LaLizEats Mac n Cheese and Lobster Rolls

Oopsie Mumsie, I haven’t Posted in Five Months.

llaneri — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 20:19:14 +0000

I received a friendly email from WordPress this morning telling me that the Blog-Health-o-Meter™ thinks my blog is “awesome!” They obviously didn’t notice I haven’t posted since July. Oopsie mumsie. I’ve got to post soon before it becomes staler then the bread I ate this morning for breakfast that scratched the sh*t out of my mouth.

I’ve had plenty of mac n cheese this year and more-then-I-can-count lobster rolls, but I was, admittedly, distracted with some unruly situations/life from August-now. But I’m back! And better then ever.

I found this summary to be hilarious because Hidemyass.com is a top referrer (WHAT?!) and my blog was found on Google when people searched for “beachball pop” (WHAT?!) If you’re having the post-New Year’s boredom like me today, check out the rest of the 2010 lalizeats blog stats below, including a blank, half-eaten pie chart that means nothing:

Crunchy numbers

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has 296 steps to reach the top. This blog was viewed about 1,100 times in 2010. If those were steps, it would have climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa 4 times

The busiest day of the year was June 1st with 65 views. The most popular post that day was Going All Out.

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, twitter.com, bonappetitbeantown.com, bonappetitbeantown.wordpress.com, and hidemyass.com. [Should I be concerned that hidemyass.com is a top referrer to my lalizeats blog?]

Some visitors came searching, mostly for beachball pop, neptune oyster, kid beach, beachball sitting, and kid sitting on beach ball. [Should I be concerned that people regularly search for beachball sitting?]

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Going All Out May 2010
3 comments

About LaLiz October 2009

Bieber Fever and a Lobster Roll Picnic June 2010
1 comment

On the Road with Jen June 2010
3 comments

Five Second Rule July 2010

Red Lobstah II

llaneri — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:33:12 +0000

John Rothenberg’s second annual Lobster Fest is tonight. I can hardly contain myself…! Here is the email he sent earlier this week to get our taste buds watering. I’ve asked him to potentially guest spot on this blog. We’ll see. If not, I’ll post one and quote John in it.

My people,

It’s that time of year again. This weekend I’m throwing the second
annual Lobster Fest at my place. You’re all invited, but I wanted to
check if Friday or Saturday works better. I’m thinking picnic style,
with Lobster rolls that would make Emeril proud. I’ll take care of the
Lobsters, I’m just asking that y’all bring a side, snack, or dessert.

If we do Saturday, it can be a late afternoon affair. If Friday is
better, I’ll get started at 5, which lines us up for lobster rolls at
7.

Holler back,

J ro

Last year's lobster fest

Five Second Rule

llaneri — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:33:56 +0000

You all may recall that a long long long time ago I posted a blog post about my mac ‘n’ cheese bake-off. The winner, Joanie Tobin’s amazing prize was a guest blog spot on my highly coveted blog. So here it is:

FIVE SECOND RULE

Lost Lobster Meat

I stared at the ground, tears welling up. “I could still eat it.” Liz looked horrified. “No,” she said. “You can’t.” There at our feet, surrounded by remnants of customers past, was the meat of almost an entire lobster claw, freshly fallen from the end of my wheat roll. It was by far the biggest piece in the roll, but the thing was so stuffed I guess there was just no room for it. Word to the wise: if you’re eating a lobster roll at Linda Bean’s, eat it over your basket!

Joanie outside Linda Bean's

Liz has been reminding me kindly to write a guest post ever since I won the privilege in her mac ‘n’ cheese bake-off this winter. Which makes sense because along with Liz, I am the #1 lobster roll and MNC fan. But I had a stipulation. If I’m going to write a post, it has to be about Linda Bean’s. She agreed! Serendipitously, Saturday we made the trek, driving south to grab lobster rolls in the shade for a late lunch, and spending the next couple of hours mesmerized by the crowds while swimming and sunning ourselves on the beach. Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll is a little stand at Nantasket Beach in Hull. One of nine in a chain owned by Linda Bean, granddaughter of L.L. Bean, it serves lobster purchased from Maine fishermen at wharves owned by Linda Bean and processed at a plant also owned by Linda Bean. Over the past few years she has been buying up lobster infrastructure with the goal of revitalizing the industry. Needless to say, she has ruffled some feathers. And not only because of her swoop-in, spend-big style. She’s a conservative Christian with strong political views and money to back them up. None of which I knew when I had my first taste of her lobster roll. After that there was no going back.

