Connie and Ted’s

July 22, 2013 / nomsnotbombs / 3 Comments

For a taste of the East Coast in WeHo, drop anchor at Connie and Ted’s. The newly opened and hotly anticipated restaurant from Michael Cimarusti (Providence) pays homage to two things the chef/owner loves: his grandparents (the inspiration for the spot’s name) and East Coast seafood shacks. Lately, I’ve had lobster on the brain, so I set sail for Connie and Ted’s to satisfy my craving and catch up with my friend Lindsay and her brand new baby.

The weathered-looking sign out front evokes the salt air-battered shacks of New England, but the architecturally-intriguing restaurant is all LA.

The stars of the menu at Connie and Ted’s– lobsters and oysters

Chef Cimarusti himself was in the kitchen slinging seafood during our visit.

Unsurprisingly, reservations here are a tough to come by, so we decided to go the walk-in route and arrive early, hoping to beat the dinner rush. Our plan worked perfectly; we put our name down at 6:30 and, within 20 minutes, were seated on the outdoor patio.

In terms of drinks, Connie and Ted’s offers an impressive array of craft beers (bottled and on tap) as well as a rockin’ cocktail list.

In fact, so rockin’ is the cocktail menu that ordering took some serious deliberation. I decided to go with the Catalina Eddy ($12.00), a refreshing blend of Jamaican rum, white demerara rum, housemade banana cordial, honey, and lime whose pure banana flavor was pretty remarkable. Tropical paradise in a glass.

I’m not much for shucking, but my two dining partners both enjoyed slurping down some oysters from the expansive raw bar (market price). The two of them oohed and aahed the most over the fresh, salty finish of the Luna oyster.

The Peeky Toe Crab Cake ($11.00) played perfectly to my crustacean-loving tastes. I was delighted to find this version positively jam-packed with crab meat rather than filler.

All three of us ordered a lobster roll, and it was a thing of beauty when they all hit the table.

Cold lobster roll served with a side of fries ($20.00)

Warm lobster roll served with a side of fries ($20.00)

Lobster roll enthusiasts are divided into two camps– those who contend that the best preparation is cold with mayonnaise and those who staunchly defend the warm version with drawn butter. In the interest of peace between the factions, Connie and Ted’s offers both. Both versions featured a hearty serving of plump and juicy chunks of lobster in a toasty roll, but, in the end, it was the buttery goodness of my warm roll that stole my heart. The crispy, extra salty fries were also standouts and would be a more than worthy counterpart to even the best burgers in the city.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie a la mode at Connie and Ted's

As with choosing a cocktail, zeroing in on just one dessert proved to be a formidable task. In the end, my sweet tooth opted for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie a la mode ($9.00) and was absolutely bowled over by its tart filling and crumbly crust. Bad things would happen if ever I sat down with this whole pie.

Connie and Ted’s is a place that I can’t wait to visit over and over again. I just can’t say whether I will actually try new things or heed the siren song of these same outstanding plates.

Connie and Ted’s
www.connieandteds.com
8171 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 848-CRAB

Crab Specials at The Spice Table

May 28, 2013 / nomsnotbombs / Leave a comment

Seasonal summer ingredients usually bring to mind colorful produce such as luscious stone fruit, sweet corn and juicy tomatoes. As we transition from late spring to early summer, however, another delicious ingredient comes into season: fresh soft-shell crabs. While some restaurants offer soft-shell crabs year-round, fresh ones are available only from around late April through early summer when blue crabs molt in preparation to grow a new shell. Sounds positively scrumptious, no?

Last week, I read a Zagat blog round-up of soft-shell crab dishes in LA and zeroed in on the Singaporean-style rendition at chef Bryant Ng’s The Spice Table. Since we already love the restaurant, my boyfriend and I immediately made a reservation and had soft-shell crab on the brain for the rest of the work week.

