Da Lobsta

Well, here I was back in Chicago after a few years & seeking out my favorite go-to destination for lox & matzo balls ... After already suffering the disappointment of seeing the other downtown Jewish deli turned into (ugh!) a Subway of all things ... But Ashkenaz was always relatively better anyhow, though, yes, it had been slipping ...

Imagine my surprise at seeing the sign reading "Da Lobsta"!!! Sad, yes -- but given that I was starving to death at that time, it was nevertheless quite the "Oy vey ... Am I ever glad I'm not Orthodox!!!" moment for me!!

I bit the bullet, ventured in, somewhat flabbergasted-ly ordered the Greek lobster roll ... and .... and .... in fact, it was quite good indeed! Next time I'll try the Traditional -- & see how it compares to the better ones I've sampled when I've lived in the Boston area ...

Might I add, however, a lament for high-quality and affordable lox and whitefish ... The one doesn't substitute for the other -- and SOMEwhere South of Devon would really be appreciated by many of us!!!

I tried this place for lunch the other day with a friend because we thought it was a really cool concept, but i have to say the food and experience was just OK. I ordered the gumbo and the BLT lobster roll and she ordered the lobster grilled cheese and the clam chowder.

The BLT lobster roll was good, but not great. The bacon definitely overpowered the entire roll. I've been spending the past 3 summers in Maine, where we buy fresh lobster and lobster rolls regularly, so I'm sure I have pretty high lobster standards, but there was as many big chunks of lobster in the roll as I was expecting. The biggest redeeming quality was the roll itself, which was warm and buttery. I would have ordered a basket as my entree!  

The gumbo itself was pretty bad. I was told that it wouldn't be spicy, but was made with a ton of seafood. Instead, it was filled with okra seeds, had barely any seafood and was pretty much flavorless. I've made homemade gumbo myself and its not that difficult to have it turn out right.  I think their recipe and prep definitely needs some rework. My friend enjoyed the grilled cheese but didn't bother eating more than a bite of clam chowder - which was not very flavorful either.  

Overall, I might be back if I happen to be in the area again, but wouldn't bother to make a special trip out to the Gold Coast to go here.

What a perfect addition to Chicago! We had the traditional lobster rolls and yummy!!!!! We will definitely be back!