Lobster question for New Englanders (or those in the know)

[Lackadaisical Stumblebum]

So I see this Red Lobster advert on television and I think I've been to Red Lobster once in my entire life so I'm not really hip to their business, but.....

They have a disclaimer on the bottom that lobster tail is not available in ME, RI and NH. What??? That seems upside down. Are there some kind of special laws or are lobsters so plentiful there that nobody will pay Red Lobster's prices for them?

[christie1111]

It has to do with what type of lobsters the lobster tails come from. They come more from the South African type of lobster, bigger tail, no claws.

The Maine type of lobster obviously has a tail, but is more prized for the claws and has a smaller tail

[TheConfessor]

It's most likely due to state laws in New England preventing imported langostinos from being sold as "real" lobsters. Most other states don't care, so they don't have laws against mislabeling of faux lobsters.
http://www.sunjournal.com/node/334226

[bazodee]

THere are local mom and pop lobster restaurants all over northern New England that acquire their catch daily. Lobster is served fresh and unadulterated and tastes much better.

No New Englander would be caught dead going into a Red Lobster.

[christie1111]

THere are local mom and pop lobster restaurants all over northern New England that acquire their catch daily. Lobster is served fresh and unadulterated and tastes much better.

No New Englander would be caught dead going into a Red Lobster.

Agreed.

I can go to Stop & Shop, pick out a live one, have it steamed and take it home still warm for dinner. This summer they had 1-1 1/4 lb lobsters at $7.95/lb. 'Homemade' lobster dinner with baked potato for 2 under $25.

YUM!

[TheConfessor]

I don't know why the commercials bothered to include a disclaimer about ME, RI, and NH. As far as I can tell, they don't have any locations in those states.
http://www.redlobster.com/locations/def ... ston%2C+ma
But there are at least four Red Lobsters in Connecticut.

[littlebeast13]

I don't know why the commercials bothered to include a disclaimer about ME, RI, and NH. As far as I can tell, they don't have any locations in those states.
http://www.redlobster.com/locations/def ... ston%2C+ma
But there are at least four Red Lobsters in Connecticut.

Nothing satisfies the legal team like a little redundancy....

lb13

[vettech]

THere are local mom and pop lobster restaurants all over northern New England that acquire their catch daily. Lobster is served fresh and unadulterated and tastes much better.

No New Englander would be caught dead going into a Red Lobster.

Agreed.

I can go to Stop & Shop, pick out a live one, have it steamed and take it home still warm for dinner. This summer they had 1-1 1/4 lb lobsters at $7.95/lb. 'Homemade' lobster dinner with baked potato for 2 under $25.

YUM!

This.

During the summer you can get them for as low as 3.75/lb. Take about 10 minutes to cook.

Plus Maine doesn't have any Red Lobsters anymore - too much local competition I guess.

[Lackadaisical Stumblebum]

Thanks for all of the info. I thought I recalled there being some sort of law that supported the local industry (assuming that's the reasoning behind what Christie and Ed mentioned), but I couldn't remember specifics.

Maine must send all of the claws to Joe's Crab Shack. Wasn't that the place that had those adverts with the huge nightmarish claws singing some song I can't remember at the moment?

Editing to add that might have been crab legs, I don't know. It was scarring either way....

[gsabc]

Yeah, they get as low as $3.99 most summers around my area. Ten minutes is a bit short for cooking, IMO, though maybe if you've got a power steam going ... Our boiling time is more like 15-18 minutes, depending on the size and how many we've got in the pot. I'm the one who throws them in. None of that Annie Hall crap in our house. Put some steamers in there with 'em, and maybe some ears of corn, and we're good to go.

There was at least one Red Lobster on the border of MA and NH, but I'm not sure if it's still there. I will admit that this born-and-raised Bay Stater visited a Red Lobster during our first family visit to Orlando and WDW. Kids were four and two at the time. We brought them both up correctly with a love of lobster. Our four-year-old, who got his own lobster (whatever he didn't eat, Mom and Dad were more than happy to clean his plate), horrified the waiter when he asked for ketchup. He compounded the horror by wanting chocolate milk with his meal. Not my choice of condiments and drink, either, but hey, he was four and had ketchup with just about every dinner entree we served.

[Bob78164]

So I see this Red Lobster advert on television and I think I've been to Red Lobster once in my entire life so I'm not really hip to their business, but.....

They have a disclaimer on the bottom that lobster tail is not available in ME, RI and NH. What??? That seems upside down. Are there some kind of special laws or are lobsters so plentiful there that nobody will pay Red Lobster's prices for them?

I think you've been into Red Lobster once more than I've managed. Maybe I should put that on my bucket list. --Bob

[christie1111]

So I see this Red Lobster advert on television and I think I've been to Red Lobster once in my entire life so I'm not really hip to their business, but.....

They have a disclaimer on the bottom that lobster tail is not available in ME, RI and NH. What??? That seems upside down. Are there some kind of special laws or are lobsters so plentiful there that nobody will pay Red Lobster's prices for them?

I think you've been into Red Lobster once more than I've managed. Maybe I should put that on my bucket list. --Bob

Um, don't bother. I have been one more time than I ever want to go. Yup, once.

However the biscuits are good, just not worth the trip.

[mellytu74]

Rick's, our local seafood place in Wildwood, carries NE lobsters, labeled as such. Lagostinos are also labeled as such -- the same way bay and sea scallops are (because the sea scallops are local or local-ish).

I know Boonie and I went to one once in our early dating days -- the only reason we went was one of us won a gift certificate or something like that.

It wasn't for the free/greatly reduced meal, we would have gone to Gallo's or Kelly's, both Northeast Philadelphia seafood institutions. They were also places we frequented when TLAF and I still lived in NE Philly. Kelly's used to be in Center City and was the go-to place for TLAF and Marietta after a shopping trip at Lit Brothers Department Store.