lobster

Atlántico knows how to salute National Lobster Day

Atlántico knows how to salute National Lobster Day

Someone, somewhere named September 25 as National Lobster Day this year, but the crustacean commemoration mostly flew under the radar. A few restaurants, however, marked the occasion. We were pretty thrilled to celebrate with the lobster bocadillo at Atlántico (600 Harrison Ave., Boston; 857-233-1898; atlanticoboston.com) in Boston's South End. This third of chef-owner Michael Serpa's restaurants focuses on the seafood traditions of Spain and Portugal. We'll vouch for that. The menu echoes much of what we've eaten in Cádiz, A Coruna, San Sebastian, or Barcelona — but with a New England twist. Tourists to Boston might argue that every day is Lobster Day. It's the dish they've been anticipating and they seem to order it with abandon. Those of us who live here indulge less...Read More
Summer in the City means party by the harbor

Summer in the City means party by the harbor

The public right to waterfront access has been enshrined in Massachusetts law since the days of the Puritans. Nowhere has that right been so vigorously asserted as along the wharves of Boston Harbor. When Rowes Wharf was developed in 1987-88, it set a template for public access. What does this have to do with travel and food? Everything. The hotel on the wharf, the Boston Harbor Hotel (617-439-7000, bostonharborhotel.com), has been a model host. And not just to the clientele for its luxury rooms and associated condos. For the 24th year, Boston Harbor Hotel is putting on a series of weeknight programs called ‶Summer in the City.″ On Tuesday through Friday nights through August 25, a live band plays from a floating barge stage. Artists...Read More
Icelandic lobster soup warms a chill evening

Icelandic lobster soup warms a chill evening

We had read that Iceland's famous ‶lobster soup″ was a special dish widely served at the winter holidays. Given that there's only about four hours of daylight at Christmas, Icelanders definitely need something to cheer them up. But during our Reykjavik visit in late August, lobster soup was ubiquitous on the city's menus. So much for seasonality — or don't believe everything you read on the Internet. According to Iceland Fisheries, the lobster season is April into September All of our research — including asking locals — pointed us to the Seabaron, or Sægreifinn in Icelandic (Geirsgata 101, Reykjavík; +354 553 1500; facebook.com/saegreifinn.seabaron). Everyone agreed that it was famed for lobster soup. The casual grill house squats at the harbor's edge in a lurid green...Read More
Perfect BLT substitutes lobster for lettuce

Perfect BLT substitutes lobster for lettuce

We just returned from a Maine sojourn, where we observed first-hand two of the most-talked-about phenomena of this summer. National park mania was on full display at Acadia National Park. The massive parking lot at Hulls Cove Visitors Center was jammed. Island Explorer buses whisked in and out of the lot every few minutes, carrying tourists to spots throughout the park and into downtown Bar Harbor. It was a model of efficient crowd management. It was also good to see the National Park system collecting much-needed fees. Wherever we went in Maine, we also observed rampant lobster roll fever. We're finally into the season when freshly caught lobster is abundant. Most Gulf of Maine lobsters haven't molted yet, so the meat remains firm and sweet....Read More
When the world reopens with a lobster roll

When the world reopens with a lobster roll

It was a glorious June day with bright sunshine, surf crashing on the ledges, roses blooming profusely on the shore, and the iconic Cape Elizabeth Light (aka Two Lights) winking over our shoulders as we sat down to our first Maine lobster roll of the year. Make that our first since 2019. Since we live in Massachusetts, Maine barred us from crossing the border until recently. But we were chasing a story that took us to the slate shoreline at the southern entrance to Casco Bay. When lunchtime rolled around, the Lobster Shack at Two Lights (lobstershacktwolights.com) was right there. The lobster roll was ‶market price,″ which translated to roughly $20. No matter, we were in heaven. A brief rant interrupts this idyll As we're...Read More
World on a Plate: lobster and lighthouses

World on a Plate: lobster and lighthouses

We spent the last week researching and writing a story about lighthouses that will appear sometime soon in the Boston Globe (bostonglobe.com). We, of course, have been visiting them from land and during the day, but David has enduring and fond memories of lighthouses in Maine's Penobscot Bay. In the pre-GPS days, when he worked on an old salt's small trawler, he can recall navigating at night by distant lights winking at each other across the bay. His heart would leap when he rounded Sears Island and suddenly saw the pint-sized light of Belfast harbor flashing in the distance. Coming home for a late dinner. In summertime, that usually meant lobster. These days, when we want lobster, we're more likely to stop at the Clam...Read More
Saint John City Market reveals the city’s foodways

Saint John City Market reveals the city’s foodways

One of the first places we visit when we arrive in a new city is the public market. Sure, we're curious about what's in season, what the fishermen are catching, and what local food specialties we might discover. But it's more than that. People who make a living nurturing their neighbors are among the friendliest folk you could hope to meet. We always feel welcomed and at home after spending some time chatting with food market vendors. That's why we found ourselves in the Saint John City Market (http://www.sjcitymarket.ca) on the first morning of a short trip to this small New Brunswick city. Given the hour, we made our first stop at Uptown Donuts, where Melissa Whiting from Grand Bay, New Brunswick, has been brightening...Read More
Relaxed luxury: lobster hash at Crazy Beans in Greenport

Relaxed luxury: lobster hash at Crazy Beans in Greenport

Unless we're having wine, one of us (David) could eat breakfast for every meal of the day. That penchant led to a fortuitous discovery. We based our sojourn to Long Island's North Shore at the Greenporter Hotel (326 Front St., Greenport, 631-477-0066; greenporterhotel.com), which is a well-maintained motel within walking distance of everything in the village. Years back, we would have eaten breakfast down the street at the Coronet Luncheonette on the corner of Front and Main streets, a village institution since 1949. In 2016, the place became Crazy Beans (2 Front St., Greenport; 631-333-2436, crazybeansrestaurant.com). It's run by Tim and Callie Brennan Martino, who have two other such breakfast-lunch spots in Miller Place and Stony Brook. The Martinos knew a good thing when they...Read More
Summer on a roll at Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery

Summer on a roll at Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery

Today is the first day of astronomical summer, but one of our favorite roadside eateries has been rushing the season for weeks. Bob's Clam Hut (315 US Route 1, Kittery, Maine; 207-439-4233, www.bobsclamhut.com) is known, of course, for fried clams. Or, more specifically, for fried clams two ways. “Bob's traditional” fried clams are dredged in flour. “Lillian's clams,” an homage to long-time employee Lillian Mangos, are dipped in an egg wash before they're dredged in flour. The second method imparts a slightly tangy, almost sourdough flavor to the breading. The price is the same, but you have to specify which you want when you order. Bob's is much, much more than clams, of course. The fried local haddock is always a treat, and this year...Read More
Tasting Mondavi whites with New England seafood

Tasting Mondavi whites with New England seafood

In our next lives we want to come back as Mondavis. Every American branch of the clan seems to have a purple thumb ever since Cesare and his sons Robert and Peter took over the Charles Krug winery in 1943. As one of two winemakers at the Michael Mondavi Family Estate (michaelmondavifamilyestate.com), Rob Mondavi Jr. has developed quite a reputation for his quality Napa Cabernets. So we wondered: What about the whites? In New England, where we live, summer means seafood. While we might sip a red with bluefish, we really need white wines for the kings of ocean: oysters and lobster. So we tossed a bottle each of 2015 Emblem Chardonnay Carneros and 2015 Animo Napa Valley Heritage Sauvignon Blanc into a cooler, placed...Read More