When Saturday finally rolled around and it was time for dinner, our server informed us that they were sold out of several dishes…and the Singaporean Soft-Shell Chili Crab was one of them. This news was so crushing that my memory of turning to Justin, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, is in slow motion. After shaking off our disappointment, we selected a handful of our favorite dishes plus another crab special of which we snagged the last order.

Dungeness Crab Noodles at The Spice Table

Our eyes lit up when the mountain of Salted Duck Egg Crab Bee Hoon ($28.00) hit the table. The vermicelli noodles tossed with salted duck egg yolk, chilis, ginger, pea tendrils and shredded dungeness crab and topped with a snow crab were delightfully super spicy, and the hearty chunks of pristine crab meat hit the spot.

As we were slowing down, our server came to our table and asked, “Are you guys still hungry?” She had overheard the kitchen talking about one soft-shell crab now available and said she didn’t know where the crab came from, but it was ours if we still wanted it. I think you know was our answer was.

The Singaporean-style dish featured a tempura-fried soft-shell crab served with a tomato chili sauce and a thick slice of toast ($18.00). The golden, crispy tempura crust soaked up the subtle heat of the chili sauce, and the crusty toast provided the perfect vessel to mop up any leftover goodness. The relatively tame chili sauce could have benefited from some of the ass-kicking heat of the Crab Bee Hoon, but the dish was still delicious, especially because it almost didn’t happen.

Thai Iced Tea Soft Serve at The Spice Table

While this Thai Iced Tea Soft Serve ($5.00) is obviously not one of The Spice Table’s crab specials, its milky sweetness provided the perfect counterpoint to the heat of our meal and was excellent.

According to the Zagat blog post, Chef Ng estimates that soft-shell crab will be on the menu for about a month, but each day’s menu depends on the availability and size of the crabs, so call ahead to check if you’re feeling crabby!

The Spice Table

www.thespicetable.com

114 S. Central Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 620-1840

Santa Barbara Shellfish Company

September 21, 2010 / nomsnotbombs / 1 Comment

Lobster. The mere mention instantly connotes images of kicking back on an East Coast shore with a claw in hand while clad in a Polo shirt, plaid shorts and loafers. But why should those who “summer” as a verb have all of the fun? We Californians also have 1) ocean, 2) piers and 3) shabby chic-esque restaurants that sit on those piers and should, therefore, also relish in shellfish goodness.

Recently, J and I visited Santa Barbara on a day trip with my visiting best friend, giving us all some much-needed change of scenery. As this was our first trip to the coastal town since I discovered my affinity for lobster and crab (and as J and my friend are both seafood fanatics), a seafood dinner was decidedly in order.

Santa Barbara Shellfish Company sits at the end of Stearns Wharf, a one hundred thirty year-old Santa Barbara landmark. We noticed that, despite the close proximity of several other seafood restaurants, only Santa Barbara Shellfish Company had a crowd of (presumably) hungry people gathered outside. Good sign. We wrote our names on the clipboard posted outside the entrance and within 30 minutes scored an outdoor table with a view of the ocean and the setting sun.

The view of the crabs while we wait for a table

The interior of Santa Barbara Shellfish Company

Although the evening quickly became unexpectedly chilly, the setting was too perfect to pass on ordering ice cold beer, and we began with a pitcher of Kona Lager ($16.50).

Because we came for one thing, all three of us ordered one thing: lobster. Although the whole lobster special sounded appealing, we all opted for the half lobster with a salad and side ($23.95).

When our plates arrived, we immediately dug in, cracking and snapping away at our half lobster, which was neatly cut right down the middle. I first tackled my lobster’s tail of which each bite was meaty, sweet and succulent and downright heavenly when dipped in butter. We all noted with some surprise that the claw, which usually plays second fiddle to the tail, was just as delicious as its aft counterpart. After these larger pieces were devoured, a silence fell over the table as we intently focused on digging every last bit of meat out of the spindly legs.

We finished our meal (i.e. looked up from our plates) just in time to watch the sunset with contented bellies full of beer and lobster and bask in the sheer perfection of the moment.