Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp

I've had lobster rolls in Boston, I'll still go for some Red Lobster when I can. If you put enough butter on it, you can still have a good time.

But hnnnnngh I would love to have fresh lobster at my disposal.

In reply to slowbird :

You can get fresh live lobsters overnighted for about $18 each.. Just throwing it out there.

I like crabs better, but I'm still thinking about a lobster birthday party because it's cheaper to get a dozen live lobsters overnight than a bushel of crabs 4 hours drive away. 

I kinda feel the need to one-up everyone's increasingly fresh shrimp comments, so I'll just say once you dive into the ocean and eat live shrimp off the ocean floor, you can never go back to fried shrimp.  

In all seriousness though, boo to red lobster.  I've been there once in the past 15 years, and that was just because my wife had never been to one.  It's the olive garden of seafood.  And surprisingly expensive.

infinitenexus said:

In all seriousness though, boo to red lobster.  I've been there once in the past 15 years, and that was just because my wife had never been to one.  It's the olive garden of seafood.  And surprisingly expensive.

I think I went to one as a child, but I don't really remember the food. In any case, with the exception of fast food I don't like chain restaurants (general statement, not a rule - love me some Maggiano's for instance). Olive Garden is to Italian Food as Taco Bell is to Polish Food. Why would I ever go there? I guess I do enjoy their salads and breadsticks, but the food itself is nasty.

At least taco bell is cheap and fast.  With Olive Garden, you essentially get taco bell quality food (at least with some halfway decent wine) but you're paying more expensive sitdown prices.  Red Lobster is the same to be, just with shrimp.  It's all overpriced pasta and fried crap.  I'm in the same boat as you, I don't really like chain restaurants.  Fortunately I live in Baltimore for the time being, where there's a number of gastropubs and awesome eateries.

infinitenexus said:

At least taco bell is cheap and fast.  With Olive Garden, you essentially get taco bell quality food (at least with some halfway decent wine) but you're paying more expensive sitdown prices.  Red Lobster is the same to be, just with shrimp.  It's all overpriced pasta and fried crap.  I'm in the same boat as you, I don't really like chain restaurants.  Fortunately I live in Baltimore for the time being, where there's a number of gastropubs and awesome eateries.

Hey, I'm not saying anything bad about Taco Bell in that post. I like to test my gastrointestinal system with it at least twice a month. Just saying that Taco Bell is closer to Polish cuisine than Olive Garden is to Italian food.

Can't disagree with you there!

In reply to infinitenexusinfinite nexus and mtn :

They'll win the Franchise Wars.

Its 15.99? Hell, ima havta go get miserable full.

I'm pretty sure Red Lobsters are illegal to operate here in MA.

If one of the local seafood shacks ran a deal like this, I wouldn't have made it to adulthood; I would have died of a seafood overdose years ago. The classic New England Fried Shrimp Plate (fried shrimp, fries, and a side of coleslaw) is one of my favorite meals ever.

Seafood snobs. 

I used to attend the AHR Expo and then the first night was the Taco Pump Reception - the owner was a cool dude from Rhode Island and he put out the largest shrimp ever - think awesome shrimp cocktail.  I would take five on my plate and was in heaven - then I would get more and then more until my boss came over and yelled at me to "work the room and stop eating".  

Big giant piles of shrimp - I looked forward to it every year!  The pump reps that were there didn't want us bugging them cause they too were eating shrimp. In the end I changed jobs and my boss was let go for being a tool.  

Thank you John Hazen White, Jr. for 14 years of the best shrimp in my life.  

Appleseed said:

Seafood snobs. 

I know, right? It’s about an 800 mile drive to get to a coast from here. 

But my freezer is full of meat that grew up just down the street in my in-laws’ field. Mmmm. 

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

That reminds me. Disney does a service anniversary celebration every year for those celebrating 10,15,20etc years with the company. I went to SWMBOS 10. I remember not liking Tower of Terror, drinking a E36 M3load of free booze, and shrimp the size of my palm. She's due up for one next year. Those shrimp tho. Granted, I know who disney's seafood distro is, and I know where their warehouse is- and they have a storefront, so with the right amount of damage to my wallet, I too could enjoy them from the comfort of pmy couch, but damn it was delicious. 

In reply to ultraclyde :

You rang? 

As a youth I could eat a startling amount of food.  Like a full meal and then half a 12" pie when I was about 14 years old.  My aunts loved me at the family reunions.  Something about a skinny little kid who can put away the groceries is endearing to a woman who likes to cook.

When I was in college I got kicked out of a Golden Corral type place for eating too much, twice.  Was also kicked out of Sizzler when they had the all you can eat shrimp deal

We would go out mountain biking all day, figured all you can eat buffet would be perfect. Me and one other normal sized human, and two big guys. Matt from Montana was a skinny 6'5" and ate like he had a hollow leg. Randy, who was a 6 foot tall Samoan guy with a neck like the average guy's waist, ridiculously strong. He broke the frame of his Klein, bottom bracket could not handle him pushing on the pedals. Cracked the replacement at the seat post, not sure how that was even possible. He ate about like you would expect a man like that would, prodigiously.

You could fit four plates on a tray. We were going back to fill up our trays a third time and the manager is standing there with his arms crossed and a not very welcoming look on his face for a guy ostensibly in the service industry.

"You guys have had enough."

"We already paid though, and are still hungry."

"You need to go. There is no way you ate that much food, you must be stealing it somehow."

"These cycling shorts don't even have pockets, where would we be putting it?'

"You going to go or do I call the cops?"

Pretty sure Randy could have handled however many cops they would have sent, but we left. Went back a month later and the guy points to the right to refuse service sign and points to the door, did not even say a word to us. Guess we should have waited longer to go back, but there are only so many all you can eat situations available.  I guess the second time we never actually got a chance to eat too much.

Similar deal at Sizzler, except had Big Al and Dan with us instead of Matt and Randy

Proximity to the coast is not always vitally important.  There was a place in Melbeta, NE, The Flame, that had excellent surf and turf.  Flew the lobster in from Maine, got the beef locally.  I don't think it is still there, but they had a lobster tank that was restocked frequently.

Toebra said:

Proximity to the coast is not always vitally important.  There was a place in Melbeta, NE, The Flame, that had excellent surf and turf.  Flew the lobster in from Maine, got the beef locally.  I don't think it is still there, but they had a lobster tank that was restocked frequently.

So, they kept a miniature sea in the establishment? It doesn't get much more proximate than that. 

Freshness is what matters. Frozen isn't always a deal breaker, since that keeps the catch fresh, the problem is cooking frozen fish correctly.