Every Time's An Adventure. Plus The Little Jewel's Soft Shell Crab Po'Boy.

Pretty much every time I strap my Greco to the roof of the car and head to the beach, it feels like going on a little adventure. You never really know what's going to happen. For example, today once again conditions weren't quite what I expected, but there were fun little waves, and so I paddled out and caught a few. I have made some really major improvements lately, and I'm not sure why, but I'm going with it, and it feels really good. Anyway, also on the subject of the unexpected, I was heading home, and I look to my left at a stoplight just after having left the beach, and there's my old surfing teacher! I have to get him to come and see the improvements (although with my luck, I'll choke when he's there watching so maybe not quite yet, eh?).

While we're on the subject of being adventurous, it's good to be an adventurous eater. I've always been one, even as a little kid. It often amused my parents -- I ate escargots (snails!), and once tried Pheasant Under Glass (didn't need to do that again), and I think the first time I ate Soft Shell Crabs was when I was about twelve, at some restaurant our parents had taken us to in Westchester County, in New York. I can still recall that dish -- there were three Soft Shell Crabs on an oval plate. They'd been, I think, dusted in flour, and then simply fried in butter, and then a lemon-caper sauce was served on top. "You eat the whole thing, shell and all," I remember being told by my dad (or, well, it might have been the waiter). So I took a bite. There was a slight crunch, and then the taste of the sea. They were really delicious, and a little exotic, and from them on I'd order Soft Shell Crabs whenever they were in season and I'd see them on a menu. They often have them for sale at McCall's Meat And Fish in Los Feliz, and one day I'm going to get some and try to recreate that dish. The only thing that's been stopping me is I'm not sure Sam's going to like them, and they're not cheap!

But there's another place that's been featuring Soft Shell Crabs, one of my new favorite lunch spots, The Little Jewel Of New Orleans, in Chinatown. If you haven't been here, go. Go right now. The food is excellent all around, and there's also a little market where you can buy cool things, and there's always great music playing in the background, and everybody is always having a good time. Lately Chef Marcus Christiana-Beniger has been featuring a Soft Shell Crab Po'Boy, and every time I see the picture he posts it's been a day that I haven't been able to get there, and that's been a bummer. But the other day I finally scored one of those puppies. Here it is:

This Po'boy knocked my socks off! Oh, wait, I wasn't wearing socks. But it would have had I been wearing them. Two perfectly fried, crisp Soft Shell Crabs sat on one of those incredible Leidenheimer rolls. There were pickles, Gruyere cheese, and a kicky remoulade. I added a little Crystal Hot Sauce, of course, and along with a Swamp Pop to wash it down, I was in Po'Boy Paradise.

Thanks again, Chef, for bringing this sweet gem to LA.  Again, everybody go!

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