What's this dish at Neptune in the North End
Been to Neptune in North End on a a few Thursday nights... I've seen mention here of the spaghetti & Lobster special which is only on Mondays. Was thinking of trying to get there on a Monday with a family member who loves lobster. However, this person does not like spicey food. Can anyone with experience with this dish provide a heads-up of its content, taste and integrity ?? If there's any "fra diavolo" or red pepper effect, the ol' uncle won't go for it. Thanks.
By Buddernut
on Aug 19, 2008 07:05 AM
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I have not had this dish. Others here will post.
However, on a related note as I know some hounds will be interested to hear, I sent my folks for their anniversary dinner to Osetra SoNo in South Norwalk, CT - the restaurant run by the Neptune's former head chef, David Nevins - to eat this very dish (also only served on Monday nights.) They both loved it! Lots of fresh herbs, not spicy was the feedback on it. Also, generally, they were really wowed by the creativity and the execution at the CT place.
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I had it a month or two ago and it was not spicy. Lots of herbs and a delicate flavor so as to not overwhelm the lobster. And there was lots of lobster.
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It's a great dish. Chunks of tomato, garlic, parsley, and yes, of course, lobster, along with perfectly cooked pasta. It might have a slight zing of flavor but I don't remember it being spicy (and I'd remember!) Very good, albeit somewhat pricey.
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Great.... thanks, sounds quite worth the treat for the ol guy.... he'll love it.
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It sounds like the same dish as the CT place - the photo attached is from its website - let us know if the dish at Neptune looks anything like this....
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I had the lobster spaghettini as recently as six months ago, definitely under the current chef, and I found it loaded with enough dried red pepper flakes as to slightly overwhelm the lobster flavor. It sounds like, according to more recent reviews, that this is not the case anymore, but I'd call to be sure. It's only served on Monday nights and is not cheap ($30 if I recall correctly).
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I just dug up my most recent notes on this: "a big, bold-flavored dish, a mound of slightly underdone pasta with copious chunks of Maine lobster tail meat, sauced in a spicy plum-tomato marinara with white wine and a fistful of sliced garlic, topped with Parmigiano and dark-roasted breadcrumbs." $33, not $30. It's also worth noting that they nearly always run out of this dish well before the night is over, so go early if you want to be sure to get one.
Very good, but not my favorite dish on a menu where I love almost everything (I'm also not a huge fan of either of their two versions of a lobster roll, mainly because of the damnable brioche roll). It's almost more notable for being one of the few pasta-based dishes I've seen there, a rare nod in the direction of its Italian neighbors.
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MC S,
You touch on one of my peeves about Neptune. I am fond of it over-all but it is not Italian. Most notably because of their contemptuousness toward bread. I'd forgive them for the location but they push it with e.g. the quip on the wall in the men's room, something about "when an Italian drinks to much they say he has eaten too little" or something. Good (very) expensive seafood: yes. Italian: most certainly not.
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My own take is that Neptune is unabashedly French in inspiration, deliberately avoiding anything that smacks of Italian (which the neighborhood has plenty of, good and bad), except for that one Monday-night special.
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I've never considered that Neptune is trying to be an Italian restaurant. It just is what it is. They happen to do a wonderful lobster in red sauce with pasta. The first time I had it, honestly, I was not blown away. It was good but not all that. The second time it was really fabulous -- lots of delicious lobster meat in a perfectly seasoned red sauce. Just exactly what I was craving. (also, not spicy at all) Expensive, this dish? Absolutely. Get it to share (easily enough for 2+) or eat some and save the rest for lunch the next day.
ps -- also not a fan of the lobster rolls because of those rolls. The fried clams are awesome though...
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Well, there's also the obsession with Processco ...
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