Lobster entree prices/'burbs restaurants

[adiosoven]

Heard on the news last month that lobster prices are way, way down. We were shocked to see prices for Lobster 'Fra Diavolo and Lobster Casserole at $39.99 in suburb seafood restaurant this weekend. FYI, the menu stated establishment uses Canadian lobster, but would this cause higher prices? waitress said the prices were "outrageous" for these entrees, but didn't offer any explanation when we inquired about the cost. (We thought it was an error on the board!) Are these dishes that labor intensive? Was pricing here way off the mark? Your opinions? Thanks.

[EllenMM]

Went to the Mt. Vernon in Revere on 1A last night. Twin lobs were $13.99, except on Wed., when they have a $9.99 special. The portion was fine - 2 chickens, popovers, no sides. With a side salad, it was a very satisfying dinner.

[lexpatti]

we went to Fishbones in Chelmsford last night and both of us got lobster meals: his was lobster risotto - loaded with lobster $25. Mine was under and was a seafood dish (fantastic) loaded with plenty of lobster claws, shrimp, scallops, etc. Both our meals were enough to enjoy for lunch today as well.

-----
lobster claw
7A Main St, North Reading, MA 01864

[pinehurst]

Can you tell a directionally challenged pal how to get there? I get on route 3 (I think?) and....? Thank you!

[treb]

Another great deal is the 4lb. lobster dinner for 2 at The Palm for $89. with all the fix'ins.

[lexpatti]

if you are coming north or south on Rt. 3, get onto Rt 495 south to one exit (might say Rt. 110) head east into the square, after passing through the square (past Rt. 4) you'll see it on the left but it's somewhat one way there, you can go past it, up around the library, banging a left then you'll pull up to it on the right, parking is behind it.

[phonelady]

Twin Boiled Lobsters
$9.99
all day and night at the Mount Vernon
for Everyone!
Thursday, September 9.
no coupon required

That's incredible!

[Island]

OMG, this West Coaster has lobster envy!

[treb]

If you really want lobster envy, I saw them at a dock in Gloucester for $3.99 per pound. Bet you'd hope for those prices back in your neck of CA.

[Island]

Oh treb now you're just being cruel! Even the $39.99 was sounding pretty average before i started reading this thread. Few years ago took a fall roadtrip from Boston thru the NE to Quebec and gorged ourselves on fresh lobster in restaurants and little shacks along the way. Amazing and memorable.
I miss me some East Coast seafood. Summers always meant steamed clams galore bought by the bucket in a restaurant or net sack at the fish market. Is that still the case?
Here steamed clams means a measly overpriced flavorless dozen. Not worth trying to duplicate the clampalooza of my youth.

[Pegmeister]

I'm planning on picking up a few pounds of steamers today to go along with a couple of lobsters. Prices have been relatively high on clams compared to lobster prices. I think I paid close to $4 a pound last time. That and some freshly picked corn, it should be a good day.

[Island]

Yep great day. So how was that food porn Pegmeister?

[Pegmeister]

Sounds strange, but as good as the lobster was, the corn was just addictive. Maybe I just have lobster too often. Unfortunately, vacation is over and it's back to work this am.

[treb]

Steamers usually come in a very large bowl at resto's, last i had was the size if a large mixing bowl for about $10. In the markets they're around $3 per pound.

[StriperGuy]

In all honesty, New England summer lobster prices are probably the BEST Crab/Lobster value on the planet.

[hotoynoodle]

we were getting lobster this summer for $3.99 a pound -- that's insane. i swear, cheaper than baloney sandwiches!

[StriperGuy]

All this lobster talk was driving me crazy. After making a HUGE homemade challah Sunday night, last night I did the following:

Home made lobster salad after shucking 5+ pounds of lobsters.

Toasted challah in LOTS of butter in a cast iron pan, covered with micro-greens, then slathered lobster salad on top!

Lobster Salad

1.5 pounds lobster meat
mayo
lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Celery seed
Sweet onion and celery diced fine

YUM!

Only regret is I did not take a pic of the open sangwich when it was ready to eat.

