Seems I’ve been hearing about lobster a lot lately. The New York Times talks about lobster all the time. The recently banned from Yelp Kit F tweets about lobster rolls quite a bit, including sending out this Tasting Table article today.

How awesome would it be to have roaming lobster roll trucks? If the Atlanta Street Food Coalition has its way, it could be a reality some day soon. Speaking of the ASFC, they put out a message today that they are trying to raise some money to have a study published. Consider donating a buck or two on their website.

Anyways, the chatter about lobster rolls lit a fire under me and I decided to make my own. I read a number of articles regarding the numerous variables that aficionados argue – the roll, butter vs mayo, garnishes, filler, and so forth.

I decided to go with H&F hot dog buns, toasted with butter, lined with lettuce, then filled with a mix of sweet steamed alive lobster flesh, Duke’s mayo, celery, a small amount of mustard powder, then topped with chopped tarragon. H&F was out of hot dog buns at the PRFM so I had to go with some rolls from The Fresh Market. They weren’t bad.

To be candid, I wasn’t pleased with the effort. It was too gloppy, even though I tried to be judicious with my use of mayonnaise. I’ve decided my next effort will be a minimalist effort, perhaps only applying a splash of butter on the lobster meat. I like the lettuce and the celery crunch is ok too.

Small (1.25-1.5lb) lobsters can be purchased at Super H or Buford Highway Farmer’s Market for $8/lb. Three 1.25 lobsters were enough for three large lobster rolls. They could have been enough for four moderately filled rolls.

Last weekend I did something I’ve been itching to try; I cooked a challenging meal with another person. I’ve slightly assisted people in the kitchen before, or vice versa, but I wanted to take on an ambitious undertaking from recipe creation to plating with someone else and see how successful we could be. When Biskuit was willing to participate, and offered up his very dining-party-friendly home, I jumped at the chance.

One of my faults in the kitchen is that I often take on too much and I often run out of time or get frazzled when it comes time for the final push to put everything out on the table. Trying to finish a sauce, sear the meat, warm up a side dish, and not forget that I have bread in the oven all at the same time can be challenging and I tend to screw one or two things up.

For this meal we took on a six course menu from Thomas Keller’s French Laundry Cookbook. Anyone familiar with this book knows his recipes are neither quick nor relatively easy, so they would be a good test to see how the two of us would work together.

I couldn’t have been much happier with the results.

Each dish was planned out better than I’ve ever done on my own. Grocery shopping was quicker. Doing our prep on Saturday and Sunday, glass of wine in hand, Beastie Boys blaring, was fun.

When it came time to plate, dishes came together fast. Every garnish was remembered. I was less stressed, and the meal was delicious.

– THE MEAL RUN-THROUGH –

Plating was set up ahead of time for each dish. I don’t do this enough, but now know it’s a must-do.

We started with the gruyere gougeres. Super easy, they’re fantastic right out of the oven.

Next up, the famous salmon cornets. Creating the cones was a cumbersome task, with multiple failures along the way. Then once they were done, when it came time to fill them with the creme fraiche, followed by the sashimi grade salmon from BHFM, many of the delicate cones fell apart.

I had the cornets at Per Se a few months ago, and only now do I respect the effort involved in this tiny, beautiful dish.

(This photo, and a few others are by Rowdy Food, as I couldn’t take many photos while we were working).

Next up – cucumber “cappellini” (cucumber strands textured like pasta), pickled Kumamoto oysters from Star Provisions, caviar, and dill.

Very briny and acidic, with nice texture, it was probably better looking that it tasted, but it’s worth it for presentation value alone.

The lobster crepe with carrot-ginger emulsion and pea shoots (Peas ‘n Carrots) may have been the star of the evening. The mascarpone rich lobster filling flavor could have been lost in the sweet sauce, had the mixture not been fortified with the lobster glace we made by boiling the stock of three lobsters down from roughly one quart of water to three tablespoons.

This dish is a keeper.

Next up – rack of lamb (double cut, frenched) with bean cassoulet. It took me roughly an hour to butcher three racks into this cut, having to remove every other bone in the rack, then clean (french) the bone end. It was a new process to me, and I was glad I did it. I would feel much more comfortable doing it again. The first rack took me forever, but I got progressively faster.

