Submarine Crab - Hawthorne

I’ll admit I was flabbergasted when I saw the "coming soon" sign across a Submarine Crab. Another nondescript, seedy-looking complex now slinging sacks of seafood boil. 

Turns out the owners are locals, and the opening of this Garden Grove giant may be the best thing that’s happened to me all year. This is the south bay’s best seafood boil to date, and their Torpedo sauce rocks. It hits but not too hard if it's mild, and it covers every inch of every shellfish. The crawfish are sizeable, with firm and fresh tails that pluck right out. Shrimp in their shells are succulent, and juicy little clams and tender mussels soak through with sauce. The Mini Sampler is the best deal for two, and you even get some corn, potatoes, and sausage. 

Plenty of other items on the menu to supplement your seafood if you wish. Unnecessary but available. Popcorn Chicken is deliciously, freshly fried, 

and Garlic Noodles are pretty great, just chewy and buttery with a garlic bite. Only order if you like garlic. 

Eat there if you'd like, but their takeout option is pretty great for a night in front of the TV or at a rowdy family dinner. They include paper for easy cleanup and gloves in every bag so you can enjoy it anywhere you like, emphasis on the JOY. 

Aptos Trip Day 7 - Roux Dat, Soquel, CA

 Lunch is a quick delivery, and I can't resist a name like "Roux Dat". 

They do a decent cajun menu, with a crispy, Spicy Fried Chicken Po'Boy which isn't really spicy. Still, a pretty good chicken sandwich, and I like the po'boy breading.

Went for the 1/2 & 1/2 Roux Dat Stew: Spicy Shrimp & Corn Etouffee and Chicken Gumbo with Okra & Andouille Sausage separated by a wall of white rice. The etouffee is gooey-savory, a nice mix of shrimp and sweet corn. The shrimp taste like they were frozen for a while, and again, not so spicy. The gumbo is equally not memorable, but a bit darker with a darker, meatier essence.

The Corn Bread is the best thing by far, with cajun season clinging to the sides, glued on by melted butter. 

Beignets are super sugared, but they are a bit dense and thick. I figured they wouldn't travel well so I can't fault only the restaurant - they might be better fresh. 

I like it, I don’t love it, and I wouldn’t hate to have more of it, but I also wouldn’t seek it out. I didn’t rue that, but I also wasn’t too impressed. That said, it takes real guts to make a good stew, and I do appreciate their efforts. 

Gelson's - Manhattan Beach

Mardi Gras is for the partiers, and I've long since left that behind. 

But the Crawfish Boil is for everyone, and Gelson's will give to two for a measly $25. Just pour on the seafood broth and spread the garlic butter around. Pop it into your preheated oven and in 15 minutes, you get a bona fide boil. 

The crawfish are okay - a bit salty but not bad. The shrimp are juicy and just perfect, and there’s nothing to peel. They do well with the veggies too: the corn sits in the sauce, and it’s a mix of sweet and savory. Slices of sausage add their savor, soaking into potato, carrots, and long green beans. 

This is the first time I’ve been to a Gelson’s food counter, and I’ll be coming back to try the others.

Darrow’s New Orleans Grill UPDATE - Carson

What would you like? A Zeek or a Zeek?

The all-fried Zeek is king...or is it? Golden shrimp, catfish encased in a crumby shell, creamy potato salad all in a chewy roll...

Don't decide before you give the grilled Zeek a go. The shrimp are super tender, and the catfish is almost buttery, a feat when working with a bottom feeder that usually tastes like mud. 

Which did I like better? The Zeek or the Zeek? Depends on my mood. My gluttony favors the fried, but my arteries appreciate the grilled. The fried has an extra crunch, but the grilled has so much flavor. Solution: Go halfsies on both. I don’t know much about love, but I know I need someone who's always willing to share a couple Zeeks.

Darrow’s New Orleans Grill - Carson

Support black businesses. And more importantly, support the best businesses! Darrow's makes the best sandwich in the South Bay, and it's our damn fault if we let them go!

