• Guides
  • About Us

The Traveled Guide

Travel, Food, and Life

  • Destinations
  • Food
  • Details
  • Gear
  • Contact Us
  • Archives

All About Lobster

20/11/2015 By Eric H. Doss Leave a Comment

So, it’s been a few months since we visited Boston, but since then I’ve been kicking around the idea of a post about lobster. But, what finally pushed me to write was not the lobster in Boston. Instead, it was our trip across Nova Scotia and Maine that inspired me to talk about one of my favorite shellfish.

Maybe favorite is a little quick to judge. Though I love lobster, after being in Massachusetts for about 4 months, what I really miss, and what I think is my favorite seafood, are South Carolina shrimp. But, lobster can be a close second.

History and Types of Lobster

So, we’re talking about American Lobsters here, not Spiny, or Reef lobsters. All are great, I hear, but hard to find. You’ve probably heard that lobster was once viewed as the food of the poor, and that lobster was fed to inmates and servants. While that’s totally true, you need to also know that, when served to prisoners and servants, lobster was frequently cooked dead, not alive, or was ground and cooked together, shells, gills, and all. So, not quite the tail and drawn butter presentation we admire.

Next, you need to know that there are two types of lobster available live. When talking about American lobsters, lobsters are graded by the age of their shell. Soft Shell lobsters have recently shed their shells. They have the mildest taste. Hard Shell lobsters are once who have shed their shell this year, but have had enough time for their shells to harden. If you are on the East Coast, these are likely the only lobsters you’ll be able to buy, as transporting soft shells is difficult. These taste the most like lobster, which I enjoy, but might be a more powerful taste than some enjoy.

The traditional way to cook lobster is to boil it, open the shell, and serve beside drawn butter. Nothing wrong with this presentation, at all. It highlights the amazing sweetness of the lobster and is very simple. But, there are so many better ways to eat lobster.

First, you can deep-fry the lobster tail. Not much to say about this, other than it is freaking amazing. It keeps the lobster tail moist and flavorful, but helps with tenderness. Tails are desirable, but they’re not as tender as some people expect. Frying helps.

My personal favorite, though, is to grill lobster. I think this is even easier than boiling and certainly more flavorful.

First, you need to have a great fire, preferably with a good coals and a little flame. You can, of course, do this on a charcoal grill, or even a gas grill, but the flavor will be so much better on a fire. During our trip to Cape Breton and Maine, we stopped at Sorrento Lobster, Inc. and picked up two soft shell and two hard shell lobsters. Well, we sprung a radiator hose leak and were delayed a bit, so Sorrento was an unplanned stop, but… If you’re in the area, Sorrento Lobster is awesome. It’s a huge warehouse that does wholesale lobster sales, but if you show up, they’ll sell you a few for your table.

We left Sorrento and doubled back to the Mountain View Campground in Sullivan, ME for the night. Not lobster related, but man, the sunset here was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.

ME Sunset

Once I had the fire built, I killed the lobster with a knife to the head, which is pretty quick and effective. Before putting them on the grate, I covered them with a little olive oil, but no other seasoning or preparation. Chances are the lobsters will fight a little when you put them on the heat: don’t worry, this is a normal muscular response. The lobsters aren’t suffering.

It only takes a few minutes to cook over a good fire: be careful not to overcook the lobster or you’ll have tough claws and tail. I pulled them off after about 7 minutes and they were perfect. My apologies for the smoky picture, but you get the idea.

Maine Lobsters

Of course, not everyone wants to cook their own lobster. While traveling, we had some great lobster dinners. The first was at the Harbour Restaurant in Cheticamp, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Great atmosphere here, and live Acadian music some nights. I recommend the Fisherman’s Best of Both Dinner that includes lobster and snow crab.

We also had a great meal at the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound, in Trenton, ME. Nothing fancy here, but you walk inside, pick out your lobster, and they’ll bag it and cook it outside in a huge pot filled with seawater. Amazingly tender lobster and a really authentic Maine experience.

If you’re in Boston, my favorite lobster restaurant is James Hook and Company. As with most lobster restaurants, you’re not paying for the decor. James Hook is in a small building in a parking lot, with a dining area where you can watch Bostonians and tourists wander by. Last time we visited, we had a few lobster rolls, some lobster mac and cheese, and the Lobsta Bisque. All very good, but the Mac and Cheese was the least favorite. James Hook stuffs the mac and cheese with lobster meat, so not to worry about too much macaroni, but overall we enjoyed the simple presentation of the roll and the bisque.

Filed Under: Food

Piccolo Nido: Great, Authentic Italian Food in Boston

21/06/2015 By Eric H. Doss Leave a Comment

Earlier this month, Heather and I traveled to Massachusetts for a long weekend and arranged one full day in Boston. Heather visited Boston about a decade ago, but this was my first trip. Our schedule only gave us one night in Boston, so time was of the essence.

We debated a number of possible dinner options, hoping to take advantage of the different variety of seafood available up north. However, we spent the afternoon doing “The Dark Side of Boston” tour and found ourselves quite hungry at the end of the tour. Our tour guide recommended Piccolo Nido, a small Italian spot close to the end of our tour. Our guide explained that Piccolo Nido wasn’t terribly fancy, but the food was excellent. Plus, they make their own pasta. SOLD!

We started with the antipasti Piccolo Nido, an excellent selection of meats, cheeses, and olives. As we settled in with our antipasti, our server, Miguel, stopped in a few times to check on us and we started a conversation about his home in Southern Italy, about Boston, and about Piccolo Nido. Miguel shared stories of his hometown and his time in Boston, our conversation turned to the restaurant. Our server explained that the owner of the restaurant, Pino, is quite a character. The stories flowed from his memory and quenched our thirst for an authentic connection to this place and to this restaurant.