Liz and other customers anxiously await lobster rolls

Surprisingly, when we got there, we were the only customers. But after we got our orders and sat down, people seemed drawn to the place. Perhaps it was our charming good looks, or the overflowing rolls in our hands, who knows. What I do know is one group walked by three or four times, eyeing our spoils, and finally they stopped because one of them just had to try a lobstah roll. The meat is fresh, abundant and delicious. More importantly, it is unencumbered by mayo (the roll itself does have a little bit of mayo-based dressing at the bottom.) The inside is stuffed with mostly claws and knuckles and you can choose a white or wheat roll. It comes with Cape Cod or Miss Vickie’s chips and sliced pickles (on the side TG.) Asked by his friend how it was, the new customer said through a full mouth “mmm. there’s alotta meat.” Add to this the amazing Nantasket people-watching and you have a fantastic afternoon. By which I mean that once you commit to driving to Hull, you kind of have to make at least an afternoon out of it since the traffic on routes 93 and 3 is typically treacherous. Sadly this is why I usually only make it to L.B.’s a few times a summer, but then again, maybe the less I pad her pockets, the better.

-JOANIE TOBIN

Beach Ball Kid at Nantasket

On the Road with Jen

llaneri — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:59:06 +0000

Well, it’s officially summer, which means random weekend trips “home” to Rochester, NY! I put home in quotation marks because really Boston is my home now since I’ve lived there (or here, rather) since January of 1999. This does not include the two, six month stints in Los Angeles and six months in Long Island (I usually leave that part out cuz I hate to admit that. But those are stories for another time. Unless you already know me, then you heard ‘em before so this is a moot point).

Where was I? Oh yes! The six-hour drive back to Rochester. Typically I go “home” a handful of times a year. The majority of which are in the summer, because honestly, Rochester is great this time of year. I was heading out there for my good friend, Scott’s engagement party — a friend since first grade — so, how could I not go?!?

Jen Willsea, another friend since first grade (that’s how I always introduce her, along with other girlfriends and I should probably do that for Scotty too) and I were driving back after work that Thursday, getting home around 12:30 am on Friday. Around 5:15pm that evening, before Jen was to drive over to my work, she texted me that she was getting dinner for the road at City Feed and Supply in Jamaica Plain and asked me if I wanted anything. I said, “Sure. Get me whatever.”

Jen came by my work in the pouring rain and we threw all her stuff in my reliable Honda Civic. I’ve had that beaut since 2004 and I’ve traveled all over the country with her (see above LA reference)…she never lets me down. It’ll be hard to give ‘er up when she finally dies. Actually it won’t be. I want a new one. One that’ll I’ll actually wash more than once a year.

Anyway, we were putting Jen’s stuff into my car, when I asked her what she got me for dinner. She told me it was a surprise. I saw it came with a lemon. Oh la la! How interesting….

We hit a lot of typical traffic. Since I was driving first, Jen ate her sandwich which was some sort of fake meat-y thing-y. I tried it. It was pretty good. Side note, while I’m not a fan of how slow-moving everyone is at City Feed, I do like the way they make their coffee and sandwiches. Seriously. Try ‘em for a pretty penny.

Traffic was super slow moving, so I opened up my little package. Jen got me a lobster roll!!!
City Feed Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll Lap

What a good friend, right?! You know you have a special friend who knows you too well and good enough to get your favorite food without having to ask and pays for it at that! On that note, Jen is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known, become (and remained) friends with. I don’t have the space or time to go into how great of a person she is, but I just hope that any of you reading this get to meet her one day and find out for yourself. She’s done so much for me, listened & helped me with a lot, and without judgment. She might be embarrassed that I’m saying this, but it’s all true. Unfortunately for you all, there are no pics of Jen eating a lobster roll. Sadly it is just me – since she was taking the pictures of me eating and driving…safely.