The best sandwich in the South Bay. You'll hear that a lot. Many dare to make the claim, but none of them make the Zeek. And none of them that dare to make this claim have ever had the Zeek. A po'boy with potato salad sounds like something you’d see on thisiswhyyourefat.com, but it’s unequivocally the best of the bayou between two slices of bread. Fried catfish has a crunch, and the shrimp are sweet and fresh under golden-brown breading. The creole potato salad cushions the rougher edges of the frying, and there is something about how the mashy potato and mayo bring it all together. It's also a literal glue so your sandwich never falls apart.

The Bayou Classic made me nervous - life is like a box of oysters - you never know what you’re going to get. Fear the salty pungency, fear the briny stench, and especially fear the freshwater oyster which tends to taste like mud. No fear needed, the oysters fry light, and the freshness kills the stench. The frying cuts the slime factor, and the texture and finish are more meaty than mollusk in a way. A bit on the saltier side, but stays on the tasty side. 

Fresh seafood seems to be their specialty. The Soft Shell Crab Po'Boy is a smooth and sizable crustacean, sweet and for lack of a better description, just really good. 

The Chicken Sausage is nice as well - made with dark meat to give it some extra flavor. The spice mix sings, but I wish it would singe a little more. It doesn't have that Cajun-Creole fire, but it would make one heck of a breakfast. 

Sides are important, and all of theirs are vegetarian. I prefer my collards with the ham, but these Bayou Blend Greens are a healthy, garden-y, god's-green-earth mouthful of bitter greens that have a refreshing pop. 

Also vegetarian, the Red Beans & Rice. The beans are soft-boiled, the rice fluffy but firm. Comfort food for sure. 

I recommend a soup and sandwich, specifically a po'boy to dip into the File Gumbo. I've had my share of gumbos, and this is the gumbo to roux them all. A brown, almost-gravy stew is spicy and meaty with crab and shrimp bringing out the seafood savor and chicken adding the meaty flavor. 

I support Darrow's. Because they are awesome! They roll out some of the best flavors that ever graced a roll, and judging by all the hits I've tried, they seem to be on a roll.  

Orleans & York Deli - Carson

The boy wanted a po’boy and Darrow’s wasn’t open. That’s the only reason we ordered here. 

Do pardon my cynicism, the food isn't bad at all. It's nothing you'll remember, but definitely nothing you'll try to forget. 

The Catfish Po’boy is nice. A good, golden fry with even breading on tender filets. Plenty of it packed into a soft sub, squished in with shreds of lettuce and slices of tomato. 

The Shrimp Po’boy is better pan-grilled. Some seasoning on some butterflied shrimp, though not particularly flavorful, is a nice contrast to the monotony of more breading. Plus you can pretend it's healthy. 

They’re not my first choice for Cajun, and they're probably not my first choice for anything, but they’re not really not bad, just not particularly exciting. They’ll satiate and minimally satisfy but don’t expect the fireworks. Hold out for Darrow's if you're local, otherwise save yourself for Little Jewel of New Orleans in LA. 

Shrimp By You - Torrance

Maternity leave and social distancing have put a damper on my food adventures to say the least. Ordering in is limited to places close enough to deliver, and photos will be of to-go boxes and cartons unceremoniously dumped onto my kitchen’s plates for a while. 

Photographer I am not, but believe me, this Clam Chowder looks much better than the grayish hue my soup cup would suggest. The consistency is on the thinner side so you’re not assaulted by cloying  cream, and there is a fair amount of clams in fresh-tasting micro-chunks

Yelp thinks they do a decent seafood boil, and I don’t disagree. The whole shrimp are probably better, but the Peeled Shrimp are a lot less work. The shrimp are decent quality, like the kind you’d get in a supermarket cocktail. The Cajun sauce is a little bit watery and I wish it would have soaked into the shrimp more, but the spices are nice enough.

The Mussels do taste fresh and tender, and the simple black pepper sauce works just fine.

A pretty good seafood boil to go, though I imagine it would taste even better in house. Good quality, satisfying enough. If you’re craving seafood with a hint of Cajun, Shrimp By You is fine by me.

