Downtown Lunch: Urban Lobster Shack
Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. This week, I gave Daniel permission to eat a $15 lunch because… well… I love lobster rolls. And aside from the one at the Red Hook in Fairway, it is pretty impossible to find a lobster roll for under $10. And, factoring in that for your $15 you also get a soup, cole slaw, chips, and water… well, it makes this one a no brainer.
Yesterday I went to check out the new pizza truck downtown, eager with anticipation to try the grandma slice, but was shocked and dismayed to find the truck missing from its reported location in front of 2 Broadway. I even stopped two hungry looking brokers and asked them if they knew of this cart? “We actually just came out looking for it but it’s not where it was the past few days” they said. “Damn,” I said.
Dejected and still hungry, I sulked around the area, hoping to turn a corner and see an orange-oil-stained-sidewalk in front of this alleged pizza truck. Instead I saw the next best thing, a grown man standing in a red lobster suit hawking lobster rolls.
What I found was Urban Lobster Shack, selling a $15 combo which includes 1 lobster roll, a nice sized container of soup, chips, crackers, a water, and a tiny thimble of coleslaw. I went with the shrimp and lobster bisque which was lovely (after adding salt and pepper). The lobster roll was an adequate specimen but similar to the soup, was under-seasoned. Some salt helped transform it from mediocre to tasty.
The owner must purposely season everything daintily, which is why he includes packets of s&p but why?! Just season it, this ain’t hospital food!!! (I’m not even sure what that means). And toast the bun dammit! If that bun was toasted it was done with a bic lighter 10 feet away.
For an occasional splurge when you’re having a craving I recommend grabbing one to go (unless you want to eat while sitting on his lap as the operation is literally a hole on the wall. Further reading from the FeistyFoodie
Urban Lobster Shack, 15 Stone St. (btw Broad & Broadway), 212-809-2630
Photos and post by Daniel Krieger
Posted by Daniel Krieger at 10:15 am, March 27th, 2009 under Financial District, Sandwiches, Seafood, Urban Lobster Shack.
23 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
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23 Comments
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I hear that chicken used to work at Lehman Bros.
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That sounds like a pretty good deal. Especially with the soup included.
But what the hell’s a “Urban Lobster”?? -
….sorry, but that Lobster mascot look like a big cock.
With TWO eyes.
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@mamacita Rats are trying to diversify in this tough economic climate.
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Looks more like a “red rocket” if you know what I mean lol
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That’s the second biggest lobster phallus that I’ve ever seen
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Yep, take away the claws and he could double as the “free condom” mascot.
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I didn’t know red penises had arms…
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LOL to Chip Beef’s comment. And darn you people for tainting my perception of this lobster! (even though, now that I look back on it, I can’t see how I missed it in the first place).
I think I’ll save my $$ for Pearl Oyster Bar’s lobster roll.
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I’ve actually never had the one at Pearl Oyster Bar but I’ve heard it’s great… but this one wasn’t bad. Also the one at Ditch Plains is pretty sweet (they have a great burger as well).
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Who the heck adds salt to a lobster roll? If the meat is fresh (I know, big if in NYC), s & p ruins it. If it’s not fresh, or worse yet frozen, nothing is going to make it better…
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Hot sauce makes everything better. I recommend Louisiana style for this roll.
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Urban Lobster? That would be a cockroach. They’re the cockroaches of the sea! Despite growing up on the lobster-rich coast of Maine, I say no thank you. Blech. More for you people.
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Oh… see, I always forget that I can season my food after I get it… maybe that would have changed my opinion of the lobster roll. The chowder was great though!
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Sarah…the true maine lobster roll is a classic!……..yes lobster are bottom feeders…..but aint we all?…. when was the last time you caught a fleeing carrot with ya teeth?
point made.
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If anyone cares, I like the urban lobster on e houston st between ave a and b.
…and I am begging they or someone would start selling a hot buttered lobster roll (not lobster salad) like Abbott’s Lobster in Noank, CT!!
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And thanks for the link love :)
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I’m a little bit turned on by the lobster suit. A little bit turned off by the price tag.
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So, I work around the corner from the Urban Lobster Shack and have been curious about this place since its opening in January/February (can’t remember which month exactly). I was very hesitant to be try it because I was not sure what the deal was with this place, whether they served the lobster roll with real lobster meat and whether they would skimp on the ingredients. However after reading this post, I decided to try the lobster roll combo for lunch today. I have had bites of my boyfriend’s lobster roll at Pearl Oyster Bar and Ed’s Lobster Bar, which are excellent.
So, I had the new england clam chowder, which was very good. The soup had a good clam flavor and was not too watery or gloppy with nice pieces of clam and nicely cooked potatoes. The lobster roll, on the other hand was kind of disappointing, but I do need to keep in mind that I did get it for $15 as part of a combo. Obviously the Urban Lobster Shack does not hold a candle to Pearl Oyster Bar or Ed’s Lobster Bar where you pay more money and get fresher lobster. I agree that the lobster was bland and it did not have much of a lobstery flavor but the texture of the meat was very decent and not tough. I actually found the mayo and buttered bun over-powering because of the blandness. So I added salt and I felt like it improved the roll a bit.
Would I go there again? Maybe if I was having a lobster roll craving but most likely would go there for their soups. I do have to say I was impressed with the amount of real lobster meat the roll had and how tasty the new england clam chowder was. It’s not bad for the price considering how much meat they give you. I would say it’s not bad but definitely do not expect it to be what you get at Pearl Oyster or Ed’s Lobster.
what’s with the mascots lately? there was a chicken on 45th and lex this morning.