Elderly Lobster Spared by Oceana Restaurant

102609lobster.jpg
A big lobster like this was spared by Oceana.
These are tough times for the high-end dining industry, and the seafood restaurant Oceana could have made a cool $275 just for tossing a septuagenarian lobster into a pot of boiling water. Because lobsters' age can be determined by weight, the Oceana owners believe the 11 pound crustacean, nicknamed "Peter," is approximately 70 years old. This guy was old enough to bite a infantryman's foot at Omaha Beach; does that make him too old to eat?

Apparently so, because Oceana has taken Peter off the menu, after being "bombarded" with calls begging them to spare the senescent arthropod. It's unclear what's next for Peter, but executive chef Ben Pollinger seems a little frustrated, telling the Daily News, "People have had emotional reactions. What's the big deal, why are we being persecuted for this lobster?" And Oceana patron Beth McAuley wonders, "What does it matter if it's 1, 3 or 70 years old? If you're going to eat it, you're going to eat it."

But do you really want to? A-list chef Michael White (Marea, Convivio, Alto) Tells Bloomberg News, "I can only imagine that it tastes like (expletive) because it’s so old and tough. It depends on how you cook it, but it’s like eating a 70-year-old cockroach." In January, City Crab & Seafood Company released a 20 pound, 140-year- old lobster back into the ocean after PETA complained. So it's nice to see there's hope for lobsters imprisoned in the tank: Get fat and old fast.

Email This Entry


Comments (14) [rss]

"...it’s like eating a 70-year-old cockroach."
Not exactly, we don't cockroaches of any age (not on purpose, at least) so I don't understand the comparison other than that they're distantly related.

Err, we don't *eat* cockroaches of any age...

Is it possible that Convivio, Marea and Altea serve cockroaches prepared by A-List Chef Michael White?

user-pic

Anything above 4-5lbs is not worth eating; steamed, grilled, or broiled.

yeah ditto all that, who wants to chew a 20 lb piece of lobsterjerkey? he's inedible, that's why he should get a reprieve.

Send him to the eggroll factory.

user-pic

Felix is doing another 10 days for turnstile jumping.

It probably smells like spoiled milk and wears adult diapers.

My appetite will always trump my compassion. Last night I had duck sliders with froie gras butter sauce. A bit pricey but amazing.

I wish pinchy could have been here to see this!!!

"too old to eat" is the new "too big to fail"

Post a comment (Comment Policy)

Tips

Get your daily dose of New York first thing in the morning from our weekday newsletter, now in beta.

About Gothamist

Gothamist is a website about New York. More

Editor: Jen Chung
Publisher: Jake Dobkin

Newsmap

newsmap.jpg

Contribute

Latest Tip:

If someone were to call your home and tell you that they were your bank and they needed to verify yo
[more]

Latest Photo:

Subscribe

Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from Gothamist.

All Our RSS

Follow us