Lobstery

So I’m going to NYC over Labor Day weekend. Like a true geek, I’ve already got my food tour mapped out. On the list are two Jewish delis, two pizza places, and Mario Batali’s restaurant. Also on the list (for reasons that would take entirely too long to explain here) are three, count-em… *three* different places for lobster rolls. Is NY even known for lobster rolls? Shouldn’t I be going to Boston or Maine for that? It’s a good thing I like lobster and mayo.

In the spirit of science, I decided that I needed to eat some sort of baseline lobster roll in order for me to properly judge the awesomeness of its NY counterparts. As I was researching online for a suitable version in LA, I find out that this place I drive by all the time in Alhambra was having a “lobster fest”. They had lobster bisque, steamed lobster with butter, and of course lobster rolls. I pretty much went to try it that night.

Not recommended. Guys, this thing was so pitiful looking that I didn’t know whether to eat it… or bring it home, feed it, and take care of it until it grew into a proper lobster roll. I’ve had maybe one of these in my life (in Boston), but even I knew it wasn’t supposed to be this bad. First of all, the sandwich was tiny. For $11, was I wrong to expect something a bit more substantial? It also wasn’t very lobstery. When you’re selling a lobster sandwich as part of a “lobster fest”, you generally want to make sure that your sandwich contains recognizable pieces of you know… lobster. Even Rubio’s does a decent job with this with their lobster burrito. Now I’m not saying there wasn’t a legitimate amount of lobster in there. If this sandwich were a multiple choice question, lobster would definitely be an option. It’s just that the filling was so chopped up and mixed beyond all recognition that it took on this fibery consistency that actually reminded me of crab. Add to that the waaay overbuttered roll, and the whole experience was rather disappointing. The good new is that with this sad little guy as the baseline, my NY lobster extravaganza has nowhere to go but up.

[in case you were wondering, this post used the word “lobster” 16 times. 17 if you count “lobstery”.]