Legal Sea Food Lobster

Name: Legal Sea Foods

Location: Logan International Airport, Terminal C

Meal: Lobster, Onion Rings, Broccoli, and a Pepsi

Type: Formal Seafood

Flying isn’t very fun these days; between the check-in process, luggage fees, and cramped quarters there isn’t a whole lot to love. Air travel takes a turn for the worse when you hurry to get to the airport only to find out they have delayed your flight for no reason (ahem..AirTran). Of course no one likes to be delayed from their flight but Boston’s Logan Airport has at least tried to make it bearable. Logan has a Street Pricing Policy that ensures you pay no more for a meal at the airport then you would elsewhere around Boston. They also make sure to bring in restaurants you would actually like to eat a meal at. Legal Sea Food was one of the first high-end restaurants to open in the airport and as luck would have it they opened in the very terminal I found myself stranded.

Legal Sea Foods is widely considered one of the best seafood restaurants in the country, topping lists far and wide. As I was in a bad mood (ahem…AirTran), I decided that a fresh steamed lobster was in order. One of the first things you have to notice about the Logan Airport Legal Sea Food is that the service is phenomenal. They are well aware of the stress their customers are under and go out of their way at every opportunity to make dining there an enjoyable experience. The lobster came out hot and fresh with sides quickly after. I’ve got a lot of family in Baltimore so I am well versed in disembodying sea crustaceans. I was able to make quick work on the little guy, mainly saving my sides for last.  The onion rings were as good as any you will find a seaside shack along the Rt.1 which is a pretty comparison if you’ve had them. The broccoli was good, fresh steamed with a little cheese but not too much that you felt it wasn’t healthy anymore.

My hope for you is that you never have to enjoy the quality service and food at Legal Sea Food in Logan Airport.If you do find yourself there with lots of extra time (ahem…AirTran) you should bypass the requisite McDonald’s, Sbarro’s knockoff, and Panda Express and head towards a meal that is actually worth eating. Legal Sea Food will deliver a great New England meal that you’ll be proud to eat, even under better conditions.

Onion Rings

Broccoli

The Post Meal View

New England Clam Chowder and Dungeness Crab Roll

Name: Pike Place Chowder

Location: Seattle,WA

Meal: Dungeness Crab Roll, New England Chowder, and a Pepsi

Type: Casual Seafood

Pike Place Chowder probably isn’t the best meal in Seattle, it is however one of the best seafood meals I’ve ever had (don’t tell my mom, she’s from Maryland).  Located in the historic Pike Place Market, Pike Place Chowder serves food that has consistently beaten out well known restaurants from New England. If a market store from Seattle can travel across country and still win you know they make a good chowder. One interesting side effect of eating chowder in Seattle is that everyone simply orders chowder, no one tries out a Boston accent to order “chowda”.

Of the two menu items I ate there wasn’t a secondary dish, they were both great. The chowder is creamy without a greasy mouth feel, well seasoned but not overpowering, and has strong enough a seafood taste without it tasting like they wrung out a clam. Pike Place also serves an amazing crab roll, dungeness in this case. Every great sandwich starts with a great piece of bread, Pike Place has a chewy, crusty baguette I’d be love to find locally. The crab is a less chunky then I’m used too on the East coast but they mix it well with mayonnaise, celery, and  some seasoning.

As far as my food travels go, this was one of my more expensive meals coming in at almost $20 but it was well worth it. I expect to pay more for good seafood, I was not disappointed by Pike Place Chowder. Exploring Pike Place Market can take an entire day, at the very least a Saturday morning, to do it properly. You would be well served to make your way to down towards the water and then head down Post Alley, you’ll be rewarded with some exceptional seafood. If your fellow travelers are hesitant to try to the clam chowder (I once was) first implore them to reconsider but if they won’t fear not, there is a good pizza place right next store.

Pike Place Market

Lobster Roll and Onion Rings

Name: Jake’s Seafood

Location: Rt 1, Ogunquit,ME

Meal: Lobster roll, onion rings, and a Pepsi

Type: Casual Seafood

New England Seafood itself is a national icon and few of those foods more ubiquitous then the lobster roll. Jake’s Seafood is undoubtedly a fine establishment but wonderful places like this exist up and down the New England coast. Route 1 is the coastal highway running all throughout New England and there are plenty of these casual seafood restaurants in every town.  When you are in New England the lobster roll is THE food you have to try, it’s on the same level as a cheesesteak and BBQ.

Jake’s makes the lobster roll I was looking for, made with a little mayo. There is a some debate over what exactly should go into a lobster roll (I’m liberal on this).  Regardless of the debate, Jake’s lobster roll is what it looks like. At least a pound of lobster meat mixed with a little mayo and celery and jammed onto a lightly toasted New England hot dog bun.  I didn’t even attempt to pick this up right away, you pick at the lobster until you feel you can wield it.

The onion rings of course deserve attention. I found fresh onion rings like this on every menu I saw throughout New England. I suppose a region that learns to fry one food well (ie. clams) will learn to others equally well. The onion was sliced thin enough and fried just crispy enough that you could bite right through. It seemed to be a cornmeal coating and obviously fresh oil, just look how light and clean they look.

Overall I wish I could end this post by raving on and on about Jake’s Seafood in particular but unfortunately I haven’t been to enough New England seaside seafood restaurants (if that is even possible). I will say that Jake’s Seafood seems to be one of the great examples of simple New England seafood done very well.