LOBSTER PT. 2 (home made, Neptune, Summer Shack)

Neptune Oyster, the pearl in North End. Walking distance from government center and Faneuil Hall, this tiny restaurant is packed every night. They do not take reservation so get there as early as possible and write your name down. 

We arrived around 7 thinking it would not be packed on a Monday night but we were wrong. We waited close to 2 hours and at last we were seated. The restaurant was cosy and you could see the man cracking open the oysters one by one. 

Oysters are of course the main dish, they were around 2 dollars each depending on the area. I personally like the Island Creeks.

Besides oyster, the main dish would be the Maine lobster roll. You could have it hot with butter or cold with mayo. We ordered the hot one and it was divine. 25 dollars lobster roll was worth every penny. There were over flowing of lobster chunks accompanied with fries. Just a reminder, it gets really filling so share some of this deliciousness with friends. Definitely worth it.

Next up, Summer Shack. It is in the back bay area and walking distance from the Hynes T station on the green line.
The restaurant is pretty big and great for a casual family dinner or friends gathering. They also have a bar and televisions so you could watch some of the games while cracking lobster shells.

We ordered 3 different kinds of lobsters. First the special pan roasted lobster(1 1/2lb). They used bourbon, chervil and chives for the sauce. It was delicious. I did not even care about the lobster that much. The sauce was amazing! The lobsters were really hard to crack open and at the end of the meal we were all exhausted.

My friend ordered the clambake. It comes with steamers, mussels, chorizo, corn, potatoes and of course a lobster (this is a 1 1/2lb). The seafoods were fresh and nothing could beat that.

My other friend has been a lobster fanatic. Whenever he comes to Boston, I take him for a lobster feast. In Summer Shack they offer a 3 pound lobster and that was his challenge for the night. The lobster was huge but at the end, he was overwhelmed by the bits and pieces of lobster.

Last but not least, home cooked lobster.I got these lobster in Chinatown and they were priced by weight which is usually cheaper than eating out in a restaurant.

So how do you pick a lobster. In the market, they give you a tongs for the live lobsters swimming in the tanks. I usually pick the ones that has strong claws and fight back because their meat tend to be more muscular and therefore bigger and chewier. I am not sure if it is just me or not, but I "help" them pee before they got into the boiling water. Just stick a chopstick at the end of the tail and release the liquid. Putting them in boiling water for about 10-13 min per pound for the first pound. Add 3 min for each additional pound thereafter. You can melt any kinds of butter you have at home to add some saltiness to the lobster. 

It is really hard to mess up a steam lobster but there are many other different ways to eat a lobster also. If you have any suggestions for a new style of lobster, or suggestions of restaurants for lobsters, lobster roll or seafood please feel free to email me or leave me a comment!

Neptune Oyster                              

63 Salem Strett #1

Boston, MA 02113

T: 716.742.3474

http://neptuneoyster.com/

Summer Shack

50 Dalton Street

Boston, MA 02115

T: 617.867.9955

summershackrestaurant.com