good balance.
The other things that make Umami Burger so good are their sides – fries with different dipping sauces, giant tater tots, and fried pickles. Yummy!
The Boiling Crab
And to finish off this installment of California feasting, we found ourselves on Super Bowl Sunday at The Boiling Crab. As soon as we walked in there I realized that the last time I’d been there I was so focused on the food I didn’t notice all the televisions throughout the restaurant. On Super Bowl Sunday it’s a bit of sensory overload but it didn’t matter, we were there for the food.
Similar to Raging Crab that I talked about in my post about my recent trip back home, The Boiling Crab is a mixture of Louisiana crab boil and Asian flavors. We got a couple of Dungeness Crabs (my favorite) as well as a couple of pounds each of mussels and shrimp. We get the Whole Sha-Bang spicy (Rajun Cajun, lemon pepper, and garlic butter). Just like at Raging Crab, everything comes in bags, steeped in the delicious seasonings. Along side they serve cut limes and salt – you squeeze the lemon in the salt to create a dip for the seafood. This is a put-on-a-bib-and-get-your-hands-dirty kind of place. Great with friends, probably not a first date.
There’s just one more installment left of our eating odyssey in California. Stay tuned!
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