Ok, before she freaks out, I’ll stop. The lobster roll was pretty decent. Especially for $10. It came on Iggy’s toasted bread. Iggy’s is a local bread company that is really good. I suggest you read up on them, here. The lobster itself was not over mayo’d, so I loved that. My only compliant would be the ratio of bread to lobster meat. I’d say it was 60% roll and 40% lobster meat. It was delicious though, so really, it was totally fine. Especially, as I said, for only $10. It is worth the price. I think it’s only a special though and they don’t have it all the time. Don’t quote me on that.

Thanks for the lobster roll, Jen. And for being you. And for driving with me to the Roc. xoxo

Classy Lobster Roll Eating

Bieber Fever and a Lobster Roll Picnic

llaneri — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:47:33 +0000

I have the day off today with nothing to do. Originally my friend was going to come in to town and visit me, but long story short, it didn’t happen. I was planning on sleeping in on my day off, perhaps go to the beach, read a lot, write and just relax. So much for sleeping in. I actually woke up at 7am, 30 minutes earlier than when I typically get up for work. Ugh.

After making some tea, I went straight to the couch to watch TV, something I rarely have time for. Flipping the channels between the Today Show and Good Morning America, Meredith Vieira told me Justin Bieber was going to be singing to me. I mean… performing for America and 13 yrs old screaming girls in Rockefeller Plaza. I wonder when Bieber goes through puberty, what’s gonna happen to his voice?

While it was difficult to pull myself away from Bieber, I changed the channel to Good Morning America where Emeril Lagasse was doing his “From the Farm to Your Forks.” He was demonstrating how to make lobster rolls for a “Lobster Roll Picnic”! Oh my god (OMG)! Just what I totally want to do this summer! Have a lobster roll picnic – with friends and/or perhaps on a date. Super cute, right? Well, maybe not at cute at Bieber, but still.

Being from Fall River/New England, I trust Emeril’s lobster roll style. See below for the recipe. I’m thinking of trying it. Perhaps this weekend. Although, I need good advice on where to find decent (and moderately priced) lobster meat. I once went all over town looking for lobster meat and I finally got lobster in a can and made my own personal lobster roll. Gross. I guess I could have bought real life lobsters and cooked them, but I was lazy. Oh well. I tried!

This summer, I’m going to make it Lagasse style with nice big chunks of fresh lobster meat and have a picnic at the Pond. Until then, get Biebered and enjoy one of the greatest songs of this generation.

Lobster Roll Recipe, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 1-30 min

Ingredients
* 4 hot dog buns
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
* 1/3 cup mayonnaise, homemade, or good-quality store-bought
* 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
* 1 tablespoon minced shallot
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
* 1 pound freshly cooked lobster tail and claw meat, cubed (from two 1 3/4-pound lobsters)
* Potato chips, for serving

Cooking Directions
Preheat the grill or broiler.

Using a pastry brush, spread the inside and outside of each bun with the melted butter. Grill or broil the buns quickly to warm them through. Set the buns aside.

Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl, and mix well. Fold in the celery, shallot, tarragon, parsley, and chives. Then fold in the lobster meat. Place 1 bun on each plate, and divide the lobster salad evenly among the buns.

Serve immediately, with potato chips alongside.

Going All Out

llaneri — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:54:44 +0000

It had been a long time since John and I ate a lobster roll together.
John and I and our lobster roll
So after a few weeks of going back and forth and trying to plan a lobster roll night, we finally picked a date and went with it. And we decided to go all out. Neptune Oysters.

Amanda joined us for our “first lobster roll of the season” (it was actually my second) on a warm Friday night in the North End. We wanted to go right after work, like 6/6:30 to avoid the crowds. I got there early, put my name in and wandered around. Side note, Neptune’s has the best and most efficient waiting-for-a-table system. You give the waiter or waitress your number and they will call you when the table is ready. It makes it easy to wander around and also not stand over people like a hawk as they eat.

