Newport Seafood

This San Gabriel Valley spot is not of the salty old fisherman and oyster crackers ilk, but it's still a seafood fave, albeit one that imbues Chinese, Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese flavors and cooking styles.

Begin with a hot and sour soup before moving on to seafood-studded chewy rice noodles. Salt and pepper crab drowned with sliced chilies, chopped scallions and golden fried garlic is a delicious deep-fried mess, but don’t ignore the elephant—er, lobster—in the room, though. It’s why everyone is here. This Newport special is wok-fried and tossed with spicy jalapeño, green onions and clarified butter. The plucky creature, served at a minimum four pounds and dripping with juices, is an undertaking worth ruining your best shirt.