Red Lobster

It had been quite some time since I ate at any Red Lobster restaurant however when there was a special deal on Red Flag Deals and from what we were told a brand new menu with four new entrée combos, then a visit to this long time establishment was definitely warranted.  We decided to go there on a weeknight thinking that it would be quieter however when we got there around 6:30pm and without reservations, we were surprised at the amount of people standing at the door waiting to get in.  The place was packed and there were people actually leaving because they were told that the wait was going to be 45 minutes long.  We were fortunate however because despite getting the same message, we were given a table within ten minutes of waiting. 

Scanning their brand new menu, we decided to go with a few of their new combos including the Ultimate Feast, Wood-Grilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops and the Bar Harbor Lobster Bake.  We also got ourselves a Red Lobster Signature Pizza and the Lobster Crab and Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms.

Red Lobster Signature Pizza

I personally had the Ultimate Feast myself which consisted of an Atlantic coast lobster tail, snow crab legs, garlic shrimp scampi and Walt’s Favorite Shrimp.  The lobster tail was made to perfection.  With its juicy buttery sauce to dip it in, the lobster tail was succulent from the first bite to its last. The lobster meat literally fell right off the shell and was tender all the way through.  The crab legs were perfectly steamed.  As an added bonus, not only was there plenty of meat in the crab legs itself, but there was plenty of meat near the body where are the crab legs were held together.  The garlic shrimp was my personal favorite although it was probably quite fattening to the average person.  The shrimp was immersed in hot melted garlic butter sauce and there were about 8 pieces of wonderful tasty shrimps inside its bowl.  The shrimps were all fresh and nicely de-shelled from head to tail.  Lastly Walt’s Favorite shrimp was actually shrimp placed in deep fried batter and served to us hot and crunchy.  The shrimp was great and I certainly had no complaints with them.  Personally I would have loved it had they fried in coconut beer batter.  That to me is my all time favorite with deep fried shrimp. 

Lobster Crab and Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms

The Wood Grilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops were all grilled to perfection.  The scallops were nice and tender and had a good bounce to them.  All the seafood was cooked to perfection and there was plenty of rice and broccoli to go with the seafood.  There was again a small bowl of melted butter that went well with the seafood.  This was a wonderful entrée especially for those who didn’t want an all-seafood plate. 

Ultimate Feast

 The Bar Harbor Lobster Bake was probably one of the most filling entrées on the menu and if you are super hungry, this was one entrée that one should go and order.  The seafood on top consisted off lobster tail, shrimps, scallops and mussels and this was placed on top of a large amount of linguini on the bottom.  Watching our friend eat it was exhausting as there was a lot of seafood and pasta to consume.  Needless to say, not all of it was eaten and what was left over was doggied-bag home that evening. 

Wood-Grilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops

The Lobster Crab and Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms were a combination of broccoli, rice and cheese stuffed inside the mushrooms. The mushrooms were then immersed in white Cheddar cheese and baked to a nice golden brown color.  The cheesy flavored mushrooms were fantastic.  The cheesy mixture was quite similar to ones that were used by other restaurants where seafoods like escargots and mussels were mixed with similar cheesy sauces.  Despite the amount of stuffing inside the mushrooms and the amount of cheese on the outside, one did not feel bloated or stuffed after eating this dish, which is good considering the amount of seafood one would have to consume later in the evening.   

Bar Harbor Lobster Bake

The Red Lobster Signature Pizza was a thinly crusted pizza topped with lobster meat, melted cheese, fresh tomatoes and sweet basil.  Texture and appearance wise it appeared to be just a simple pepperoni pizza except the pepperoni was substituted with lobster meat.  I personally enjoyed the novelty however I would prefer pizza with the pepperoni.  The lobster didn’t really provide any extra taste to the pizza and with the lack of pepperoni in it, it almost made the pizza somewhat bland.  If you are a huge fan of thin crusted pizzas, then this pizza is for you as the bottom was almost paper thin. 

Overall, it was certainly a night not to count one’s calories or cholesterol.  The food was really good right to the very last bite.  My own thinking was that even though I have not stepped in a Red Lobster in quite sometime, most of the food that was presented was something I had seen and eaten before.  The only thing that was different with the entrée menu in my mind was just the combination of the foods put together.  The lobsters were made the same way as before as were the shrimp and seafood.  Maybe I’m wrong but it sure felt like the same, just a different combination.  Still, the food was great and it was good to get reacquainted with a great restaurant.  Overall I give it a 4.25 out of 5. 

Red Lobster Restaurant

3252 Sheppard Avenue East

Toronto Ontario

416-491-2507