I hadn’t been to the North End in a bit, since typically I (and most people) go their for either a) a friend’s birthday b) guests/family in town or c) a date. Most of those hadn’t happened in a bit, so it’d been a while. But besides those said events, when I walked around Salem Street I noticed that since I lived there (2003-2004) a lot has changed. Sure, it’s still touristy but also there are a lot more boutique shops and random cutesy things. But that’s a whole other story.

Since Neptune’s was at the top of our list, we decided to go for gold. Laura was our waitress’ name. Actually, I could be making that up. We started with a glass of perseco and six (three different kinds) oysters. Hmmm, so salty, so good. Then John picked out a bottle of white wine for the table. I forget the kind, but it was German and was sort of like a Riesling but not as sweet. It wasn’t too bad. Next up … the lobster rolls. But what do we go for? The hot buttery one or the cold mayo-y one? EEKKKK! I can’t make a decision! If you know John, you know that he takes these kind of decisions very seriously, so we talked it over for a while, weighing the pros and cons of each of them.

As always, John came up with an easy solution, we order one of each and then a randomly delicious-looking dish that the guy with the iPad who was sitting next to us was eating. Laura told us it was the Neptune Blue Crab Salad. Since Amanda prefers more butter and I’m more into mayo, it was the perfect solution. Of course we were all supposedly going to share it all, but I was secretly hoping to eat the majority of the cold mayo-y one.

Oh god, I hate to compare how I felt to Meg Ryan’s “orgasm” in When Harry Met Sally when she’s eating a sandwich in Katz’s Delicatessen with Billy Crystal, because that’s corny. But I am corny and cheesy so who cares. Let’s get serious though; it really was the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted. Huge chunks of lobster meat — the majority of it was claws too. Very little mayo, the right seasoning, and a toasted roll. So so so good. As John kept saying, it was the roll that really made the whole lobster roll perfect. Totally true.

We all passed around each dish — all really tasty and beautiful. I was syked that my secret came true; I got to eat the rest of the lobster roll with mayo, while Amanda finished the hot butter one and John ate the Blue Crab Salad.

I won’t even share with you what we did afterward since it’s a bit embarrassing. But basically I’ll just tell you we went to a really cheesy bar — a place I had only been to once when I was 20 — and listened (and danced) to 90s cover songs played by a 90s-looking band called Chunky Monkey (or something like that). Ahhh, a hilarious and fun way to end an evening.

First Lobster Roll of the Season

llaneri — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:50:16 +0000

After much anticipation from my fan club and hanger-on-ers, I am FINALLY posting again about everyone’s favorite subject: Lobster Rolls.

I had my first lobster roll of 2010 last night. (Side note I almost wrote 2008. That’s how affected I am from last night’s roll.) After a day of shopping. Yes, life is tough. Jamie asked me where I wanted to grab dinner before heading over to Club Oberon to see Bent Wit Cabaret: GROTESQUE. I immediately thought of Charlie’s Kitchen because I knew they had a lobster roll on the menu since I had it once a few years back. Ben Wit Cabaret was amazing, btw. Especially if you like the strange and unusual. “I, myself, am strange and unusual.”

My blood sugar had already started to drop at that point after a grueling day of shopping and spending money. I was getting a little spacey (more than usual), so I suggested getting an app to start. We ordered nachos and I shoveled them into my mouth. I barely had time to sip my yummy Rapscallion beer. Actually that’s not really true.

After we housed that, our food came. I didn’t even notice (and I still don’t remember) what Jamie ordered since I was too focused on my DOUBLE lobster roll.

Charlie's Kitchen Lobster Roll

I ate the first one in a few minutes, ignoring my fries completely. Unfortunately after eating all those nachos with guacamole and cheese and then moving onto the first lobster roll, I barely had room for the second. I decided to skip the bun and just eat the lobster instead. Good call!

