Submitted by Don Doman.
The first time I dined at a Red Lobster chain restaurant was in Houston, Texas during the mid-1990s. My buddies and I had flown there to watch the University of Washington take on the University of Houston in the furthest away football game of the season. As we ordered our meals the waitress recommended an excellent California wine. As we sampled, we explained to the waitress that the wine was from Washington State. She replied, “Oh, no. Right here is says Chateau Ste. Michelle . . . Woodinville . . . oh . . . Washington . . . I didn’t know.” Deana, our server here in Tacoma, would have known. She gave us excellent service. This time Peg just had water and I had a Diet Coke at The Red Lobster just off I-5 near South 72nd in Tacoma.
The cheesy muffins are a little salty, but soooooo flakey and good.One of the benefits of dining at The Red Lobster is their cheesy muffins. Four were delivered to our table. Peg had one . . . the other three disappeared. I held back and didn’t ask for butter. The cheesy muffins are a little salty, but soooooo flakey and good.
Peg ordered the whole, fried flayed Rainbow Trout. It was excellent, but not as good as Peg’s whole home-fried version with cornmeal. Although, The Red Lobster trout was served with skin, it wasn’t as crispy as Peg’s. The crispy skin is probably half the reason for eating fried trout. Dr. Weil says, “Both the skin and fat of fish collect toxins that accumulate in the waters of rivers, streams and oceans.” But then, what does he know about trout. You can forget the image of someone standing on the side of a river or stream and fishing for a beautiful Rainbow. According to the United States Trout Farmers Association says, “The vast majority of U.S. trout grown commercially for food are grown in Idaho, which accounts for over 75% of the production. It’s no secret that Idaho’s success is linked to a vast system of aquifers and springs.” Washington has similar success, but lags well behind Idaho in production, so our trout was probably from Idaho.
We ate near the end of Lobster Fest season at The Red Lobster. We had a Father’s Day gift card from my son Del’s family. We also had a coupon from Your Local Shopper (yourlocalshopper.net) for a free dessert (The Key Lime Pie was very, very good!) I ordered a plank served dinner with two Maine lobster tails, and a handful of succulent shrimp. Drizzled with lemon juice and dunked in butter the lobster and shrimp meat was wonderful. I gave half of one of my lobster tails to Peg. I only had a couple of bites from my corn on the cob (overcooked) and didn’t bother with the potato wedges. I did eat the two little pieces of sausage, but could have done without them. The lobster was the star of the show. I usually hate to see lobster tails split and cooked because that invites overcooking with a result of dried out meat, but not so on this outing. They were perfect. Each half gave me two nice bites.
The lobsters were perfect. Each half gave me two nice bites.
We don’t go to red lobster any more. The one off of 72 in Tacoma had some bad shrimp and we got food poisoning. We had been going there for our anniversary for a few years, but all it took was that one time to say, “no more.” And oh yes, we reported them to the health dept., but it wasn’t worth their time. We both missed a week’s worth of work. So no more red lobster for us. We cook at home. It’s much more tasty.
JC,
Thank you for reading and for writing.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience with the Red Lobster and the health department. I’ve worked with the Tacoma-Pierce County Healthy Department numerous times. They do a great job with inspections and training food handlers, as well as working with restaurant owners and managers. With the Red Lobster serving thousands of lunches and dinners every month I’m sure it is difficult keep a perfect record. I hope they apologized for the slip up with that batch of shrimp. I understand your love of home cooking. My wife is a fantastic cook, but still we dine out quite frequently. It’s nice tasting different cuisines and experiencing different techniques and recipes.
I have fond memories of the Red Lobster. The fondest was taking our eldest granddaughter to Red Lobster (72nd Street in Tacoma) to celebrate her 16th birthday. We told her to go choose a lobster, name it, and order it served for her dinner. That was her first lobster . . . and she’s had many since.
Thanks, again for writing and commenting.
Don
I love Red Lobster. I go to the one in Redding, CA. I have lunch there about once a month. The meal is good for three meals. Always have a take home box. Lobster is my favorite but also the Tilapia.
Jsue,
Thanks for reading and sharing.
Yes . . . I almost always order some version with lobster. My wife, Peg likes lobster, usually first checks on their fresh fish. One of our favorite meals from Red Lobster in Lynnwood. You can imagine the looks on people’s faces when they would ask about our next local vacation and we said, Downtown Lynnwood. Here’s the story of that trip: http://www.nwadventures.us/Lynnwood-2015.html.
For one we get perhaps one and a half meals each time we dine at Red Lobster. We sound like a kindred spirit.
Please, keep reading and commenting.
Don
It’s funny, even though I’m considered a “foodie” by friends and family, I make no secret of my love for the Red Lobster chain, particularly after their emancipation from Darden Restaurant Group. Food quality is sharply improved, and service is better trained. I admire their commitment to responsibly sourced seafood, with full transparency on this complex topic. I’m afraid it’s Ultimate Feast for me every time, indulgent, rich, varied, fresh.
Frederick,
Thanks for reading and writing.
I like to think “foodie” just means someone who enjoys good food. It doesn’t have to be unusual just good. Now, of course I get picky when comes to hash browns, but that’s a different story. Yes, you hit the nail on the head . . . I peruse the menu, but quite often am lured into ordering the Ultimate Feast . . . just because it’s tasty and healthy and . . . . well, tasty and . . . and succulent!!!!!
Please, keep reading and writing comments.
Don