Meson Madrid

[dodge621]

Went to Meson Madrid this weekend. Excellent lobster. Enjoyed a 3 pounder. One other person had I dare say Chilean Sea Bass and 2 others had shrimp paella. Came with very good black bean soup or salad. I enjoyed the black bean. Good bread as well.

Why I ask for the same lobster in a steakhouse would I pay say 50 bucks while at Spanish restaurant I can have a 3 pounder with rice, potatoes, soup for 33 (and less at some places.) (Why are Spanish restaurants the only places (atleast as I know) to get great lobster deals??

Anywhere else for great prices on delicious lobster please advise.

Meson Madrid Palisades Park, decor not too good but food enjoyable for hearty appetites.

[dodge621]

sorry I should have titled this Meson Madrid

[=Mark]

They're free to charge whatever the market will bear as at this time of year they go for $4 to $5 per pound wholesale. This is similar to a local seafood place that sells a pound of King Crab legs for $26 when I can get them at Shop Rite for $11.99

[Fat Guy]

At Stew Leonard's in Yonkers (no, it's not in New Jersey), at the outdoor cafe, you get a lobster dinner for $10.99. This includes a 1-1/4 pound lobster, an ear of corn, a pretty substantial order of french fries, and all the butter and related equipment (bib, crackers, wet naps, paper placemant, etc.). This deal makes a mockery of most lobster prices. Also in Manhattan there is One Fish, Two Fish, which was for a time the inspiration for Jinmyo's signature line "Lightly fried, cooked to perfection." I have to check the current lobster prices there, because they often have a twin-lobster special in the high $20s, but I know the standard 1-1/4 dinner (which comes with salad, garlic bread, potato, and veg) goes for $15.95. By the way the placemat at Stew Leonard's is particularly nice. I scanned it in the other day when we had lunch there with my mother. Here's what it looks like:

[LaNiña]

My mother bought lobsters in a market in Stamford, CT on Friday for $5.95 per pound, for 1 1/4 lbs lobsters. All who ate them (I wasn't there) reported that they were good.

[Fat Guy]

Shop Rite had 'em for $4.99 a pound.

[dodge621]

Shop Rite had 'em for $4.99 a pound.

Yes, I was there last week and I was not interested in them at that size. The amount of work in opening a 1 1/4lb lobster is not worth the effort due to the high proportion of shell to meat (Shop Rite would have cooked them for free but I prefer larger lobsters. With a 3 pounder there is plenty of lobster meat. Often I have heard that the bigger 3 pounders are tough but not at Meson Madrid yesterday where it was very tender.

[Fat Guy]

It's a nice size for a snack lobster.

[Rachel Perlow]

I agree about not bothering with 1 - 1 1/4 lb lobsters, I thought the sale price at Shop Rite was worth dealing with them, but when we were able to get the larger ones 2+ pounders were 5.99/lb we bought two monsters instead (3.5 and 4 lbs). I just had the leftovers as lobster salad for dinner. Incidentally, even though it was supposed to be last week's special, I was in the same Shop Rite on Sunday and those prices were still on display.

re: Meson Madrid - We used to like this place, and returned after we moved back to the area last year. It just sucked (bad service, cold food, wrong food). Haven't been able to get myself to go back there since. Perhaps we'll try it again if you say it's improved.

[dodge621]

[Perhaps we'll try it again if you say it's improved.

]

To clarify, I did not say it's improved. This was my first time at Meson Madrid. Perhaps I just got lucky. I only ordered a lobster and only tasted the shrimp paella which seemed good but nothing great. Do not know if the lobster would be a reflection of their cooking skills. We did not order appetizers or desert.

[ngatti]

[Perhaps we'll try it again if you say it's improved.

]

To clarify, I did not say it's improved. This was my first time at Meson Madrid.   Perhaps I just got lucky.  I only ordered a lobster and only tasted the shrimp paella which seemed good but nothing great. Do not know if the lobster would be a reflection of their cooking skills.   We did not order appetizers or desert.

You got Lucky.

In fact, upon leaving, you should have bought a Lotto ticket!

Nick

[chopjwu12]

when i was in Ri in school we used to go get lobsters at the lobster boats. They would charge us 5 bucks for each ranging from 1 1/2-2 1/2 pounds. A couple bucks more for anything bigger. then the best deal was 3.50 or 4 bucks for a one armed lobster depending on the time of day.

[Cosmo]

I had one of the larger lobsters from ShopRite, very good.

Many times, restaurants have deals on 'soft shell' or 'shedder' lobsters. If the shell is not hard, there is more water and liquid in the meat, therefore less expensive. It's hard to tell till you get the lobster and find the ease of craking the claws and back.

BTW, culls (one clawed) lobsters are a great deal, I agree!

Cosmo

[Rachel Perlow]

Those lobsters we got at Shop Rite were definitely hard shells. I'm surprised I didn't break my kitchen shears on them, I had to go to the tool box for a hammer for the claws.

[tautog]

In the old days, 10 years ago..*L*. You could get 6 to 8 1 1/2-2lb culls for a 12 pack of coors light off the lobstermen. Now they sell culls for 4.99 a lb. You used to also get a better price per pound for larger lobster but now they are more expensive. If you visit the docks in a place like Pt. Pleasant Beach, you can still sometimes find lobstemen who are willing to cut out the middlemen and sell at about 3 bucks a lb. I enjoy 3-4lb lobsters the best as they have a good meat to shell ratio. Big lobsters are not tough, it's just that most people overcook them, i.e. cook a 3lber 3 times more than a 1lber when it should be about twice as much. When I was a teenager, I caught a 19lb lobster while diving a wreck. Was very tasty, not tough at all, though I do feel a bit bad looking back that I didn't release a 60 to 70 yr old creature, oh well.

[201]

When I was a teenager, I caught a 19lb lobster while diving a wreck.  Was very tasty, not tough at all, though I do feel a bit bad looking back that I didn't release a 60 to 70 yr old creature, oh well.

I just love the full circle of human emotion that comes through in this bit!

[tautog]

Yeah, now that I'm almost 30, I'm starting to identify with a large lobster. But they still are damn tasty. Feel like Homer when he was crying while devoring his departed pet lobster.

[201]

Yeah, now that I'm almost 30, I'm starting to identify with a large lobster.  But they still are damn tasty.  Feel like Homer when he was crying while devoring his departed pet lobster.

"I wish Pinchy was here to enjoy this!"