Birthday Dinner

I celebrated a birthday not too long ago, and Jon gave me the option of dining anywhere my heart (and stomach) desired. So where did we go? The Old Port Lobster Shack.

Yes, I know I've written about my OPLS dining experiences before (not once, but twice). But during this visit, in addition to the outstanding naked lobster roll, I ordered the fried Ipswich clams for the first time. At $21.75, the appetizer seemed a little pricey, but hey, it was my birthday.

Thankfully, like the $17.75 lobster roll, they turned out to be worth every single penny. The clams are whole, with the belly on. We're not just talking about some frozen strips here. The clams are sweet and crunchy and delicious.

The clams portion, which also comes with a helping of fries, is rather generous. Between Jon and I, we actually didn't even finish them off. I sat there for a while after devouring my lobster roll, hoping to make more room in my tummy for those remaining clams. But no go.

And this brings me to my only problem with OPLS: I'm always so satisfied and full from the appetizers and main dishes, that I never get a chance to try out their desserts. And I love me some dessert. So, sadly, I did not enjoy any of their homemade bread pudding or blueberry pie on my birthday. Oh well -- at least it's a good reason to make yet anothe visit to OPLS!

Old Port Lobster Shack
851 Veterans Boulevard
Redwood City, CA
(650) 366-2400

P.S. The SJ Merc finally published a review of the restaurant this past weekend.

Old Port Lobster Shack, Redwood City: Redux

While our first visit to the Old Port Lobster Shack last month resulted in a very satisfying dinner, there was no lobster roll consumption to be had at the time (stupid Northeast storms!). So I made Jon promise that we would return soon because I HAD to try the restaurant's signature dish. We made the trip over to the OPLS again last night, and I have three words for you: Oh. My. God.

As someone whose upbringing and education took place almost entirely in the Bay Area, I had no prior experience with lobster rolls, which are a New England tradition. It's basically lobster meat -- you can get it naked (just the lobster) or more like a lobster salad -- tucked into a special New England-style hot dog bun. (The owners of OPLS have the buns made at a local bakery using molds they brought from Maine.)

I ordered my sandwich naked, as I didn't want any other distractions from the lobster. I must admit, I wasn't quite sure how to eat one of these things. And although Jon had grown up on the East Coast, he doesn't eat shellfish* and was useless to me here. Since the lobster meat was overflowing, I decided to dip some into the drawn butter. Yummmm. Then, after a squeeze of lemon, I dove into the lobster roll itself. The cool, sweet chunks of lobster were a wonderful contrast to the warm, buttery roll. So simple, yet so awesome.

Further research yielded this checklist for what makes a real lobster roll:

• A good amount of meat - OPLS had that.
• A flat-bottomed, top-loading hot-dog bun, butter-griddled - They definitely had the right bun and it was definitely buttery, but I didn't see whether it was toasted or griddled.
• The right dressing, not just mayo - Don't know, since I went for the naked version.
• Pickles should be served on the side (for a little acidity) and potato chips are also a nice touch - Check and check.
• Eat it with your hands - Except for the meat I dipped in butter, I did use my hands (as opposed to a knife and fork), so I sort-of did that right!

Initially, I thought $16.75 was a little steep for a sandwich. But you know what? It was worth every penny. In addition to the lobster roll, you get a side of coleslaw (which I didn't eat, but Jon said was really good) and salt'n'pepper Kettle Chips (one of my favorites). Just writing this post makes me want to go back there today for another lobster roll.

* Yes, I make my husband go to lobster restaurants even though he dislikes shellfish. He had the fish platter last time (thumbs up) and this time, basically went with the sandwich version of it (thumbs up again). The menu is now up on their web site, so you can see that there are plenty of non-shellfish options.

Old Port Lobster Shack
851 Veterans Boulevard
Redwood City, CA
(650) 366-2400

P.S. After our initial visit, I mentioned that OPLS is a bit tricky to find. During our drive over last night, Jon and I were discussing exactly where it is (the car's GPS was no help), and we realized that it's actually quite easy to locate: It is just to the left of the Baker's Square. Enter the parking lot adjacent to the BS one. Then prepare to enjoy a delicious lobster roll!

Update on the Old Port Lobster Shack, RWC

So, a few weeks ago, I mentioned that the Old Port Lobster Shack had just opened up in Redwood City. An early review I read indicated that it might be only so-so. (Maybe the bad experience could be attributed to the fact that they were brand-new and were still working out some of the kinks?)

Lately, however, I've been hearing much more positive things about food -- especially the lobster rolls, fried clams and chowder. I'm actually really interested in trying out this lobster roll, since I never knew such a thing existed before the Lobster Shack opened. (Jon, who is from the East Coast, is familiar with them.)

Three things: 1) Apparently, the restaurant is a little hard to find. 2) You may want to call to confirm when they are actually open; Catie wrote to say it wasn't open on two trips she made to the place. 3) Unfortunately, the web site still hasn't been updated with an actual menu so I'm not sure what kind of price point we're talking about here. (BTW, I think the offerings change on a regular basis because the Lobster Shack prints out a daily menu.)

Old Port Lobster Shack
851 Veterans Boulevard
Redwood City, CA
(650) 366-2400

Al's Fish N' Chips, Redwood City

Okay, so right after I posted about Al's last night, Jon called up inquiring about dinner. Good timing. With fish and chips on the brain -- and not much in the fridge -- we decided to take a trip over to the strip mall that is home to Al's.