Brenda's French Soul Food - San Francisco, CA

When you go to SF, your aim is to check out the city. Walking to Brenda's will give you an opportunity to check out the entire city. A walk through the Tenderloin is eye-opening, even in the harshest light of day, and that is the only time I would ever recommend not taking a cab. 

It's worth the walk or drive. Brenda's serves all sorts of comfort food with southern sass and Cajun flair. Just come hungry because all their food is incredibly rich. 

Start with a Beignet Flight if you can't decide. They're mostly sweet, but they'll work as an app or sub for a main, and they'll do just fine for dessert as well. The Crawfish is their most unique, a mildly spicy, gooey-cheese mix with a few tender tails. The Plain is a fluffy classic - sometimes simplicity is the sweetest. The Chocolate is rich, dripping with a filling of molten Ghiradelli chocolate - save this one for last. The Granny Smith Apple might be my fave, it's like a buttery apple turnover inside a hollowed-out fritter. 

Shrimp & Grits, the slightly grainy, butter-and-cheese tradition, topped with fresh pan-kissed shrimp. There's a tomato-bacon gravy that pulls it all together. The texture is more like a warm salsa than a goopy gravy, and the acid from the tomato brightens things up a bit.

You don't need it, but a Sweet Watermelon House Tea is a surprisingly light sip to break up the heavy bites. The watermelon dilutes the sweet tea so it's not the same sugar-rush as the traditional supersaturated southern tea. That said, I might prefer the sugar rush sometimes.

I'm not sure I'd go back to Brenda's but only because SF has so many other options I'd rarely visit the same place twice. But if you're in the neighborhood or have the hankering, Brenda's is worth at least one visit.

Orleans & York Deli - El Segundo

It's a giant sandwich. A Shrimp Po'boy the size of a Subway footlong that ate another footlong. The shrimp are sizeable and reasonably frozen-fresh. Golden fried as advertised, with lettuce, tomato, and mayo in moderation.

Little Jewel of New Orleans is a gem for Cajun, but Orleans & York is not. The service is brusque at best, and the sandwich hits the spot on the shallow surface.  A lot of volume for the dollars, a large quantity compared to the cost, but expect a mediocre sandwich that is more filling than it is satisfying. 

Ragin' Cajun - Redondo Beach

I've had a long day. Too long a day to cook a compelling dinner for two. I love Cajun, and I was ragin' so Ragin' Cajun was an obvious choice.

The Bourbon Flight was the first bit of fun I've had all day. Each little glass had varying amounts of dark and fruit and wood. But it only works for so long on an empty stomach.

My hanger was horrible, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized 20 minutes into sipping bourbon that none of the food had arrived. "It's only been 5-10 minutes," our server insisted, as if my watch were lying.

The Crawfish 1/2 & 1/2 arrived, and I wolfed down batter-burdened crawfish tails and felt them soak up all the booze in my empty stomach. The breading is heavy on the thin little tails, but it's the better 1/2. The erroroneous etouffe had a spicy kick to it, but it was more like a watery soup. Shallow flavor with no detectable roux.

Our catfish po'boy came out as a Crawfish Po'boy, but we ate it in stony silence. We didn't dare send the sandwich back, lest we wait another hungry half-hour. The po'boy was fine and forgettable.

Don't be fooled by the reviews. They only get good yelp reviews because they give out free Beignets in exchange. Yelp says it's a check-in deal, but our server refused to honor it as such, telling me I had to write a review. He eventually relented and said he'd bring the beignets, but they must be invisible because mine never materialized... And the beignets-who-must-not-be-named were never mentioned again.

Check your bill. Chances are, it is incorrect. They charged us $19 for the flight, which is $18. We pointed out the error and were told, "There is nothing I can do to change that - that's just how it rings up on the register." Ummm... Excuse me? It's not about the amount, it's more about the fact that they've stolen money from countless customers. They gave us cards for $5 off our next meal. As if we would ever come back.