“Red Lobster” claims to be “for the seafood lover in you.” I’m not sure that I agree with that. I have found the restaurant to be awfully inconsistent from place to place. I realize that is to be expected when you are talking about pre-prepared and packaged foods, but I’m afraid that “Red Lobster” is a little bit worse than some of the other food chains in that respect.
I really avoided doing a review on the Lobster because I knew it probably wasn’t going to be good and that “Red Lobster” fans out there were likely to make me walk the plank. Sorry, guys, I couldn’t avoid it forever and, trust me when I say, I gave them every opportunity to prove me wrong.
This restaurant has a core group of fans that few other chain restaurants can match. Our establishment, located in Riverdale Shopping Center on Mercury Blvd. in Hampton is almost always busy.
If you haven’t been to the Lobster, it is a fun place to visit. Ours is recently spacious with plenty of heavy wooden tables and chairs that can be arranged and rearranged in a variety of ways. There was, in fact, a rather large party in the restaurant today. They appeared to be comfortable and I’m certain they liked the fact that the place partitioned off a corner for them to offer as much privacy as possible.
The hostess who seated us was very sweet and friendly, found a booth for us because that was our preference. She gave us our menus and told us that our waitress would be along shortly. Unfortunately, our waitress was not “johnny on the spot” as promised. It took quite a while for her to show up to take our drink orders; a trend that continued throughout the entire meal.
As we waited, I took in the décor, which is in keeping with the “sea” theme. Unlike a lot of places that tend to plaster the walls and even the ceilings with tons of sea paraphernalia (a la “Joe’s Crab Shack”), the décor at “Red Lobster” is done with a much lighter hand. The two restaurants, while competitors, definitely appeal to totally different clientele. Joe’s is more family and friend oriented for those with a hankering to have some fun. The Lobster is more professional and definitely more staid in nature.
After perusing the menu for quite some time – – waiting on our errant waitress – – my husband and I decided to split one of the current specials. We chose the Lobster Lover’s Dream which included a rock lobster tail, a Maine lobster tail and shrimp, and langostino linguini Alfredo in a garlic parmesan cream sauce. It came with a salad and baked potato as well as the restaurants famous cheddar bay cheese biscuits.
The salad and biscuits came out together. Although not hot, the biscuits were reasonably fresh and very tasty. The salad was passable, although obviously a packaged variety; not terribly crisp or fresh.
We waited patiently for quite a while for the meal to arrive and, unfortunately, our waitress did not keep our teas refilled while we waited. We had just about reached our breaking point when the meal finally made it to the table.
First of all, as if to make a point regarding their displeasure that we chose to split an entree, the waitress did not even offer to bring a second plate. She set the meal in the center of the table in an obvious gesture to express her disdain. To irritate her further, I flashed one of my brightest smiles and cooed a honey sweet “thank you.” She simply went “Hmph!” and walked away.
I might have overlooked the poor service had the food been outstanding. Unfortunately, it was not. Although the shrimp, lobster, and langostino linguini was absolutely scrumptious, the rest of the meal was pretty much of a disaster. The potato was cold and full of the sour cream that we specifically stated we did not want. Both of the lobsters were also cool. While the Maine lobster appeared to be properly prepared, the rock lobster was seriously overcooked, making it tough and tasteless.
Although our waitress did check back with us eventually, she didn’t bring a tea refill until it was time to leave. She also made it clear that she expected a good tip, which of course she did not receive.
I’m frankly glad to have this review under my belt and over with so that I don’t have to go back to this restaurant anytime in the near future. I’ll take my hunger for seafood right on over to Joe’s.
For those of you who might be interested to see if your Lobster is better than ours is, here is a cross section of their menu for your review:
Seaside Starters – ranging in price from $6.50 to $8.99 – include shrimp cocktail, a shrimp fondue, coconut shrimp, calamari, lobster rolls, oysters on the half shell, crab cakes, and a sampler platter.
Soups & Salads – ranging in price from $4.99 to $9.25 – include New England clam chowder, seafood gumbo, lobster bisque, seafood caesar salad, and apple-walnut chicken salad.
Shrimp – ranging in price from $9.99 to $15.75 – include breaded shrimp, garlic-grilled shrimp, popcorn shrimp, coconut shrimp, shrimp linguini, and maui luau shrimp with salmon.
Lobster & Crab – ranging in price from $8.99 to $25.99 – include snow crab, crab linguini, king crab, lobster and seafood mixed grill, shrimp and lobster linguini, Maine lobster, stuffed lobster, and rock lobster tail.
Traditional Favorites – ranging in price from $9.99 to $13.50 – include fried seafood platter, farm-raised catfish, seafood-stuffed flounder, broiled seafood platter, and flounder prepared as you like it.
Steak & Chicken – ranging in price from $10.50 to $26.25 – include steak and shrimp, steak and lobster tail, grilled center New York strip, honey BBQ shrimp and chicken, Cajun chicken linguini, grilled chicken breast, and Aztec chicken.
Signature Combinations – ranging in price from $15.50 to $20.99 – include a shrimp trio (with breaded, garlic grilled, and shrimp linguine), an ultimate feast (with Maine lobster, steamed snow crab legs, garlic shrimp, and breaded shrimp), an admiral’s feast (with breaded shrimp, scallops, clam strips, and flounder), and a create your own feast choosing among all the choices.
“Red Lobster” also has special lunch features which include many of the favorites in smaller portions as well as other dishes not always offered on the dinner menu. These range in price from $4.99 to $13.99 and including a crunchy fried fish sandwich, a grilled honey-mustard chicken sandwich, the sailor’s platter (of lightly breaded shrimp, garlic shrimp scampi, and oven-broiled fish), crab linguini, and chicken breast strips.
Desserts – ranging in price from $3.99 to $4.99 – include chocolate wave, apple overboard, and key lime pie.
The restaurant features a bar serving beer, wine, and specialty drinks. Nonalcoholic drinks include bottle and fountain beverages, coffee and tea, tropical freezes and sail away smoothies.
Although our visit to the Lobster wasn’t what we hoped for, perhaps you may fare better at your local establishment. I’ll cross my fingers for you!
I have to give this restaurant only one out of five stars.
