Land Shark? No, Lobstergram

Summer always brings to mind certain culinary delights -- barbecue, corn on the cob, hamburgers and hot dogs, lemonade, and seafood, particularly anything you'd find at a New England clam shack. We're fortunate enough to live near Pearl Oyster Bar if we need a quick fix, but what about those for whom the closest decent lobster might actually be in New England? Send 'em a Lobstergram.

The folks at Lobstergram sent us one to try a while back. And what is a Lobstergram, you might ask? It's a package containing two live lobsters and all the basic acoutrements you'll need to cook and eat them -- you supply the pot (there's even an option to get the pot sent along as well). The box arrived one night when we got home from work, and we recruited a friend to help us with the process.

Opening the box, we found a styrofoam cooler complete with cold packs, and the two creatures that would shortly become our dinner were right on top. Underneath them we found two bibs, crackers, and seafood forks, along with a lemon and clarified butter. Everything was packed with detailed instructions on how to cook and eat them.

So cook and eat them we did -- a twelve minute dip of the lobsters in boiling water* and a quick zap of the clarified butter in the microwave later, we were transported to a New England seafood shack, all in the comfort of our apartment. In New York, it's fairly easy to get good lobster, but you might consider sending a lobstergram to friends or family for whom it's not as readily accessible -- give them a taste of summer that they've been missing. It's certainly cheaper than sending them a plane ticket to Maine.

Lobstergram for two with two 1.25 lb lobsters, shell crackers, seafood forks, lemon, clarified butter and bibs is $71.95.

* Eric Ripert suggests his method for humane lobster cooking in this recent WSJ article, in case you're interested.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Laren Spirer in Food on July 18, 2007 2:59 PM

Comments [rss]

csk

i got a lobstergram from a friend. i curse him for giving it to me since it costs $30/lb. live lobsters cost under $10/lb at the market.

guest

#13 Greyhound has e-saver fares NYC to Boston for just $30 roundtrip.

http://www.greyhound.com/scripts/en/TicketCenter/esavers.asp

guest

You need a live lobster. You don't use a dead lobster. A good way to get food poisoning. (well it can't be that most places cull the dead ones out each am and use them for salads). Its not clear from the story but the proper way to cook 'em is to use only a couple inches of water. You don't want them submerged, you're really just steaming them. Not that its gonna ruin them but thats why sometimes you crack the claws and a bunch of water gushes out swamping the table. I grew up in Maine on the seacoast and I know what I'm talking about. For once. You could take the Chinatown bus to Boston $20 and then the train to Maine for another $20...and buy all the lobbie you want for $8-9 lb uncooked...it makes for a long day though.

guest

i'd like to drop the author into boiling water and prepare him for dinner.

This is cruel and disgusting and has nothing to do with NYC. Just a cheap kickback for getting live animals to torture for free.

guest

Actually that lobster is cheaper by the ounce (about $1.78) than that Pinkberry (or whatever it's called) yogurt.

guest

Boiling live lobsters? I see this story as a another thinly-veiled attempt by Gothamist to again trick its readers into writing silly, irrelevant comments.

JMH

What's sick about it?

guest

So cruelly delicious. or is it deliciously cruel?

guest

Lobster for $28/lb. Bargain!

bklynd

"The folks at Lobstergram sent us one to try a while back."

Yeah, but no one in New York City actually needs lobstergram. You can just buy lobsters at the market.

DCfist

This is fucking sick.

guest

This sounds incredibly cruel. But then so does all lobster. And all other meat, come to think of it...

Rocknrope

#1, you are a dope.

Nick S

uh.. umm... this is an article about livelob...they just mention pearl oyster bar.

guest

I love how the restaurant is copying livelob.com whose business received an extra kick after "O, The Oprah Magazine" featured them in March. I'd go with the Maine fresh lobster at livelob. Who knows where Pearl Oyster Bar got theirs! The Hudson?