What: Snow crab nigiri
Where: Nobu Indian Wells, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, 78200 Miles Ave., Indian Wells
How much: $10 per piece; two-piece minimum
Contact: 760-200-8185; noburestaurants.com/indian-wells
Why: It’s so fresh and tasty.
If someone would have told me, when I moved here more than a decade ago, that it would one day be possible for someone to eat at Nobu before attending a professional hockey game—without leaving the valley—I’d have suspected serious mental illness on the part of the speaker. But it’s indeed possible, because our little Coachella Valley is growing up, as evidenced by the presence of Acrisure Arena and a Nobu restaurant year-round.
I have not yet been to a Firebirds game yet—it’s on the must-do list for the team’s upcoming season—and I only recently visited the local Nobu for the first time, even though the restaurant has been open full-time since February, and during the BNP Paribas Open since 2014. While my recent visit was my first, it certainly won’t be my last—although I’ll need to save up come cash between each visit, because Nobu ain’t cheap.
I’ve long been a fan of Nobu restaurants, not because of the fanciness, but because every single piece of fish and seafood I’ve had during my visits has been stellar—and such was the case during our recent Indian Wells visit. Among all of the amazing nigiri, the snow crab was the standout.
Crab has a sweet, salty, subtle flavor, and in far too many dishes, that flavor is overshadowed or even muted by other ingredients. This is why I prefer to eat crab on its own—and the snow crab nigiri at Nobu was some of the freshest, most delicious crab I’ve ever had.
Yes, $10 for one bite of food (albeit a large bite) is a lot. But trust me: That snow crab is worth it.