The lightly cooked beans consisted of wax, beans, October, fava, marrow, and adzuki beans. The first four were quickly blanched, while the latter two were dry beans that were gently simmered until al dente. The dish is finished with rosemary oil and a lamb “quick” sauce, which actually took Biskuit numerous hours late into Saturday night to complete. When Thomas Keller writes “quick” in quotes, it’s a tongue in cheek notion.

I love beans, so I was a big fan of this dish.

Cheese course – Monte Enebro from Star Provisions, golden beets layered on both sides of matchsticks of red beets, beet reduction, and radish micro greens.

The lady at the juice bar at Whole Foods Buckhead looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted a full 20oz cup of plain beet juice, but the reduction was worth it. The whole dish was amazing, another keeper.

Dessert – strawberry and champagne terrine (separate layers) with creme fraiche and mint. We were interested to see how this one would turn out, and I thought it was surprisingly refreshing and enjoyable.

While this meal was obviously an undertaking, I can’t get over how unstressed I was when everyone arrived. I totally attribute this to working with Biskuit, and thank him immensely. He definitely did more work than me, especially in terms of cleaning up, so I owe him one. I can’t wait for the next cooking marathon with my friends.

Thanks to the famous Savory Exposure for taking photos with our cameras while we worked.

Also thanks to everyone that brought some nice wines.

Since a change at work at the end of last year, I am now in Columbia, South Carolina three days a week, allowing me plenty of time to explore their food scene. Unfortunately I think Columbia has a long way to go, especially compared to Charleston and Greenville, which are both vastly superior in terms of cuisine and weather.

Of course, there are gems, my favorite being Terra just across the bridge from the Vista (downtown). I probably visit once a week. Chef Mike Davis is young, creative, and recently had the honor of cooking at the James Beard house. The menu has some mainstays, but the specials are often the way to go. On a recent visit they were trying out some bar snacks, including lobster “corn dogs”. This was fresh lobster, fried on a stick, with a tempura like texture. It was a little gooey from being undercooked, but showed potential and was a fun attempt, and was worth ordering at $7.

I often end up ordering the wood fired pizzas, as they are too hard to pass up at $10. The pizzas are super thin, very much like Sardinian flat bread, with great toppings. The duck confit and port soaked cherries is my personal favorite, though the carnitas is a close second.

The frisee lardon is also a common order of mine – rich chewy Benton’s bacon, mushrooms, and a poached egg soaked in jus. Sinful and delicious.

Last week I tried the veal hangar steak with risotto. Perfectly cooked veal, wonderful al dente risotto with little cubes of roasted butternut squash, and once again, a good value at $20.

I don’t have a picture of another dish I like, but Terra commonly offers a skate wing appetizer, which is three medium sized pieces of fried skate, with celery root mash, and hericot verts for $8.

On another trip, I ventured towards the east side of Columbia, near the military base, where the best ethnic food can be found. The ladies at Mai Thai near my office, who often day dream about how good the Korean and Chinese food is in Atlanta, sent me over to Pho Viet when I told them I was seeking pho.

Compared to my first pho mission in Columbia, this was stellar, but I’m slowly learning just how good we have it in Atlanta. The broth was decent, though the ribeye wasn’t thin enough, and the brisket was tough and too lean. The omission of Thai basil was also disappointing, I love that stuff.

Last week I decided to seek out tonkotsu ramen. I found it at Inakaya. This was edible, but my heart sank as I realized that this was no Haru Ichiban or Yakitori Jenbei. The broth was too salty and was too thin, and the pork was a major let down. Rather than the thin slice of fatty, falling apart pork, these were three little pieces of tough pork, maybe small slices of roast loin.

The adventure of finding great food in Columbia has been a lot of fun, and as mentioned, only reinforces how good the food is in Atlanta, particularly ethnic food. Terra can be slightly inconsistent in execution, but I think it’s the best food in Columbia, with prices which beat anywhere of comparable quality in Atlanta. They also has a wide wine selection with fair prices.

I’m sure there are other “finds” in Columbia, and my plan is to try them all. 

<><><>

PhotoCuisine: Aioli Lobster Roll

Baked Perfection: Peanut Butter Fudge Krispies Treats

Chez Pim: Pasta with Pork Ragu

101 Cookbooks: Giant Chipotle White Beans

Foodista Blog: Malfatti (ed: note – this looks absolutely ridic)

If you have lobster shells, shame on you if you don’t make the stock. You spent too much money on the lobster to not get the added bonus of the stock. Even if your dish doesn’t need lobster stock, whip up a batch and freeze it for use down the road. Risotto prepared with lobster stock is absolutely fantastic. As I only used the shells of one lobster for the mac, I saved the other shells and prepared more stock the next day. 