The restaurant is clean and has a contemporary feel. The space itself is not very large (it seats maybe 20?), but based on what we saw, it looks like most of their business is to-go.

While waiting in line, we surveyed the beverages in the drink fridge. The bottled, carbonated sangria sounded interesting -- but not necessarily in a good way (I had carbonated iced tea in Europe and that was disgusting) -- so I went with a Jarrito juice drink. There were actually quite a few Mexican beverages to choose from.

Which brings me to my next point: Al's Fish N' Chips almost seems like a misnomer for the restaurant. Yes, they do offer fried fish with a helping of fries. BUT, it's got quite a few other seafood offerings and a Mexican food bent. For example, the menu also included fried calamari, crabby cheese bread, shrimp louie, crab louie, New England clam chowder, tacos, shrimp cocktail (Mexican style), ceviche tostada, guacamole, black beens, cheese quesadilla.

So there appear to be two main themes to this place: deep-fried food and Mexican food. We went with one of each last night. I ordered the fish and chips, while Jon had the fish tacos, both of which are made with cod.

Jon enjoyed his tacos -- which consisted of a couple of pieces of fried fish, cabbage, tomato salsa and a sauce of some sort. And I thought the fish'n'chips were great. The batter wasn't too thick/heavy, but it coated the fish just enough to give it a nice, crispy texture. (I assume the pieces in the taco were the same, but I didn't actually sample any of Jon's dish.)

Since the TV was tuned into Rachael Ray, who I find extremely annoying, the wait for the food may have felt longer than it actually was. We estimated it was probably 15 minutes from the time we ordered at the counter, to the time they brought the food to our table. With just one person doing the cooking, and a second person dealing with the register, it made sense that the food might take a little while. (The service was friendly, and that's more important to us than waiting a bit longer than expected.)

There were no desserts on the menu (nope, no flan!), but after a meal at Al's, you could easily stop in a few doors down at the Baskin-Robbins for a sweet ending to your evening.

Al's Fish N' Chips
2139 Roosevelt Avenue
Redwood City, CA
(650) 366-FISH (3474)

Yankee Pier, Santana Row

Knowing that Bradley Ogden is behind Yankee Pier, I had pretty high expectations of this place. But, after lunching here today with my sister, we both walked away disappointed.

The restaurant, located in Santana Row, has a New England seaside vibe to it. I could hardly contain my excitement when I saw all of the deep-fried goods on the menu. It was a tough decision between the fried clam strips and the popcorn shrimp, but I went with the latter because I was also ordering the linguine with clams entree. My sister had the Yankee Salad (apples, walnuts and blue cheese), the butternut squash soup and the tuna melt. All of the above were just okay; nothing spectacular or even really good.

The only things we would order again: the Big Fat Buttermilk Biscuit and the frozen lemonade (mine was flavored with mango puree, my sister's red raspberry puree) . So if you're asking, "Wait, does this mean you'd actually go here AGAIN?" The answer is, yes, I would give it another try. Next time, I'll probably order the clam chowder, maybe an oyster dish or the fish and chips. I'll let you know how that goes.

Yankee Pier
378 Santana Row, Suite 1100
San Jose, CA
(408) 244-1244

New Restaurant in Redwood City

Open as of yesterday: The Old Port Lobster Shack. The restaurant promises delicious and authentic New England seafood. The menu boasts "the ultimate lobster roll" -- which is basically chunks of lobster meat on a grilled roll, served with your choice of sauces (including aoli). You can also pick your own lobster fresh from the tank and have it steamed, grilled, baked or sauteed.

The seafood eatery takes over an old Togo's location, and the space has really been transformed into a lobster shack -- complete with picnic tables and seaside signage as part of the decor.

(The web site doesn't offer much information; but the menu is online.)

Old Port Lobster Shack
851 Veterans Boulevard
Redwood City, CA
(650) 366-2400

New Restaurant in Half Moon Bay

From The Chronicle's Inside Scoop:

As he takes over the old Anchorage restaurant, just north of Half Moon Bay (4210 N. Cabrillo Hwy.), Cetrella owner Paul Shenkman is realizing his dream of owning the cliffside property he first spied when he moved to the Bay Area nearly 20 years ago.

In August, Shenkman will turn the Anchorage into Sam's Chowder House. He's shooting for a traditional New England-style seafood house, the kind found along the East Coast.

"When I moved out here in 1987," says Shenkman, "I was amazed that up and down the coast, these kinds of places don't exist."

The property, currently split into two, closed about 2 1/2 years ago. The remodel, by Barry McAdoo Design, will gut the inside, creating one large space. An oyster bar will command attention near the entrance, but will compete with the floor-to-ceiling windows with ocean views.

Cetrella chef Lewis Rossman is the consulting executive chef.

Slurpy oysters and cracked crab are some of the traditional oyster bar offerings, but Shenkman will introduce non-New Yorkers to the pan roast -- a mix of seafood steamed in broth, cream and herbs -- which he first had at New York's Grand Central Oyster Bar.

There will also be a full menu with seven to eight varieties of grilled fish, all things fried, and clambakes, either tableside or set up privately on the beach below for parties.

Non-seafood choices include grilled steak, pork chop and chicken.

And, as the name implies, there will be a variety of chowders, oyster stews and seafood soups that rotate through the menu. Entrees will be $19-$26.

There will be 125 seats inside, 40 outside on a deck and Adirondack chairs set on a bluff right above the beach. Just in time for summer -- or at least the Bay Area's version of summer -- Sam's Chowder House is set to open Aug. 1.

Mmm... "all things fried"... I'm SO there.