When searching for places at which to dine on lobster, there is no need to restrict oneself to only super-expensive or highly prestigious restaurants. I admit that I have a personal passion for dining on lobsters in Maine and Massachusetts, where cooks in even the simplest sea-food restaurants have enormous respect for the lobsters they prepare. Most residents of New England prefer their lobsters boiled and served with chips, coleslaw and other simple side dishes. In addition to traditional boiled lobster many Maine and Massachusetts restaurants also offer lobsters that have been sauteed, baked or grilled, and sometimes stuffed. The best towns in which to dine on New England lobsters are Rockport, Martha's Vineyard, and Hyannisport in Massachusetts or in Bar Harbor, Kennebunkport and Rockland in Maine. Any restaurant will do. Every lobster I have ever eaten in these towns has been superb. Lobsters can also be prepared in more complex ways and following list includes some of my own favorite places for dining on a variety of more sophisticated lobster dishes.

In The United States

Le Pescadou: 16 - 18 King Street, New York. Tel: (212) 924-3434. Start off at this very "in" eatery by sharing the platter of mixed seafood which is made up of chilled lobster meat with a superb horseradish sauce, raw oysters, oysters in cream sauce and spicy marinated shrimp. Continue with the cold lobster with aioli sauce or, if you don't mind spending a great deal of money, with baked lobster topped with Beluga caviar. Moderate to expensive, but worth every cent. Reservations suggested.

Quatorze Bis: 323 E. 79th Street, New York. Tel: (212) 535-1414. No one will blame you for thinking you have wandered into a Parisian bistro when you first enter this excellent restaurant where chef Michael Kalajian does marvelous things with everything he serves. Start off with either the superb smoked salmon or the green salad with mustard vinaigrette sauce that is topped with fine goat's cheese. From here make your way on to the lobster with sauce Choron (a tomato flavored Bearnaise sauce), or the lobster stuffed with tarragon, pine nuts, seasoned bread crumbs and onion, both of which are excellent. Surprisingly reasonable prices. Reservations recommended.

Brasserie Savoy: 580 Geary Street, San Francisco. Tel:(415) 474-8686. Made with shrimp, lobster, mussels, and scallops, baby potatoes, wedges of fennel and artichoke hearts and served with garlic rich aioli sauce, the seafood soup served here is one of the finest in the world. As a main course try the whole lobsters that have been seasoned with coriander and lime juice and then topped with mangoes, kiwis and pineapple. Reasonable prices. Reservations required. (Note that the seafood soup is served only on Sunday nights).

The Restaurant at Meadowood: 900 Meadowood Lane, St. Helena, California. Phone (707) 963-3646. The hors d'oeuvres here are magnificent, and be sure to order a platter that includes the spicy shrimp mousse, the oysters in Champagne sauce and the raviolis stuffed with lobster. Continue with the baked lobster that has been flavored with saffron and garlic and then stuffed with shrimp. Dinner prices are very high, but the lunch menu is quite reasonable. Reservations required for dinner, suggested for lunch.

In Europe

Calypso: 3 rue des Catalans, 7th Arrondisement, Marseille: Phone 52.64.00. A simple but excellent restaurant, where the head waiter calls out the prices of the dishes of the day like an auctioneer, and where the spiny lobster aflame with Armagnac is superb. Reasonable prices, reservations recommended for dinner.

Le Cancalais: 12 rue Gambetta, Cancale. Phone 89.61.93. Located 14 kilometers from Saint-Malo and facing the port, this charming little establishment (where Flaubert enjoyed dining) is ideal for those who want to start with marinated shrimp or pickled oysters and then make their way to an enormous platter of lobsters. Many skip the first course and have two different lobster dishes. My own favorites here are the lobsters that are stuffed with fresh herbs and breadcrumbs and those served in a tarragon flavored cream sauce. Reasonable prices. Reservations recommended.

Felix: 65 blvd. de la Croissette. Cannes. Phone 38.00.61. Despite its very reasonable prices, especially at lunch, this is one of Canne's finest restaurants. Be sure to take a table on the terrace and once there start off with the crepes that have been stuffed with shrimps. Make your way from here to either the lob- ster cardinal, in which the meat has been chopped together with truffles, returned to the shell, sprinkled over with grated cheese and butter and browned in the oven or the lobsters served with Mornay sauce. Reasonable prices. Reservations not required.

Brasserie Flo: 7 cour des Petites-Ecuries, Paris 10. Telephone 42.47.00.80. One of the few Parisian brasseries that has maintained its genuine 1900 decor, all of the food here is worth trying but if lobster is what you want, do not be embarassed to start off with the cold lobster mousse and then work your way on to the Lobster Newburg in which the meat has been removed from the shell and chopped and then finished in Madeira wine encirched with cream, brandy and egg yolks. Reservations absolutely required. Moderate to expensive prices.

The Grill Room: in the Hotel de Paris, Place du Casino, Monaco. Tel 50.80.80. The grilled lobsters stuffed with coquilles Saint Jacques and truffles served here may be the most expensive in the world but they may also be the best. For details see the article about Monaco in this issue.

Lonja del Pescado (also known as Casa Eduardo): Majorca, Spain. In the port, on the street known as Muelle Viejo. This paradise for lovers of fish and seafood is located in an absolutely simple restaurant, one story above the entrance to a warehouse. Don't let the simplicity of the place put you off, because you can feast here on zarzuela (the Spanish version of Bouillabaisse), an extraordinary seafood paella, grilled lobster and all of the good local white wine for less than $15.00 per person. Because the restaurant has no telephone, reservations are not possible. If you arrive and no tables are available, the waiter will lead you to a bench overlooking the port and give you a large pitcher of wine to keep you company until your table is ready.

Corte Sconta: Calle del Pestoin 3886, Venice. Phone 522-70-24. This is one of the finest fish and seafood restaurants in Italy, and one will do well to plan at least three hours for a meal here. Ignore the menu here and start off with whatever antipasti the waitresses suggest. Take their advice again in selecting from whatever pasta dishes are being offered the day you visit, and then (keeping in mind that your goal is lobster) go on to either the grilled lobster with garlic butter or the lobster stew which is rich with tomatoes, fennel and, surprisingly, grapefruit sections. Moderate prices. Reservations recommended.

In Israel

Moul Yam, in Tel Aviv Port. Oyster bar open daily from 12:00 - after 24:00. Kitchen open from 12:00 - 16:00 and from 19:30 - 23:00. Telephone 03: 5469920. One of Israel's very best restaurants. Start off with as many fresh oysters as you can manage, continue with the trio of cappuccino-like soups (tarragon, Provencal herbs and morel mushrooms), and then go on to a whole lobster that is boiled, broken into sections and served in a gently simmered fish and seafood stock enriched with brandy and tomato sauce. To complete the dish you will find penne pasta, Jerusalem artichokes and artichoke hearts. Expensive but worth the money. Reservations recommended.

For a Description and Recipe for Lobster Thermidor, Click Here

© Daniel Rogov