Garlic, bay leaf, celery, onion, carrots (the mirepoix), tomato paste, olive oil, brandy, and the shells of one lobster (you can definitely use more lobster shells if you have them). 

Cook the lobster in just a bit of oil for a few minutes to release the flavors. Don’t burn the shells. 

Add all the veggies, give the pan a good shake. I use a ragoût pan which works perfectly for this purpose. 

Add the brandy once the veggies are a bit softer.

Add three cups of water and now the lobster is taking a nice little soak. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover & simmer for 20-30 minutes. 

Now we have a brief interlude for lunch. Fresh bread and arugula from YDFM, some leftover fontina from the mac, country ham, and creole mustard. 

A few minutes on the panini press, served with a side of leftover lobster mac. Not too shabby of a lunch.

Back to the stock. Now we have more depth of color, and a fantastic smell resonating throughout the house. 

Drain the stock through some cheese cloth if you have it. 

A regular colander will do, but the cheese cloth has the added benefit that it becomes very easy to squeeze out the extra flavorful stock from the vegetables. 

Use the stock immediately, or freeze for up to 2 months. It’s not quite enough stock for 1 cup of risotto, but you can dilute it with water and there will still be plenty of fantastic seafood/lobster flavor to go around.

Valentine’s Day is one of the worst holidays ever. It’s an awkward, commercial Hallmark event designed to sell cards, and restaurants quickly jumped on this money train offering high margin prix fixe meals and overbooking their seatings. I prefer to have a nice meal out just for the hell of it on a random night. Why on Earth would I decide to celebrate a special occasion out on the town when everyone else has the same idea? My meal at Rathbun’s steak last year to celebrate a larger than expected tax return was a heck of a lot more memorable/awesome than my abomination of a dining experience at Antica Posta on Valentine’s Day a few years ago. Especially when it comes to dining out, celebrating without a commercial reason can be a lot more fun. Less pressure. Less crowds. More spontaneity. 

With that being said, we did decide to make a nice meal at home the other Saturday night. Katie said she was willing to try lobster (bad vegetarian!), and when a friend sent me the link to the Epicurious Lobster Mac & Cheese, I knew this was the perfect choice.  I love mac n cheese, and actually I’ve had this dish before (thanks Mom) so I knew it was worthy. It’s also not too difficult. The ingredients are a bit costly, but the amount I spent is definitely less than a 3 course meal + booze in any Atlanta restaurant that night. 

We got some creme brulee going before we started everything else. We used vanilla and brandy as the flavoring, it was stupidly easy. They immediately went into the oven then into the fridge once they were set. 

The first course was a vegan Caesar salad, from the great website 101 Cookbooks. You use silken/soft tofu in the place of the egg, and almonds are added for texture. While it wasn’t my favorite Caesar dressing, it was quite acceptable. I didn’t have the capers or caper brine so that could have helped kick it up a bit and add some of the funk you lose by not using anchovies. I added some Worcestershire to try to help it out. If you’re vegan, or if you’re just not into mayo/egg then give this a shot. 

Note – you may have to blend the tofu for quite a while in your food processor to get a creamy, smooth texture. 

Here we have one of the two little guys ready to face death. All the other lobsters called this one “hammer claw”, in regards to his misshaped right claw. Obsessively depressed over his disfigurement and wilted by the jeering of his peers, he was ready to depart to a better place. He told me. 

Speaking of lobster:

Gorgeously sweet carrots from YDFM. 

This photo is getting ready for the preparation of the the lobster stock, an integral part of the flavor of this dish. This dish simply consists of the meat, the stock, cream, and a relatively small amount of fontina cheese. The complex flavor of the dish comes from the stock. 

You cook the shells, add some oil, add the vegetables, add brandy, then add water, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or so. Then you strain/squeeze out the liquid and you are left with lobster stock that is worth its weight in gold. I may do a post just focusing on this part as I made more stock the next day using the other lobster shells. 

As I said, once the stock is ready, it’s just a matter of assembling the pieces. We used gemelli pasta, which I think lends itself well to macaroni and cheese. The pasta is bite size and the texture picks up the sauce well. 

