Lobster to Make a Crab of a Diner

Among what might be called the “edible amenities of life” that many transplanted Easterners continue to miss and mourn for years, or conceivably to the end of their days, are the wonderful shellfish that obstinately decline to spawn in San Diego waters.

Crab, argumentative as it can be, probably scuttles sideways to the top of most lists, followed by the more pacific (albeit from the Atlantic) oysters and clams--and even if we do receive shipments of exquisite Olympias and other fine oyster breeds from Puget Sound, imported shellfish cannot match those which have been unloaded at a local pier the very same day.

The one superb shellfish that we do have is lobster, and, although partisans of the Maine branch of the family may claim that the beasts born under cold, gray, Northern waves should occupy the place of honor in any lobster group portrait, our own, claw-less critters have a tenderness and sweetness that makes them plenty good enough.

Best of all is that during the season, our lobsters truly are available fresh , every day, and it is possible to enjoy one just hours removed from its native element.

The season opened Oct. 2, and Anthony’s, the leading San Diego County seafood chain, instantly inaugurated the “Anthony’s Lobster Festival,” which according to menu inserts is scheduled to continue through Nov. 27.

The list of 10 items carries price tags from $12.95 to $19.50, and in addition to choices from the standing menu--broiled lobster, either halved or whole, and lobster Thermidor--offers seven new creations and/or combinations. Two of these recently were sampled at the Anthony’s Fish Grotto in Rancho Bernardo; the same list also is served at the Grottoes in La Mesa, Chula Vista and downtown San Diego.

The festival sounds a wonderful idea, because our local lobsters are indeed worth celebrating. Since these two items are quite a bit more expensive than the standing dishes on the Anthony’s menu--which through the years has been noteworthy for quality and value--far better care should be given their preparation. The two new creations sampled, however, were at best amateurish in design, and were reminiscent both of the woefully ersatz “fun ‘n’ tasty” recipes put forth by women’s magazines in decades past, and of the efforts of a third-rate hotel’s banquet kitchen on an off day.

The lobster Oriental isn’t a bad idea, of course. The menu describes it as “stir-fried with Oriental vegetables,” a simple-enough method of preparation with a lot of possibilities. The dismal execution, however, made neither for good shellfish nor good veggies--a heavy, thick, sweet, soy-based sauce and a blanket of sesame seeds pretty much obliterated the flavor of both. Delicacy of texture also was not in evidence, and the best that could be said for the dish was that there was plenty of lobster, which, given the price of $18.95, ought to have been the case anyway.

If the restaurant management really wanted an idea for an “Oriental” lobster recipe, it might have been wise to examine a few such preparations at any good Oriental eatery. This particular preparation really did seem inspired by an Eisenhower-era cookbook, and, come to think of it, the Edsel came out during the same administration.

The lobster carnitas --very, very loosely based on the famous Mexican carnitas , or small cubes of pork simmered to a rich succulence in lard and their own juices--made the lobster Oriental seem by comparison a splendid example of haute cuisine . About the closest this particular lobster ever came to anything Mexican was when it swam by Playas de Tijuana on the way to a lobsterman’s trap. The plate seemed most like home cooking--again from a less-informed decade, and from a home with an indifferent cook.

The lobster chunks evidently--but this wasn’t quite clear--had been fried with slivers of garlic that burned in the process. These chunks then were piled back in the shell and sided with a couple of slices of avocado, a heap of shredded yellow cheese (a worse idea with lobster is difficult to imagine), a cup of “salsa” that bore no relation to a real Mexican salsa, and an embarrassing salsa-sour cream dip that might just have been someone’s idea of what a Mexican tartar sauce would be, should be or could be.

Tortillas were warm, but commercial and unappealing. With Mexico and its fine seafood restaurants so close, there is ample opportunity for any restaurant that wishes to serve a Mexican-style dish to research how it should be done.

Rice really would have been appropriate with both dishes, and perhaps beans as well with the so-called carnitas , but the options instead were the baked potato or french fries that are the choice with all dishes. Meals also include an acceptable green salad or good cole slaw.

Other new preparations on Anthony’s lobster festival list include “Puerto Nuevo-style,” or in a cilantro garlic butter (for the record, restaurants generally fry lobsters in lard in Puerto Nuevo); with pasta in a creamed tomato sauce; “Italiano,” or crusted with herbs, and a halved, broiled lobster with the choice of mustard-glazed shrimp or a char-broiled chicken breast.

Anthony’s Fish Grotto

11666 Avena Place, Rancho Bernardo

Calls: 451-2070

Hours: Lobster menu served nightly

Cost: Special lobster entrees $12.95 to $19.50. Dinner for two, including a glass of house wine each, tax and tip, about $40 to $60.