As our plates of gnocchi, topped with a light tomato sauce arrived, Pino arrived. There’s no easy way to explain Pino… He is, simply, a character. As we enjoyed the pillowy gnocchi, delicate and fresh, Pino joined us. With no other diners in the restaurant, we had Pino’s undivided attention. Pino explained that he’s a bit of a shaman, gifted with some sort of a sixth sense and the ability to foretell the future.

As Pino continued to regale us with this stories, our main course arrived. The veal marsala was perfect. Thin veal cutlets, perfectly flattened and tender, browned in a simple wine sauce with fresh mushrooms exploded with flavor. Such a simple dish, you might imagine, but the complexity of a simple dish done well is astounding.

As Miguel cleared our secondi plates, Pino started into the story of how he helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. Pino, it seems, predicted the 2007 win and blessed the Red Sox before the series. However, the Sox never returned to thank Pino for his blessing, and their 2007 success disappeared. No matter how strong their team, they just couldn’t clinch the win after 2007. In 2013, Pino and the Red Sox reconciled and Pino again blessed the team, removing the malocchio (Italian for evil eye) and allowing the Sox to win the series again in 2013.

Pino’s predictive and protective services aren’t available only for baseball fans. The Bruins and many other teams visit Piccolo Nido before important games to receive a blessing from Pino.

And, just in case the story seems a bit far-fetched, Pino proudly displayed his official World Series ring, the only ring given to an Italian-born individual:

Pino Irano with his World Series Ring

Pino Irano with his World Series Ring

And, in case you can’t see that in detail:

It's real!

It’s real!

So, if you find yourself in Boston, you need to stop by Piccolo Nido. If you arrive and there are tables open, don’t ask if you need a reservation. Trust me, just don’t ask. And tell Pino that Eric and Heather said hello!

Filed Under: Food

A Quick Trip to Bainbridge Island

29/06/2014 By Eric H. Doss Leave a Comment

We’ve recently returned from a long weekend trip to Seattle. Actually, the trip was to Seattle, then to Spokane, a stopover on the way back at Lake Chelan, and then a few more days in Seattle.

One of the tricks we normally use to get some extra time when traveling for a short trip is to take the redeye home. This doesn’t always seem like the best idea when I wake up as the plane touches down in Atlanta, but redeye flights are normally less crowded, you have a better chance to upgrade, and if you’re crossing the country, a decent time to sleep. Now, none of that seemed to work out for us this trip, but that’s just a little detail. The important thing is that we had all day to explore Seattle instead of spending the day in airports.

So, to maximize our time, we grabbed the 3:45pm ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. The ferry is only $8 per person, round trip. Queuing up for the ferry is similar to boarding an Amtrak; you’re held behind a gate until just a few minutes before the ferry leaves, so there’s a mad scramble when the gates open. Here’s a tip: Head up to top deck, facing Bainbridge to get the best view. If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful night, as we did, you can head over to the port (left) side and watch for Mt. Rainier on your way out to the island.

Leaving Seattle

Leaving Seattle, heading to Bainbridge Island on the WSDOT ferry, Takoma.

When you arrive on Bainbridge, you’ll disembark and head up to the ferry terminal. Take a left out of the front door and walk around the edge of the parking lot where cars line up to get on the ferry. You’ll pass a few small businesses on your right and there’s a little incline, but keep going. You’ll come to a large intersection where you’ll see the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art in front of you. Take a left here onto Winslow Way. If you have time you can stop in to see interesting exhibits of local artists and themes from the area, including from the broader region of the Puget Sound.

Continue down Winslow Way towards town and take time to visit some of the small and interesting stores along the way. There’s a great store, The Traveler, that has great luggage, maps, clothing, and more. Keep going down Winslow Way and you’ll come to Hitchcock’s. Now, we were there in May and had a wonderful time, great service, amazing food, and a great day to sit outside. Recently, I’ve noticed a number of bad reviews on different sites, so I can’t tell you what’s going on there, but I will assure you that we had an amazing evening.

We started out with some of the Cocktail Hour oysters, only $1 each. I think we knocked out about 24 of those, then about half dozen or so of the other kinds, just to round out the oyster tasting. Pay special attention to the finishes on the oysters, one with tomato was a little strong. Though I normally defer to the chef, I really like simple oysters, so I’d stick to the mignonette sauce, or something else that allows the oyster to speak for itself. We then enjoyed a great terrine, followed by simple green salads with a rich and fatty blue cheese dressing. I chose a simple pork dish with local veggies and Heather enjoyed a perfectly cooked halibut entree. A nice sticky toffee pudding finished the night and we headed back to the ferry terminal to catch our ride back.

I’ll admit, it was a little bit of a struggle to get to the island, enjoy ourselves, have a nice relaxed dinner, get back across the water and make it to the airport in time. But, honestly, totally worth it.

 

Filed Under: Destinations, Food Tagged With: bainbridge ferry, bainbridge island, hitchcocks, oysters, puget sound, redeye, seattle, weekend trip

Your Traveled Guides

Eric and Heather Doss Heather is literally a "born" traveler; she was born abroad to military parents. Her love of traveling has taken her across the United States, to Central America, southern Africa and the Middle East.

Eric's international adventures began shortly after meeting Heather when they traveled together to Israel and Palestine. In addition to enjoying travel to Germany, Italy, Hungary and the Middle East, Eric is the default driver for their cross country road trips.

Learn more about us.

Copyright © 2023---TheTraveledGuide.com