Martini and Lobster c/o Route 6

When LW and I went to Alla Spina a few weeks back, it was because I foolishly had said that we could enjoy a meal at Route 6 without a reservation. We wanted to have a meal at Route 6 because in the world of arbitrary/promotional calendars, it was "Lobster Month." For Route 6 this meant that pretty much every menu item that included lobster was half off the original price. A pretty sweet deal. Unfortunately, when we showed up it became quite apparent that walk-ins weren't really going to get anywhere, and so we went to Alla Spina and determined that we would try the lobster festivities the next week. And this time with a reservation. So about two weeks ago that's just what we did. Though we arrived on time, things were a little behind, so we sat in the bar area for a small amount of time. I ordered a dirty martini, which was delightful, though I would have enjoyed it even a tad dirtier.

I rationalized getting the shrimp cocktail by thinking of all the money I was saving on the lobster, and I'm glad I did. These were some succulent and tasty shrimp, perfectly chilled but still tender. You know how some shrimp can become rubbery or strangely listless? Neither was the case here. Just well prepared shrimp with a bit of cocktail sauce.

LW and I both ordered the steamed 1.5 pound lobsters. We were given the option of them being broken down for us or doing the dirty work ourselves, we both chose to get our hands properly lobster-y. Of course I was so excited that I completely forgot to take a photograph before I started separating the lobster into its main components, but you can get a basic sense of the presentation even though it is in mangled form as opposed to its pristine arrival format (lobsters have formats, don't doubt me). We wore bibs and took slight advantage of the crackers (what's the proper term for that device you use to crack open the claws?) and mallets, but even when 'doing the work' the restaurant kind of cheats and pre-breaks the main parts so it's not nearly as labor intensive as it would otherwise be. This was especially the case with the tail.

A good and satisfying lobster it was. LW seemed to enjoy the lobster but expressed a desire for a heavier one in the future; she said she was still a little hungry even after finishing the meal. I was more generally pleased with the amount of meat I got for my buck, but I also had the shrimp as an extra component of my meal.

As far as made up special months go, lobster month at Route 6 was definitely a success. The place was packed, but service was quite good, as was the food and overall ambience. Definitely a place to return for future meals. And my goodness, lobster is always such a treat!