Lobster House

I have been very excited, over  the last week or so, about the large Asian population in Georgia.  I have driven through and around the Atlanta metro area, and in the outskirts, through Duluth and Lawrenceville, I have seen that there is a large Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean population clustered in a small area just outside Atlanta.

The best thing about the wonderful Asian population is that they are almost ALWAYS surrounded by wonderful Asian food.  I have been telling my family and friends that I look forward to trying all the new dining choices around me as soon as possible.

My first experience here was a bust.  That was, however, not to say that the restaurant does NOT have good food.  The food that I was given was in a take out box, and not well done.  I will, at a later date, give them a try when I get to be in control of my destiny.

Today, I went to a restaurant called Lobster House, on 1555 Pleasant Hill Road, in Duluth, Georgia.  I drive past it any time I go anywhere, so my daughter and I decided that today would be a great day to give it a try. 

We showed up just before noon, before the lunch crowd had shown up, so we were seated promptly.  Our server was pleasant, but did confess to some unfamiliarity with the menu.  That being said, we did get plenty of time to peruse the menu.  I started us off with some edamame, which showed up promptly.  It was a generous portion, served with sea salt and ground peppercorn as seasoning, and a delicious honey soy dipping sauce. 

For my entree I selected the 5 piece sushi and 2 half-rolls lunch special, which came with a fresh hot cup of miso soup.  My daughter selected their newest lunch special, a 1 pound lobster, cooked any way she wanted, with her sauce of choice.  (She went with their butter sauce, a no frills, fail safe choice, that went deliciously with her lobster.)

Overall, both meals were good.  I was pleased with my selection of rolls, and look forward to trying a new one.  The California roll was made with a generous amount of crab and cucumber, and the spicy tuna roll was exactly as I wanted it.  Both rolls were well wrapped, tight and did not fall apart under the ministrations of my chopsticks.   The sushi was fresh as evidenced by the lack of an overly fish smell.

Eleyna's meal was good.  Maybe not great, but definitely good.  The lobster bisque was flavorful, with many generous chunks of lobster thrown in the soup for legitimacy.  As a bisque, it was a bit thin, but it definitely was tasty.  The lobster was presented almost whole, (the special was based on a single clawed lobster) but it was well cooked.  The thinner parts of the lobster were a bit chewy, but it was kind of to be expected.

The menu for the Lobster House offers a wide variety of cuisines, including burgers and sandwiches, but the sushi and lobster are their specialty.  I cannot wait to go back to try something different, as the food was definitely worth the total bill.

The only thing I would have improved upon was the Lobster Bisque, and I have included my recipe, which originally started as a corn chowder, which can be modified to include oysters or shrimp.  I also generally serve my lobster bisque with a hot buttered French bread.

Until then, Good Eating, Friends...

Lobster & Corn Bisque

(can be made without the lobster, turning it into a corn chowder.)

Ingredients

• 4 (1-pound lobsters)
• 6 ears sweet corn
• 4 bay leaves
• 8 sprigs thyme
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 thick strips bacon, julienned
• 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 teaspoons chervil leaves

Directions

Prepare the lobster: Cook the lobsters in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly underdone. Remove from the water and let cool slightly. Remove the lobster meat from the shells, reserving the meat and the shells. Coarsely chop the lobster meat.

Prepare the corn: Remove husks from the corn and cut kernels off the cobs. Reserve the corn, cobs, and half of the husks.

Make the bisque: Place the lobster shells, corn cobs, husks, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and peppercorns in a stockpot and add enough water to barely cover. Simmer for 45 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the solids. Place the broth in a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes, or until reduced to 1 1/2 quarts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, place half of the corn kernels and the heavy cream. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the cream is reduced to about 1 cup. Remove from the heat and puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook the bacon over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the fat is rendered but not brown.

Remove the bacon from the pan and discard. Saute the remaining corn, the potatoes, and onion in the bacon fat over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain any fat from the pan, add the pureed corn mixture, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until thick. Add the lobster stock in small additions until the desired consistency is reached. Add the lobster meat to the pan and whisk in the butter just prior to serving.

Ladle the soup into 10 bowls and sprinkle with the chervil leaves. Top with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

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Fung Mei

Every once in a while, vendors at work will offer to bring lunch for the office. This past week, our landscapers offered to bring us lunch, joking that he would bring Panda Express. There was a horrified gasp around the office, then silence. Finally, we all agreed that we would be willing to try Fung Mei on Pleasant Hill Road in Lawrenceville.

I read many reviews of this particular restaurant (I wanted to be well prepared for what I might expect to eat) and I saw a wide variety of opinions, ranging from glowing praise to scathing negativity.  However, I decided to let MY opinion and my impression speak for itself.

This review of the food that we received IS based on it being delivered in a styrofoam to-go container. These containers invariably result in a soggy, NEVER hot meal, so I was NOT surprised about that particular element of the dinner. The chicken, under the soggy batter, was dried and overcooked. There were large strips that were bigger than bite-sized pieces, yet even the center portion of those large pieces was dried.

Flavor-wise, the chicken was truly lacking. I could not identify an actual "flavor" because it seemed to be nothing more than a sweet chili sauce, drenching the chicken.  (I am guessing that this might have been a General Tso's chicken, or some version of it...)

The fried rice was... Rice. Soaked in soy sauce, clumpy, with some tiny, barely discernable pieces of carrot. It was bland, tasteless, definitely not noteworthy.

Given that the meal was free, i was not going to complain about it to the gentleman who brought it. I will, however, never order THAT particular dish. My next visit to Fung Mei will be one where I control the dishes served. Hopefully, I will have a meal worth repeating.

Until then, Eat Well, Friends...

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2012...Georgia on my mind...

Having moved to Georgia, I have discovered that Lawrenceville, little town where I live, is a hotbed of activity for the Asian community!! There are lots of HUGE Asian markets, Asian restaurants and people to interact with!! As a result, I have found new fodder for this page!!

I will be trying out the new restaurants here in town, exploring the new markets, and giving lots of details. Please do not hesitate to make suggestions should you have recommendations regarding menu items or locations you would like me to dissect!!

I can't wait to share more with you, my readers!!

I just saw that this blog, Wokking on the Run, has been viewed in 137 different countries!!! Thank you, everyone, for your readership, & feel free to continue sharing it with your friends & family!!

http://www2.clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwokkingontherun.blogspot.com

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