Lobster Extravaganza | Heroic Italian, Santa Monica, CA

By Sophie Gayot

Live Maine Lobster

Santa Monica, CA, July 2021

• GAYOT’s Rating: 15/20
• CuisineItalian / Wine Bar
• Lunch & Dinner Mon.-Tues. 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Wed.-Sun. 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

After a week of vacation in Maine, restaurateur Jeffrey Merrihue could not help it: he had to make lobster the king of the table. After all, his nickname is “Extreme Foodie,” and he always wants to put this attitude to the task. So, he came up with a six-ways-to-eat-your-lobster plate.

The explanation is in the video below, and please watch it to the end. It was partly filmed in the kitchen. Kudos to chef Vicente and his team for working so hard in the heat of the fire. Every time I step into a restaurant’s kitchen I never understand how they can stand for so long in these high temperatures.

As I previously wrote, Merrihue has a never-resting creative mind and is on a constant quest of making it better. So, before he finds himself a passion for a new ingredient, produce or recipe, head to Heroic Italian, one of GAYOT’s 2019 Best Restaurants in the U.S., to savor the daily flown-in live Maine lobsters.

The dessert that evening was a new one from his friend Andy Gavin: a triple layer chocolate pot de crème (white chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate “pop-rocks”). I am not sure why I only had one…. Perhaps the lobster, which I put one myself in the boiling water (someone had to do it), wanted to dominate the evening.

Heroic Italian – GAYOT’s Rating: 15/20
514 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-490-0202
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