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Cheap lobster in Philadelphia -- retail


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i have a friend you told me that somewhere in philly, one might be able to buy lobster by the busshel around 6.99 a pound whole sale. is there such a place? is there a place to buy wholesale quantities of sea food at a cheap price?

thanks,

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i have a friend you told me that somewhere in philly, one might be able to buy lobster by the busshel around 6.99 a pound whole sale. is there such a place? is there a place to buy wholesale quantities of sea food at a cheap price?

thanks,

There's the wholesale fish purveyors down by the stadiums at the "Food Center" - the source of most wholesale food in the city.

I'll ask my chef tomorrow which seafood vendors might be open to the public.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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that would be great!

thanks, i really appreciate it.

i have a friend you told me that somewhere in philly, one might be able to buy lobster by the busshel around 6.99 a pound whole sale. is there such a place? is there a place to buy wholesale quantities of sea food at a cheap price?

thanks,

There's the wholesale fish purveyors down by the stadiums at the "Food Center" - the source of most wholesale food in the city.

I'll ask my chef tomorrow which seafood vendors might be open to the public.

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I've purchased lobsters in bulk several times from Samuels & Sons, which as Katie noted is at the food distribution center by the stadiums. I've always been pleased with everything I've had from them (softshells, salmon carcasses, etc.) They sell to retail, but it's set up for wholesale. Just go into the office and place your order. Then you give the order slip to a manager outside, who gets it filled for you. Kinda cool seeing all that fresh fish, huge cleaning/scaling operation, and so on.

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hi,

can you tell me please how much per pound for the lobster and the min amt of weight i can buy at?

thanks

I've purchased lobsters in bulk several times from Samuels & Sons, which as Katie noted is at the food distribution center by the stadiums.  I've always been pleased with everything I've had from them (softshells, salmon carcasses, etc.)  They sell to retail, but it's set up for wholesale.  Just go into the office and place your order.  Then you give the order slip to a manager outside, who gets it filled for you.  Kinda cool seeing all that fresh fish, huge cleaning/scaling operation, and so on.

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Actually, Samuels & Sons is exactly who I was thinking of. The phone numbers and ordering information is on the link that Cinghiale provided. They should be able to give you their prices and minimums over the phone.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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hey thanks for the help. i called the place and it seems like the one im looking for.

btw, anyone ever buy the cole lobster? is it worth the risk?

thanks, im looking to buy my parents a good pair of 5lb bad boys. lol!

Actually, Samuels & Sons is exactly who I was thinking of.  The phone numbers and ordering information is on the link that Cinghiale provided.  They should be able to give you their prices and minimums over the phone.

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hey thanks for the help. i called the place and it seems like the one im looking for.

btw, anyone ever buy the cole lobster? is it worth the risk?

"Cole" or "Cull" ?

If "cull" it just means you are buying the warriors, the ones who have lost a limb, usually a claw, in combat. Nothing to do with freshness or quality of the meat.

As much as I admire a warrior, the claw meat is my favorite so I'd be loath to settle for a lefty or a righty.

Holly Moore

"I eat, therefore I am."

HollyEats.Com

Twitter

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hey thanks for the help. i called the place and it seems like the one im looking for.

btw, anyone ever buy the cole lobster? is it worth the risk?

thanks, im looking to buy my parents a good pair of 5lb bad boys. lol!

Can you post the per lb prices and minimum purchase amount when you find out? I and I'm sure other eGulleters are also curious. Thanks!

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No kidding, Shoprite Aramingo had 5-7 lb lobsters on sale last week for $6.99 a pound.

(Smaller were more expensive)

I couldn't buy them, even though we often buy whole lobsters.

These guys and girls just looked so wise, they'd survived this long...

I know, sentimentality, I know, someone will buy them, but I just couldn't.

Philly Francophiles

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  • 1 month later...

ok then.

the 'restaurant lobster' thread has me thinkin i need a lobster or two. but i'm not a rich man, so here's my question: where can i get good fresh live lobsters for the most reasonable price?

