Are Urban Lobster’s $11 Specials Worth the Extra Buck?
Every once in a while twitter presents some interesting lunching options. The other day, Urban Lobster Shack (in the basement food court on 3rd btw. 49+50th) was shouting out some of their daily specials and a couple things caught my eye: the Chef’s Special, a lobster roll served on garlic bread (!?) drizzled w/scampi sauce with a side salad and cole slaw and the personal deep dish shrimp pizza served w/small soup and side salad. Only problem was both lunches were $11. Could they be worth the extra buck?
I’m a big believer in garlic bread as a sandwich base. If Chicken Parmesan = delicious, then Chicken Parmesan on garlic bread = more delicious. (We’re looking at you Papa Perrone!) Could the same be said for lobster rolls? Now technically lobster rolls should already be smeared with butter so it does seem like BS you have to pay an extra $1, but I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Essentially the Chef’s special lobster roll is Urban Lobster Shack’s standard lobster roll (mayo haters and lobster roll traditionalists beware–these rolls include mayo and celery) with a little bit of scampi sauce drizzled on top served over a super buttery and garlicky toasted bun. While the scampi sauce drizzle was subtle, the visible garlicky bits on the bun were not. The combination was tasty for sure, but–dare I say it–kind of unnecessary especially since it brings you $1 out of the ML price range. If you like lobster rolls, the $10 lunch is worth the price. The garlic bread version will cost you $11.95 with tax, so unless you’re a huge garlic fan, we’d stick with the original.
The $11 shrimp pizza special definitely made for a more complete lunch. While the pizza isn’t huge, the lunch special comes with your choice of small soup and a side salad. I chose the spicy crab and corn chowder as my soup. The soup had a little bit of a spicy kick, I was disappointed that it was heavier on the corn that on the crab–my soup didn’t actually have any discernible meaty crab pieces. The pizza was as you might expect a personal deep dish pie–a bit on the doughy side, but that’s part of what deep dish is all about.
If you are a deep dish personal pan pizza fan, this lunch does deliver in terms of the quantity of food, so those with a hearty appetite might consider giving this a try. None of the lunch components are particularly filling on their own, but when you bring them all together you get a decent meal.
As for me, next time I’ll stick with the regular $10 lobster roll special, and kick in for a virgin mojito lemonade, made from fresh lemon juice and mint ($2.50). Not too tart and not too sweet, this lemonade was super refreshing and summery. I don’t typically add drinks on to my lunch (I’m normally the kind of cheapskate the asks for a cup of water rather than purchase a bottle), but this lemonade is worth springing for.
Urban Lobster Shack, 805 3rd Ave. (btw. 49+50th) in the Basement
Posted by Brownie at 11:45 am, April 14th, 2010 under Urban Lobster Shack.
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38 Comments
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I just wish my poor husband would reconcile with his younger brother, Kenneth. Kenneth has been saying very hurtful things about my husband and about ME on the internet lately!
Things came to a head between them when the wire transfer from Nigeria failed to come through and they both lost a considerable amount of money. Money that was needed for dental work for my husband and reconstructive surgery for Kenneth (his wife shot him).
Garlic bread= extra calorie