What color is the lobster?

To close out my blog, I thought I'd write about a universal restaurant that I hope everyone has been to. Although, because I'm clearly biased to the state of New York, this restaurant is THEE best only in New York. If you love seafood as much as I do, salmon and crab legs being my favorite, Red Lobster is definitely the place to go.

 

Red Lobster, in New York, is the place everyone goes to for any type of celebration. Whether it is for a birthday, graduation, wedding, retirement, etc, Red Lobster seems to be the place that puts itself first in everyone's mind. Most locations have the same setting inside. The tables and chairs are a dark cherry-red and the booths are the same, with leather seating. When I was younger, I thought the coolest part of the restaurant was the huge tank of water that was full with red lobsters. I always stood at the tank, staring at them while I waited to be seated. Often times I would stick my hand inside the tank to feel the water (mostly to see if I could touch one) until a waitress yelled at me for doing so.

The menu at Red Lobster has almost any type of seafood you can think of! Along with other American classics like french fries, chicken tenders, mac and cheese, and steak. If you have been to this restaurant, I am sure you can agree with me that the biscuits are the best part of the menu. They are always served warm and soft on the inside. What makes it even better is that they are complimentary and who doesn't love free food? Every time I go to Red Lobster, I tell myself I'm going to get a different entrée but I usually end up getting one of two things: New Orleans Salmon or the pick-three combination. The New Orleans Salmon comes with salmon and shrimp in a creamy New Orleans sauce with Pico de Gallo and a side of your choice. It is the best sauce and salmon combination ever! For the pick three combination, I get double garlic shrimp scampi (anything garlic flavored is my favorite) and crab legs with a side, usually the wild rice pilaf. My family tends to order a lot of food whenever we go to Red Lobster because we like to get a taste of anything (if you can't tell by the picture). Although, I rarely share my food. I've been to Red Lobster SO many times in my eighteen years of life if feels weird that I haven't been in three months! But, I plan on going this Saturday when I get back to New York.

While this is my last passion blog, I have to say that I've really enjoyed writing about my two favorite things: food and New York. Should you find yourself in New York please check out some of these restaurants! Thanks for reading! :)  

Not Your Average Cellar

On this VERY rare occasion, I dined at a restaurant that I did not enjoy too well. I know right, what a shocker! Believe me I was just as surprised. City Cellar is a restaurant located in my hometown Westbury, NY (woop woop). I have have passed this place a million times and every time I thought it was a bank. Until one day, my dad told me we were going to City Cellar for dinner and I said "I thought that was a bank" and of course I received the "are you serious" look. So to my surprise, it was actually a restaurant and I couldn't believe that after all these years I had no idea.

The restaurant itself is gorgeous inside. The set up is very different and weird, but beautiful. There are large gold drapes that surround the seating areas and make the environment seem magical. The bar is very big and shaped into a semi-circle. I think it was the biggest bar I had ever seen and it made me want to sit in one of the seats but unfortunately I still have three more years to go before I could do so. Most of the seats are open booths that make it comfortable to sit, eat, and converse. After taking in the atmosphere, I was expecting to be very pleased with my meal however that was not the case.

When I looked at the menu, I though to myself that this was the perfect example of an over-priced salad with over-priced meals. The menu was very expensive, especially for a simple night out for dinner. There was a variety of choices, but it was an upscale menu that was beaming with flavors like mussels, sesame chicken wings, and maple glazed salmon. I myself am very picky, so I like when a dish does not have too many flavors, or has an add on I can ask to be removed. However, most of the dishes included an add on I did not like and could not remove, leading to my disappointment. I ended up getting a cheeseburger (with no cheese) and french fries. A burger and fries is a meal that is essentially available anywhere so it was not anything special, especially not for the price. My dad of course ordered the over-priced caesar salad and was disappointed in the taste as well. Usually I pick the restaurant, so I able to blame the bad choice on my dad being that he picked City Cellar (that was the best part of the night).

So the moral of the story is, not all New York restaurants are great, even thou the majority of them are. I would not suggest eating at City Cellar while in New York but I would suggest just stopping by to see the inside. Also, you can take a look at my hometown while you're at it!