Jamie finished his plate of whatever he ordered and asked if he could try my lobster roll. Oopsie mumsie, I already ate all the lobster out of the bun. Oh well. I’ll owe him one.

Overall, it was not my favorite LR, but it was darn good and worth it. I can’t wait to go and try B&G Oysters or Neptune Oyster’s lobster rolls. Who’s comin’ with me?!

Lobster Day?!

llaneri — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:08:56 +0000

OMG, I’m sooo embarrassed. How could I have missed this?! It is National Lobster Newburg day!

Thank god Amanda Morrison posted it on my Facebook!

Unfortunately I don’t have an opportunity to check out some lobster joints or eat a lobster roll today, but I’m making it a priority next month!

Anyone want to join me for a lobstah roll soon? Any good places you’ve been dying to try??

Joanie Tobin Takes the Cake (or the mac n cheese)!

llaneri — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:15:08 +0000

The Mac n Cheese Bake-Off of 2009 was super yummy! Nine people entered their unique homemade mac n cheese (mnc) dishes, judged by four feared judges: Kevin, Joey, Brian and me.

The Judges

No we are not sheriffs. We were wearing stars labeled “Judge” but Joey thought it said “Jorge” (pronounced hor hey). We wore them so people would know who would be judging them…I mean their dishes and also so they could bribe us with compliments and drinks.

There were a variety of mnc dishes, including vegan, chicken sausage, grandma-style, spicy, and ham & cheese. Everyone laid out their dishes at once, labeled them from 1-9 and included a brief description of each of them.

MNC Dishes

Myself and the other judges collaborated in the beginning and checked out all the dishes before we dug in, since one of the categories we were judging the dishes on was presentation. The other categories were taste and creativity. We scored them from 1-5 and the winner received the most points.

Some people paired drinks like Prosecco mixed with St. Germain (so good!) with their mnc dishes as a way to woo the judges. Totally fell for it. Others took the challenge literally and boiled macaroni and then melted swiss cheese on top. Points for creativity!

Of course there would only be one winner though….And that went to Joanie Tobin. She was actually the person who originally inspired me to do this bake-off since she always talked about the different kinds of mnc dishes she tries out. So it makes sense that she won.

So what does Joanie get, you ask, as the winner of the Mac N Cheese Bake-Off of 2009? The opportunity to write on this very blog! Yay! Who doesn’t love that?!
Oh yeah and the first, second and third place winners got gifts from Crate & Barrel.

Congrats Joanie on a tasty mac n cheese dish! (Sorry, I’m not going to give away her secret recipe. But here’s a hint: it has apple cider in it.)

The Winner

Mac N Cheese Bake-Off 2009

llaneri — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:29:55 +0000

This Sunday marks the first annual Mac n Cheese (MNC) Bake-Off at Chez LaLiz!!! So far I have about 15 friends who have entered the event, with three judges. This is sure to be the eating/food event of the year! Here are the rules I gave to everyone:

• Everyone who attends MUST provide a mac n cheese dish. I don’t care for freeloaders.
• It has to be made a head of time, BUT you can re-heat it at my place.
• It doesn’t have to be real cheese—vegan dishes count!
• Feel free to adjust the mac n cheese in a box, BUT you’ll have to be creative and add or change the recipe, ‘cause we can’t just have a bunch of Annie’s or Kraft dishes laying around.
• No microwaved/frozen mac n cheese offerings (e.g. Stouffers).
• Can’t be leftovers from a restaurant or supermarket.

I can’t wait to see what everyone makes. There are so many crazy different ways to make mac n cheese. For those who are struggling to come up with a dish, they can easily find some recipes online that include videos. But I suspect, based off the people I chose to invite for this elite event, they’ll have no trouble coming up with some creative mnc dish.

I have prizes for first, second and third place winners. In addition to a great prize, the first place winner gets the priceless gift of being a guest blogger on my blog. But everyone is a winner in my book. Even the losers.

Oddly enough, Great Scott is also having a “Mac & Cheese Takedown” on Sunday. Mine will obviously be better.

May the best mac n cheese win!