[kathryn]

That sounds great! You should do it again! And take a photo this time. :)

[mcel215]

Yum.... looks fantastic. :)

[Pegmeister]

Ended up at Cafe deParis last night for the tenderloin with lobster & bernaise sauce, served with mashed potatos and sauted spinach. Can't beat it for $24.99, nice 7 oz tenderloin cooked perfectly. I also noticed that their description for their lobster roll, says dressed lightly with mayo, and seedless grapes. Not sure about that combination, but the bartender says they also put grapes in their chicken salad and everyone likes it. Maybe I'll give that a try next time. What do you think?

[Ora Moose]

lobster mania in the burbs:

http://www.freshcatchinc.com/uploads/...

[bobbert]

$39.99 is over the top in New England when the 1 1/4 pound lobster probably cost them, at most, $6.00. Even the fanciest restaurants downtown would be hard pressed to charge that much. 3 weeks ago, I bought 55 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pound lobsters from a lobsterman in Maine for a lobster bake. Paid $290.
Didn't mean to rub it in....

[StriperGuy]

And we weren't invited ;-)

[treb]

The Mt. Vernon on rte 1 in Danvers has twin lobster dinner for $13.99 all the time.

[StriperGuy]

Its $17 or $18 for dinner.

[phonelady]

I just read their menu online and thought a friend had told me as well, that the dinner price is also $13.99 on Mon-Tues-Wed evenings.

[StriperGuy]

Good to know...

[ryantheterrible]

If you sign up for the Mt. Vernon mailing list you get all kinds of deals. $9.99 twin lobster special going on til tuesday is the current promotion!

[StriperGuy]

$9.99 is ridonculous. Definitely a loss leader at that point.

[CambridgeFoodie]

I am curious to hear a review of this $9.99 twin lobster special! Someone please take one for the team!

[StriperGuy]

I've eaten at the Mt. Auburn. Not much ambience, but a boiled lobster is a boiled lobster.

[treb]

2nd that, I've been several times, could careless about the wallpaper and curtains, the twin lobster dinner is a deal, and the lobster comes from the same ocean.

[ryantheterrible]

Yeah I've been a bunch, the lobsters are great, staff friendly, but it's an old timey place where the servers wear vests. Sign up for the mailing list and see the deals if you don't believe me! You can also read a review of it in my blog which is in my profile.

[joebloe]

Anyone have link to this place Mt. Vernon?

Last year, I recalled lobsters was quite a it cheaper, w/ a Globe article saying lobster prices were $2.50/lb in Maine. What has changed this year nothing to make prices higher? Where's the deflation I keep hearing about?

[StriperGuy]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Mt.+Vernon+resta...

[Pegmeister]

http://www.mtvernonrestaurants.com

[hotoynoodle]

we bought lobsters last year a bunch of times at market basket for $4.99 per pound. this year i've gotten them for $6.99. still dirt cheap.

traveling up the coast of maine last summer into canada, i saw more houses for sale than not, maybe those guys went of business. how can you maintain your boat, business and family on those prices?

[treb]

MB had them for 4.99 last week, maybe this week as well.

[bagelman01]

If you call the Deli/fisg dept manager about 9am he/she'll check the delivery and find you the largest lobsters and hold them for you at the $4.99 price. Also, steaming is free, but you pay the Mass Meals Tax.

Lat Thursday, I called the MB at Stadium Plaza in Tewksbury (I shop there every Thurs evening) the manager found me 4 lobsters about 3.75 lbs each. He steamed them and had them ready for me for 6PM pickup. I have a 3 hour drive home and they were still warm on arrival.
This tends to be our Thursday night late supper all summer.

[StriperGuy]

Wait four lobsters, each 3.75 pounds... wow!

[bagelman01]

not bad for under $20 each cooked

[StriperGuy]

Did I say wow?

[bagelman01]

This week MB update....................
$3.99 lb. I called the deli manager at 9:30 am and asked that he have the 4 largest steamed and ready for 6 PM pick up. He said he'd check the crates on arrival about 10 am.
Got there at 6:10 after work.

1 4 1/2 lber, 1 3 3/4 lber, 2 2 1/2 lbers almost 13ls of lobster fo rabout $50
My wife was very happy when I got home.

