3 SoCal restaurants that serve lobster in brand-new ways

When people think of lobster, they often think of those whole red bad boys served with drawn butter that you crack into with a plastic bib and hand wipes at the ready. But you can easily find the coveted crustacean transformed into extravagant, dreamy dishes at restaurants around Southern California. Here are 3 places to get your lobster fix in brand-new ways.

This eatery in the red-hot Arts District feels like a bustling bistro but with an extra-innovative menu from a pair of chefs who met while working for celebrated French chef Alain Ducasse. The duo dreamed up their luxe lobster with basil bisque to showcase Maine lobster in a multitude of preparations, bringing protein, veggies, starch, and seasonal products to one pretty plate.

Poached lobster sits atop a ragout of chopped claw meat mixed with celery root, rice, cognac, and more. A luscious lobster-basil bisque sauce poured tableside is the perfect complement. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

San Diego is the unofficial fish taco capital of the United States, and this taco shop with 3 local outposts gives guests a dozen seafood options to stuff in its corn or flour tortillas, including slipper lobster, a flat-headed, clawless crustacean found in warm waters.

Diners can get the sautéed lobster tossed in the shop’s signature Cajun dry rub with brown sugar or slathered in a choice of marinades such as sweet-and-smoky chipotle glaze. The slipper tacos come with pico de gallo and shredded cabbage, and are topped with cheese and a house-made cilantro white sauce. Locations in Encinitas, Pacific Beach, and Point Loma.

When this waterfront restaurant’s owner returned from Boston last summer raving about a memorable lobster chowder, Executive Chef Victor Soto decided to make an elevated version of the comforting soup that would fit with The Cannery’s upscale, seafood-heavy menu.

Soto poaches Maine lobster, then sautés the claw, leg, and tail meat with leeks and sweet onion, reserving the heads and shells to make a stock that he blends with sherry and cream. The chef hand-blends the soup into a milky foam, pours it over the lobster meat in a cappuccino cup, then garnishes it with a garlic crouton, resulting in a whimsical starter.