Nope, not this kind of killer shrimp! Killer Shrimp, the decades-old Marina del Rey seafood concept that sprouted from a spicy, secret family recipe eaten in the home of owner Kevin Michaels, is expanding to Santa Barbara this summer, where Kevin’s brother, Mika, resides. The restaurant, which was reborn in a fancy new, 20,000-square-foot setting serving cocktails on the marina in 2011 after Michaels saw three existing locations shutter, will take over a former Sharky’s on the surf town’s State Street. The menu will reflect the original here, but take advantage of local seafood for new dishes, including specialties sourced from The Channel Islands. Pacific Coast Business Times reports that the brothers will seek a dance permit for late-nights at the new location, though one of them is hoping, “not to be a college nightclub.” In Guacho-ville? Good luck with that one!
As to the restaurant’s signature dish, we learn that not even the cooks know the full secret recipe here, while the name came from this surf family’s eighties lingo. Kevin Michaels explains, “We’d say ‘Dad, make us the killer shrimp.’”
So, in other words, a less careful choice of words might have easily resulted in the brand being named something like “Bitchin’ Shrimp,” but we luckily dodged that bullet.
Killin’ It: Shrimp Restaurant Chain Sets Sights on Santa Barbara [Pac Biz Times]