The mac is thinner than most, with great silky texture, and a powerful yet not over the top seafood flavor. It really is sort of like a dense bisque with lots of meat. The whole process of this meal does take some time, but I wouldn’t call it difficult. Just plan ahead, get your mise en place going, and give yourself plenty of time so you don’t feel rushed. I also recommend a glass of wine while cooking. Cava or prosecco is a good choice for inexpensive bubbles. 

Speaking of wine, the Taittinger Champagne Brut we had with the mac was pretty decent. Not as much complexity or depth of flavor as I was looking for, but for the price it’s not a bad buy for real Champagne. It had an above average amount of tiny bubbles, it was quite crisp, lots of acidity, but the finish of tart citrus/granny smith apple wasn’t largely appealing to me. Something with a little more cream would have been nice with the pasta. Still, not a bad buy, $34.99 at YDFM.

The creme brulee was fantastic but we screwed up the topping. We couldn’t find fuel for the torch so I found a method online where you melt the sugar and cook it until it appears slightly yellow, then you pour it on top of the dessert and let it harden. It failed miserably. That’s ok, I like the custard the best anyways. 

[nggallery id=21]

The last few days I’ve been out on the left coast, visiting a buddy of mine, using the UCSD Tritonman triathlon as an excuse to head out that way. I wanted to find a tri to help prepare myself for a half ironman in May, but there aren’t many triathlons this early in the season. The weather is always so gorgeous in San Diego, so though the water is fairly chilly, they are able to pull off an event in February. Also, call me sentimental, but I enjoy staying in touch with old friends, and when they live all over the country I have a fun reason to travel. We have a good time catching up, the change of scenery and weather is awesome, and my friend is into food so this inadvertently turned into a SoCal dining excursion. 

California is a different kind of place, I’m not sure I really fit in. The bills of my hats are too curved, I don’t own any man capris (or man-bags for that matter), and I shop at this place they have never heard of called “Brooks Brothers”.

It’s definitely a cool place though. The weather is awesome. Everyone was friendly. There are lots of beautiful people. And there is a fondness for the environment, fitness, a healthy lifestyle, and food. The latter generally incorporating quality, local ingredients using modern techniques and fresh ideas. The cuisine I saw was often a balance on a line between complex preparation and simple ingredients.

OK, there are a lot of pictures in this post, so I am going to keep it short regarding each destination. 

Before I get to California, there is one notable destination before you even leave Atlanta. 

One Flew South is the relatively new fine dining destination in the E Terminal in the Atlanta airport. Helmed by experienced chef Todd Richards, the restaurant is the first of its kind in Atlanta. You have to make the trek all the way out to E, but it’s definitely worth a visit if you have some time before your flight. The space is very clean and cool, having a regular bar as well as a sushi bar where you quickly dine on some real grub. 

The menu is varied, with a strong lean towards Asian/Japanese cuisine, but also having a Southern influence. I sat at the bar, ordered a nice Rogue stout, which was recommended by the awesomely nice bartender. Unsolicited, she then poured me a glass of Maker’s Mark and told me to try it because it balanced so well with the dark chocolate flavors of the beer. This is not your regular airport dining experience. Please give it a try next time you are in the ATL airport. It’s definitely pricier than most spots in the airport, but the food is definitely good and it’s nice to support local chefs who care about their food. 

Miso soup with cod, potatoes, rice crackers, and clams. 

Scallop with corn, sweet water beer foam, andouille sausage, served over a dark bbq sauce. 

Our first notable meal in San Diego was breakfast at The Cottage in La Jolla. The weather was rockin’ and we scored a table on the front patio, and enjoyed their quality food and scenery. We had a great fruit plate with strawberry crème fraîche, then some various eggs benedict, and wrapped it up with french toast for dessert. We pretty much shared everything we ordered the whole trip, so “family style” was a common theme at these meals. 

In La Jolla, checking out the seals. Overhead by a seal activist “They aren’t invading our territory, WE are invading theirs!”

Next up that day, the Pt Loma Seafood Market. We ordered ceviche, fish tacos, fried seafood mix plate, and some Fat Tire beers. Everything was great but the ceviche was outstanding. 

