Killer Shrimp, Marina Del Rey, CA

This place has been a Zagat bang-for-the-buck for a while, and the cool thing is that they only serve one thing on the menu: the cajun "killer shrimp," with the only options being whether you want bread, noodles, or rice. As they describe it, "We make only one thing: KILLER SHRIMP. Natural ingredients are simmered for 10 hours to create a luxurious spicy sauce. When your order is received, the shrimp are added to the sauce and cooked quickly. We then rush it hot to your table with fresh French bread for dunking."

And boy, is it a "luxurious spicy sauce" indeed. Full of butter, wine, loads of garlic, chili pepper flakes, and all sorts of other spices, this thing rocks. The shrimp sit in a big pho-like bowl with this "sauce" (it's more like a thin broth, actually), and just one dunk of the bread into this ethereal potion is heavenly. After that, dig your hands in and start peeling the shrimp (if you are too lazy to peel them, then opt for the noodles/rice versions, but then you miss out on the kick-ass broth). Don't bring fussy people who don't eat shellfish or spicy food - they won't have anything else to eat but the pecan pie.