Every once in a while, I get a serious craving for seafood which can be difficult to find in a landlocked area. Options are often very limited.
Those who know me will tell you that I am a food snob, I have two chefs in my family and I am no slouch in the culinary arena either. I don’t see the point in eating substandard food and I ask a lot of questions when it comes to what’s on the plate and how it got there.
Recently and reluctantly, my dining companion and I agreed on Red Lobster; I have had a handful of bad experiences there in the past, but he convinced me to give it another chance, so we went.
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The restaurant, which was recently remodeled, has moved towards a more dimly-lit elegance than the former brightly colored giant fish and nautical motifs.
We started with a New England Sampler platter, which included lobster-stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped scallops and fried clams, it was good but not out of this world. For the main entrée I opted for a special from the “Crabfest” menu which included crab legs and a roasted skewer of shrimp over rice pilaf, it came with a vegetable and was very enjoyable.
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My dining companion went for the classic Maine Lobster, which was steamed and also quite tasty. While I do enjoy seafood I have a theory that everything tastes better when you dip it in butter.
Our server was friendly and knowledgeable and made every effort to find out what was in all of the food so that no one at the table became inadvertently poisoned by ingredients that cause allergies and other adverse reactions.
Overall the chain has redeemed itself by providing a pleasant dining experience. In addition, they gave to a local organization. When the chain chose to redecorate, they donated the old decor and salvaged fixtures to the
I will always remain a fan of locally-owned and operated eateries over corporate food chains any day, however for the purposes of getting a serious seafood fix, this was a nice change of pace.
Other area restaurants where you can get good seafood include in Minooka, which is a favorite of Local Editor Dawn Aulet, and .
