Sea urchin topped with fried yuba (tofu skin) for a little crunch, or request an omakase meal (chef’s choice) and let Takahashi know about your sea urchin fetish.
You can always count on Marino’s squid ink pasta tossed with Santa Barbara sea urchin, with a balance and subtlety that display a master’s touch.
Start out with some fine tempura, like the savory soft boiled egg fried in a light crunchy batter, before the main event: sea urchin cream udon ($15.95).
At $23.80 the Nigaya Bowl is packed with value. Sea urchin three ways - fresh, marinated and par-boiled - is neatly set alongside sea cucumber, scallops, tuna, salmon, and salmon roe sashimi.
The Bomb.com is a brilliant combination of made-to-order guacamole, Santa Barbara sea urchin, and chicharrones that melt and crackle in your mouth while the Beastie Boys blast from the DJ console.
While the seafood has its hits and misses, the live, freshly-shucked sea urchin is delicious and inexpensive, around $11 a pound.
One of the showstoppers is raw hamachi topped with sea urchin that’s kissed by a splash of mezcal—it’s the only time that liquid smoke is ever fashionable.
Conant has added a breathtaking cauliflower panna cotta seasoned with cooked crab, sea urchin, caviar and some shaved black truffle.
Reserve one of the private booths, take your shoes off, and sit around plates of fresh sashimi, and uni sushi shipped in from Hokkaido.
The new location offers an iced shellfish platter that serves five called “The King”: whole Channel Island sea urchin, whole lobster, whole crab, and a gathering of shrimp, oysters and clams.