--there's the place in the terminal where they're about $11/lb for chicks

--i've never noticed any of the places in the italian market having them, even

anastasi's--have i missed it?

--i know ippolito's has live crabs; do they carry lobster?

--somewhere else?

thoughts?

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While you can probably find lobster that's $1 or $2 cheaper per pound, I don't think it's worth it. The RTM vendor has decent turnover compared to most other sellers of lobsters in these parts. However, it might be profitable to take a stroll through Chinatown as long as you're in the neighborhood.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Yes, Chinatown. At least in Chicago. Lobsters at fancy seafood shops are over $20 a pound, but in Chinatown it is at least half that.

And you can freeze them if you buy them a few days before you plan on cooking them. When you thaw them out, they are happy and alive.

S. Cue

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Devon Seafood Grill sells 1lb. lobsters at cost, $9, for Happy Hour 4-6PM Monday thru Friday!!!

That's about as cheap as I think you'll find them anywhere, and cooked for you as well.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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Lobsters of the Living Dead?

Claw on this Walt Disney lobsters

Lobsters coming back to life after you freeze them?  Am I reading this correctly?  That seems impossible.  If it's true, however, that is fascinating.

Edited by marinade (log)

Jim Tarantino

Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures, & Glazes

Ten Speed Press

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Devon Seafood Grill sells 1lb. lobsters at cost, $9, for Happy Hour 4-6PM Monday thru Friday!!!

That's about as cheap as I think you'll find them anywhere, and cooked for you as well.

wow, that IS cheap--even though i wouldn't end up with the shells to make lobster stock for soup/risotto/etc afterwards, nine bucks is totally worth having a little lobster snack now and then on my way home from work. hmm.... i wonder if i left work in time, if i could decimate a lobster and then head over to sansom st. to wash it down with a dozen oysters and some pink wine before happy hour ends? well, there's nothin to it but to do it, i reckon.

Edited by mrbigjas (log)
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While you can probably find lobster that's $1 or $2 cheaper per pound, I don't think it's worth it. The RTM vendor has decent turnover compared to most other sellers of lobsters in these parts. However, it might be profitable to take a stroll through Chinatown as long as you're in the neighborhood.

chinatown! of course you're right. duh, i knew i was forgetting something obvious.

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Lobsters coming back to life after you freeze them?  Am I reading this correctly?  That seems impossible.  If it's true, however, that is fascinating.

I don't think it's possible either. Freezing a living thing slowly, like in your freezer at home, would cause ice crystals to form in its body and tear up its cells, killing it. It might be possible to freeze it really fast (and really cold) using liquid nitrogen to minimize the ice crystals, putting it in a "cryonic freeze." Kind of like Ted Williams. :biggrin: I'm sure it's been done before on small animals, but I dunno about lobsters.

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When you thaw them out, they are happy and alive.

OK, I won't even debate the alive part, but happy? I've always found lobsters to be pretty ornery and ill-tempered, with a sarcastic sense of humor. I'd think freezing would just piss them off more. But then, who knows what makes a lobster happy...

"Philadelphia’s premier soup dumpling blogger" - Foobooz

philadining.com

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Lobsters coming back to life after you freeze them?  Am I reading this correctly?  That seems impossible.  If it's true, however, that is fascinating.

I don't think it's possible either. Freezing a living thing slowly, like in your freezer at home, would cause ice crystals to form in its body and tear up its cells, killing it. It might be possible to freeze it really fast (and really cold) using liquid nitrogen to minimize the ice crystals, putting it in a "cryonic freeze." Kind of like Ted Williams. :biggrin: I'm sure it's been done before on small animals, but I dunno about lobsters.

I agree with this. After having read the linked article above, a conventional freezer would be unable to freeze the lobster as quickly as necessary. I'd like to hear back from the person who orignally posted the come-back-to-life claim and read about his/her experiences.

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But then, who knows what makes a lobster happy...

A spa day. Perhaps a seaweed wrap. A quick trip to the steam room, and then a butter and herb massage.

Oh wait. No. That's what makes me happy. To eat the lobster. :biggrin:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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