A huge plate of fish tacos

Nine-Ten is where we went Friday night for our “nice” meal. Located in a hotel in La Jolla, we got to check out their menu that afternoon. There was a good mix of seafood/sushi and California cuisine. They also offer the “Mercy of the Chef”, a 5 course meal determined on the spot by the chef.  We didn’t take them up on that offer, but we definitely ordered a lot of food. Each of us selected an appetizer, an entree, and we added a few more items to our order. The chef was also kind enough to bring us a few special treats. 

Hawaiian Tuna Sashimi, with hearts of palm, orange, yuzu, compressed banana, jalapeno, micro mustard greens, and nori. 

This was incredible. The compressed banana that it sat upon was new to me, and the complexity of this dish to accentuate the flavor of the tuna was impressive. There was almost too much going on, but I have to respect the thought. 

Lobster risotto with basil oil and 4oz of shaved black truffle. 

A whole large claw of lobster meat, with delicious creamy risotto and mouth watering lush truffles. Seriously. 

Jamaican jerk pork – baby carrots, swiss chard, plantains, black eye peas, sweet potato puree, covered with a spicy jellie 

This was incredible. The pork was so tender and flavorful, and each accompaniment went so well with it. The jellie was a nice, modern touch, and it actually added a fair amount of welcome heat to the dish. Very cool. 

Slow roasted lamb loin – baby squash, zucchini, pine nuts

Looked how well this lamb is cooked. Enough said. 

left: Olive oil semifreddo with powdered olive oil. Salt, savory, and incredible. 

House made ricotta cheesecake. Foams on desserts, yup. 

Panna cotta with rhubarb and pistachio wipe (I think)

Espresso with chocolate ganache on rim

This meal was easily in my top 10 ever. Dishes not pictured include: the halibut, the 24 hour+ braised short ribs, the shrimp/polenta amuse, the chilled white asparagus shot amuse, the chocolate dessert, the cheese plate, or any of the 12 wines ranging from late harvest Sauvignon Blanc to white Burgundy which were expertly paired with every dish by our waiter, Chris, who deserves a shout out. The food can only take you so far, and Chris carried the meal the rest of the way, turning this into an amazing 3.5 hour dining experience.

Oh crap, I have a triathlon in 6 hours. 

The sun coming up, almost the start of the race. 

A lot of kicking and flailing at the start of the race. I’m the one with the green cap. 

Baywatch water emergence

The race went well, but the only thing I was eating that morning was humble pie. This was a collegiate race, with teams from UCLA, USC, and Stanford, and others in attendance. These people were fit and experienced, and I realize I have a long way to go.

My reward came at the Hash House a go go. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table, but it was worth it. I spotted a B.L.T. Mary and knew it had to be mine. There was a large piece of crispy bacon in it. Awesomeness. 

Extra awesomeness – crushed bacon around the rim with the salt. 

Entree # 1 – quesadilla stuffed with eggs, potatoes, jalapenos, and a tomato w chili cream

Entree #2 – Sage fried chicken w/ fresh spinach, hardwood smoked bacon, market tomato, griddled mozzarella, chipotle cream and scrambled eggs, served over mashed potatoes and a biscuit. 

Entree # 3 – pizza sized pancake with caramelized banana + homemade caramel topping

OK, so this trip was a little out of control in the food department, but you have to blow it out every once in a while. Why travel thousands of miles to eat the same stuff you can get at home? I don’t regret one dime I spent, and I had a great time checking out the scenery and the cuisine. Thanks to Jeb and Jasmine for being fantastic hosts, and for sacrificing their bodies to the tune of 10,000 calories (estimated).

I love dining out in Atlanta, but cooking at home is often so much more rewarding. Give some of these a try!

More pizza coming once I get my work done. Enjoy!

<><><><><>

Lucian Delights: GRATINATED POLENTA CUPS WITH SAUTÉED SPINACH AND TALEGGIO

bitchincamero: enchilado de langosta y camarones

 
Brooklyn Farmhouse: Homemade Corn Tortillas

 
Fat Free Vegan Kitchen: Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu

 
Simply Recipes: Lamb Shank Stew with Root Vegetables

 By: Matt L (Contributing Writer) 

Jimmy’s Note: The first guest post (Power Meal: Super Stuff Pork Tenderloin) was quite popular, and a handful of people have asked if they could contribute, so it looks as if a “series” has been created. I’m a fan of it, and I think it’s cool that others are getting on-board. Now…on to the lobster.