[StriperGuy]

Too funny. My wife went to MB yesterday and was surprised at the $3.99 price. She pick up four lobsters as well, but by the time she got there all the monsters were gone ;-)

Still an amazing deal though.

[bagelman01]

I always call at 9am-the deli manager tipped me off to this. If he has the request, then when they open the crates to fill the tank, he pulls the biggest ones for me.
Tuesday, I stopped in on the way to work, and he automatically asked if I wanted any that night, I explained no, I'll need them Thursday and Saturday (based on the cheap price) and he said he'd pull the biggest ones.

They go out of their way to help. Last night my 13 year old was in heaven as she chowed down on tails and knuckles, won't eat claws tho....

[StriperGuy]

Honestly, in my book, the knuckles on the big ones is the absolute best lobsta meat of all.

[phonelady]

Just got an email (I am on Mt. Vernon's mailing list0 and $9.99 for lunch/dinner Sunday- Wed for twin lobsters - not sure where you beat that one.

[phonelady]

Mt. Vernon - lunch twin lobsters are $13.99

[StriperGuy]

Who knew? That sets the all time record that I've heard of...

[StriperGuy]

If you count the fact that lobster prices are at an all time low this summer, and that Canadian lobsters are CHEAPER, it is highway robbery.

Great Taste in Chinatown had a TWIN lobster special for $17.95 this weekend.

Heck, even the local Shaw's (near Mt. Auburn Cemetary) had $5.99 special for chicken lobsters yesterday.

-----
Great Taste
201 Main St, Milford, MA 01757

[hotoynoodle]

when have you ever seen a restaurant adjust prices down? lol.

[Pegmeister]

Sounds really high to me. I know I would not pay $39.99 for a lobster casserole, but maybe because that's something that is easy to make at home. In Quincy, I've seen lobster mac & cheese running around $18 at the Fat Cat and Baypoint. In Hingham, Cafe Tosca's version was $20, with a half order at $10 which i found to be more than adequate. A two pound baked stuffed lobster at Baypoint was running $30, the last time I was there. I think the reference to Canadian lobster is to let people know that they are hard shell?

-----
Fat Cat
24 Chestnut St, Quincy, MA 02169

[hotoynoodle]

i had lobster twice on a trip to canada last summer -- halifax actually-- and one place was $7.99 per pound and the other charged $10. first place, when we asked the price, my next question to the server was, "$7.99? is that cooked?" blown away by how cheap it was AND quite possibly the best lobster i have ever had in my life.

[Pegmeister]

That is cheap! I just paid $7.99 a pound at Burkes for lobsters I cooked at home. Just wanted to mention also, that Cafe deParis just posted their monthly specials and there are a few lobster items on the menu - lobster roll $15; lobster & crab scampi $18; and tenderloin & lobster $24.50

[adiosoven]

The restaurant is Joe Fish in North Andover, MA - we had not been there since it's opening (10 years ago?) We didn't order either of these lobster dishes. I thought the prices mentioned were insane - especially for Rt. 125! Combo fried platter with clams and scallops wasn't bad. Clam chowder was so-so. (Potatoes in the chowder we crunchy. Cream base was a little bland.) Jumbo shrimp was plentiful but overcooked in Asian rice and pea entree.

-----
Joe Fish Seafood Restaurant
1120 Osgood St, North Andover, MA 01845

[srgoodman]

I like Joe Fish, but they *are* on the expensive side. And I agree, the lobster prices are unconscionable. I can only assume that they get some number of out-of-town business people on expense accounts who think a steamed chicken lobster for $40 is a good deal.

If we're willing to drive a little further, we prefer Turner's in Melrose. It's cheaper and better. (I have no idea what Turner's charges for lobster, or even if it's on their menu. I gave up eating lobster in public [or indoors] years ago. I make too much of a mess. :-) )

[hotoynoodle]

haha! my b/f relishes the mess and is a fiend for lobster. that being said, we steam them at home.

[hotoynoodle]

lobster pricing is a gouge just about anyplace you go. it's something i never order out for that very reason. $40 for lobster and pasta is outrageous and it's boston pricing, for pete's sake, not right anywhere, but especially not n the burbs. i hope you didn't order it!

lobster and bottled water are the dumbest things to ever order out. and i have worked in restaurants all my adult life.