Please The Palate |

Inventive Sushi at Sushi of Gari in New York

On a recent trip to New York, I had an unexpected open night and decided to get a last minute ticket to a Broadway show. I rushed to Times Square at 5:30 pm to get a ticket for the 7:00 pm show of To Kill A Mockingbird. Once I had my ticket, I had some time to kill and was hungry for dinner. But, I was in Times Square and as I looked around, everything looked rather touristy. I wondered if I would be able to find somewhere in the area that was actually good. After a quick Google search and referring to a few articles in Eater, Thrillist and Time Out, I decided to head to Sushi of Gari located a few blocks away.

As I entered Sushi of Gari, I was expecting to order a couple basic items but my eye caught the omakase menu and I inquired about it. Unfortunately, I did not have time to enjoy the entire menu but my server suggested that I select the Sushi Special which included nine pieces of sushi and one roll.

19 February, 2019

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel

When I travel to New York for work, I typically stay at a hotel near where the event I am working will take place. This past week, I was in New York for a wine event that we decided to do in The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel, in Manhattan's Financial District, within walking distance to the World Trade Center and the Brooklyn Bridge. I decided to stay there as well for the convenience. I had seen photos on the internet and read about it but nothing could prepare me for The Beekman. It is one of the most magnificent hotels I have ever stepped foot into and hence it is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

From the moment my car pulled up to the doors, I was greeted by a bellman who grabbed my bags. Check-in at registration was friendly and quick and then I was escorted to my room by a friendly young man, JB, who marveled at the beauty of the hotel with me, even though he looks at it every day.

09 February, 2019

Go Old School and Warm Up with a Bowl of Killer Shrimp

With all of the restaurants to chose from in Los Angeles, sometimes it is easy to forget about those that have been around for awhile. So, when I was invited to visit Killer Shrimp in Marina del Rey, I was looking forward to re-visiting it. Killer Shrimp is a big bowl of shrimp with a spicy broth. It is a recipe that was created by rock musician Lee Michaels more than 30 years ago. His son Kevin, who is the CEO of the company today, was a young surfer at the time and called his dad's special home recipe "killer" shrimp. After testing it around town, they started a pop-up in Venice and then opened up their first spot in Marina del Rey, following by Studio City and later other locations. Growing up in Studio City, I would drive by Killer Shrimp regularly but was afraid to try the spicy "killer shrimp" as I did not handle spicy food well. And, at that time, the menu only included Killer Shrimp, served in the spicy broth with bread or poured over angel hair pasta or steamed white rice. Here we are a couple decades later, the weather is cold and I have built up a tolerance for medium spice. I headed to the single Killer Shrimp location, looking forward to warming up.

Killer Shrimp is located in Marina del Rey in a huge space with fabulous waterfront views. There is an outdoor patio, a full bar and private event space. And, the menu has grown beyond the Killer Shrimp. As per the name, and the location on the water, the menu is seafood and fish driven with appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees, as well as the original Killer Shrimp menu.

22 January, 2019