To begin, lobster bisque has to be one of my favorite soups.  The one attribute of this particular soup that really matters to me is chunkiness.  Now, I don’t really mean this in the traditional sense, but just that most places (no matter how nice), will charge you an arm and a leg for completely liquid soup that has some lobster juice thrown in.  This recipe is far beyond any of those. 

I researched for a little while in preparation for my bisque-venture and found 4 recipes, from which I gathered some insight.  My parents recently went to Maine (following a trip to Bean-town to see GT play Boston College) and brought back several pounds of fresh frozen lobster.  The lobster is obviously the main focus of the soup, but don’t worry, you can find good lobster fairly easily (not cheaply though).  The bisque starts with a white onion, 2 stalks of celery, a shallot, a teaspoon of garlic, and 4 tablespoons of butter (no one ever said this soup was healthy).  I chopped the veggies up in a pretty small dice, but you can use your own discretion here.  Now, just throw everything in a nice and heavy soup pot over med-high heat.  Let the veggies soften and mix up with the butter.

When they look good and are soft to the taste, add 1/3 heaping cup of flour and mix it in really well with a utensil of your choice (I like wooden spoons).  I say “heaping”, because I added 1/3 cup and ended up having to dump some flour in towards the end to achieve a good texture, which is not ideal.  Once you have all that mixed, which shouldn’t take very long, add 2 cups of half n half.  Turn the heat to med-low and let this simmer for about 5-10 min.  The next step is to add the seafood stock.  Fish stock is recommended here, but if you are like me and traveled to 3 stores and found NO fish stock, you can use half clam juice and half vegetable stock (which ended up tasting amazing!!).  Add roughly 3 and a half cups of your stock, with 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, and turn the heat up a bit.  You don’t want to boil the soup, but get it pretty hot for about 10-12 minutes, so it thickens a bit. 

Once you have it at a decent thickness, its time for the LOBSTER!!  I used half a pound of cooked lobster meat and chopped it up pretty well.  You can use any size chunks you want. 

Turn the heat back to med-low and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes.  When this is done, you should taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  I accompanied this soup with a few chunks of fresh Ciabatta bread, for sopping, and threw a few freshly chopped chives on top. 

We have reached the conclusion of our Lobster Bisque lesson, and I am sure you will enjoy it.  In the spirit of Jimmy, I shall pair this dish with a wine.  I recommend a crisp chardonnay with an introductory blast of fruit and a woody finish…or just make a screwdriver.

The island hasn’t changed much as far as we are concerned (though recently an eco-friendly islander not-so-politely disagreed as I’m pretty sure he considered tourism a form of rape), but it’s comforting to know that certain things haven’t changed and that places like Jimmy Seas will be there waiting for us.

Jimmy Seas (no official website available – atrocious) is an Italian restaurant in Oak Bluffs that we pretty much go to every year. Everyone in our family loves it – the smell of garlic is toxic, the portions (often served in large skillets) are huge with even bigger flavors, the staff (while busy) has always been kind, and we’ve walked away satisfied every time. They have dozens of variation of the same formula – pasta + seafood + sauce/broth + flavor magic = awesome.

If one ingredient were to represent Jimmy Seas it would be garlic. They even have Jimmy Seas stickers that have their name, a picture of a head of garlic, and the phrase “Eat Garlic Live Love Last Longer”. While the actual health benefits of garlic are debatable, I’ll blindly follow their recommendation. Our favorite appetizer is roasted garlic that we spread over bread like butter, thus beginning an evening of offensive breath.

The dish that we all oooo and ahhhh over every year is the lobster fra diavolo (“brother devil”). Jimmy Seas was the first place I ever ate lobster and this was the dish that I had. I was around 15 years old. Insane, right? I can’t believe I didn’t like seafood when I was younger (I am still picky about quality) and even crazier is that it took me that long to eat lobster. And get this – at that time they offered you the choice of having the lobster served in or out of the shell. Of course being wimpy at the time I went the easy way out.

I noticed that Jimmy Seas doesn’t even offer that choice anymore, and I’m glad that they won’t let anyone cheat like I did. The presentation is comical and mouth-watering all at the same time.

This year I had not had lobster once, and I missed the dinner at the Homeport the evening before, I decided to go for it. The picture is below. I ate every bit of the lobster and almost all of the pasta. The pain was worth it.