Reviewing Whatever

Red Lobster
211-217 Old Country Rd.
Carle Place, NY 11514
(516) 248-7411

You should know

Actually, it's kind of weird that I've never been to Red Lobster. I know my parents went before I was born, and I'm fairly sure they've been recently, but never when I was growing up. I'm going to blame my brother: he was a picky eater as a kid.

But Chris got a gift card, and he knew I had never been, and it was a Friday in Lent, and they were open late (which is a huge benefit, since I got into New York fairly late), so with the stars in alignment, off we went.

Then again, maybe we should have thought this through... I'm not a huge fan of shrimp. I don't hate it; I'll eat it if it's put in front of me with no complaints. But at the same time, if it's completely up to me, I don't order it, either. The sea has so many creatures that are so much tastier...

So?
I had the Rock Island Stuffed Tilapia (Fresh tilapia roasted with crab-and-seafood stuffing and topped with langostino lobster meat in a creamy lobster butter sauce, $15.25, limited time Lobsterfest special) and a glass of Reisling (Chateau Ste Michell, $5.75) Chris got the Salmon New Orleans (pan-seared fresh Atlantic Salmon with Cajun spices, topped with shrimp in a rich lemon butter sauce, $19.99) and a Diet Coke. They were quite tasty (I'm a sucker for crab stuffing with lobster sauce...), but not especially memorable -- in fact, while both my fish and its stuffing were very nice, I didn't find they complimented each other that well.

Rating
No objections
It's not a bad place; the food was fine, the prices were decent, and if you're craving crustaceans, you won't go hungry. But it just didn't stand out as anything special. But hey, when you're trying to please a large group, nice but forgettable is a safe bet, isn't it?

The rest of the Internet
Official Red Lobster recipes.
Red Lobster's Wikipedia page.
Lobster Boy at Red Lobster Blog tells provides stories (and rants) about working at the restaurant.
Nutrition facts for Red Lobster's health menu items at Calorie King.
A Red Lobster executive was recently killed.
Wendy at WichitaKsDailyPhoto took a lovely photo of her local Red Lobster.
Dino-ray at The Finer Dandy tours his local chain restaurants.
Aeqvitas at work. school. karaoke wonders why people who live in a great seafood town would go to Red Lobster.

Awesome link of the week
A while back, I reviewed Freakonomics. I'll admit I didn't love it, but I am really enjoying the Freakonomics Blog. Some posts hearken back to the book, discussing whether slaughterhouses influence crime rates, for example. Others talk about things the bloggers find neat, like people whose names fit their lifestyles. And some are intriguing studies, like a series on watching The Wire with the type of people portrayed in the show. Check it out -- you just might learn something.