Red Lobster

[GTFO]

Well, I don\'t know for sure if it was my taste buds going off kilter again or maybe a combination of something. I had the lobster and it sucked. It tasted bitter and was actually a little tough. I don\'t recall actually being a big lobster fan but that shall be my last one for a while.

It all started when I had one of those Taste \"desires\". I just felt like I had to have it. The rice pilaf was great along with the ice yea (tea), but thats it.

I will stick to the Maryland Blue crabs and shrimp!

Edited because I don\'t know what Ice yea is! LOL

[Luna]

It\'s a little late in the season to get good lobster, IMO. I\'m not surprised you didn\'t like yours.

[Former Member]

Dead Lobster isn\'t a place I\'d go for high quality seafood. Like Looney, I second the notion of not being surprised. Don\'t give up on it...just try a different restaurant

[Menno]

So when IS the right time for lobsters? I will be in New England next month and I was looking forward to eating lobster, but I guess that is not such a good idea then?

[GTFO]

I believe your right Webgirlie, I have learned that Red Lobster is the McDonald’s of seafood restaurants.

[Kevin M]

Red Lobster is a joke when it comes to quality seafood....although thoses who really don\'t know the difference may enjoy the place....
Having been a commercial fisherman for many years out of Montauk Pt. N.Y. The worst time to consume a Maine lobster( with claws,spiny or southern lobster has no claws)is just after it shed its growth shell,at this time the meat is soft, mushy and watery,not good....
When bying a Maine lobster, make sure the shell is hard when giving the body a little squeeze, if it has any give, avoid this lobster....Females which have a wider tail,to accomadate egg masses , usaully have the most meat....when comparing two or several lobster to buy, always take the one that weighs the most, of course were talkig about two lobster that are the same body size....the heavier one will have more meat of course....
Lobster shed there shells at all different times, except winter....when you buy a lobster in a restaurant, your at there mercy, its always best to buy your own and cook it at home, although this may be an ordeal for many....some hate putting a live lobster in boiling water or splitting it alive to be broiled/baked.....never accept a dead lobster from a seafood shop, even at a deep discount...you don\'t know how long its been dead and bad seafood can make you seriuosly ill....
Menno,you\'ll be able to find plenty of good lobsters on your New England trip....just make sure when ordering, you ask for a winner, thats a Maine lobster with two claws, the losers have only one...
Sam,i love them blue claws crabs....we got some nice one here on L.I....! Kevin

[Rosebudpetal]

I\'ve been to Red Lobster exactly once, and I ordered their lobster. It\'s the only place I\'ve ever had it served where it wasn\'t cooked all the way through and was actually raw in parts, resulting in it tasting fishy and absolutely awful. (As you can see, I\'m not a sushi fan.) However, you know they were charging me up the wa-hoo for it! Worse, this was after having to wait 30-40 minutes after ordering for it to arrive. I sent it back to the kitchen and requested, and received, a refund. (I was too tired to wait any further.)

Believe it or not, the lobster I continually order at, of all places, the Black Angus Restaurant is absolutely delicious in comparison to RL.

[PattyL]

I just wish there was someplace around here where I COULD get a great lobster! I guess it would help if I lived less than 1000 mi from the ocean!

[dianahc]

Inexpensive chain restaurants like Red Lobster serve FROZEN seafood. There is almost no seafood that tastes any good after it\'s frozen, especially shellfish. I believe Black Angus serves Australian lobster tails, and they have an OK method of flash freezing them, so they\'re not too mealy and mushy or tough. Live lobster cooked fresh is always a better choice, if you have one.

If you have a chance to go to Legal Seafood, their lobsters are DELICIOUS. Pricey, but worth it. http://www.legalseafoods.com/index.cfm?pid=10386 (that should be their Locations pages)

Oddly, my kids don\'t care for lobster -- I guess they were spoiled by years of fresh Maryland Blue crabs, which are more sweet and tender than lobster, while we were living in VA, from a nastly looking but absolutely wonderful place called Cap\'n Pell\'s. They have moved to more upscale digs since we left VA in 1999, but they are still wonderful and have an excellent supply of great crabs. If you live in the area, get some crabs from the Cap\'n -- the place (I don\'t want to overdescribe it as a restaurant, and I ALWAYS got my crabs to-go) is on Route 29/50 in Fairfax a few blocks east of Rte 123. The next time I go to VA, I\'m bringing home a box of them on the plane.

Diana

[Lawchick]

Red Lobster is like Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden, etc. It's high end fast food, but sometimes that's what you want.... It's a guilty pleasure.