If you think you're seeing lobster on more Bay area menus, it's no shell game. A bumper crop of the crustaceans means lobsters are swimming into the mainstream. Once, we knew Mr. Lobster only as the big guy blushing scarlet, but today he's in all sorts of new guises, from savory soups to summery salads.
Oddly enough, lobster wasn't always looked upon as a delicacy. In 1620, when the Pilgrims jumped off the Mayflower on to Plymouth Rock, they skipped over a bay so abundant with lobster that a man could reach in anywhere and pick up a 10-pounder. Yet people starved rather than eat lobster, using them instead only as fertilizer. Seems the Pilgrims didn't approve of the lobster's diet of decayed fish and the crustacean's most-desired delicacy — each other. (Lobsters have their claws banded as much to keep them from cannibalism as to protect our pinkies.)
Lobsters still suffered from low esteem when the American Revolution arrived. Laws restricted colonists, on grounds of cruelty, from feeding lobster to the servants more than three times a week, and red-coated British soldiers were dismissively called "lobsterbacks." It was after 1850, when renowned New York restaurant Delmonico's introduced lobster Newburg, that lobsters felt their first flush of gustatory fame. Today, the once down 'n' out lobster is the darling of the dining room, invited to all the very best restaurants.
At Mise En Place Market, Bistro and Wine Bar (2616 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 813-839-3939) lobster is folded into a casserole of sharp cheddar, rich cream and macaroni, topped with crispy bread crumbs and served bubbling hot for a newfangled take on old-fashioned macaroni and cheese ($13.95).
At Pacific Wave (211 Second St. S., St. Pete, 727-822-5235) Chef Joe Chouinard woos lobster lovers with appetizers, such as Maine lobster and Parma prosciutto pot stickers served with silken lobster fondue and a sprinkle of tobiko caviar ($8.95). He also prepares beggars pouches stuffed with Maine lobster, rock shrimp and scallops, served in a pool of roasted beet and coriander butter sauce ($8.95). Farther down Central Avenue (6661 Central Ave., St. Pete, 727-381-1212) O'Gradney's chef Karim stuffs lobster in ravioli, sets it in a pool of champagne beurre blanc and tops it with grilled jumbo prawns ($21.95).
.
This article appears in Jun 12-18, 2002.