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.