The Lobster Trap

March 9, 2010

• Adress: Avenue Road, North of Lawrence

• Contact: (416) 787-3211

• 

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN!

Lobster by Jessica Merz

If you grew up in Toronto and are a boomer you will remember The Lobster Trap. Located a couple of blocks north of Lawrence on Avenue Road, this was one of a few places we all went for a fancy Sunday night for dinner. The lineups went outside the door and if you were like most families you didn't make a reservation. But the wait was worth it. That was 30 years ago or more.

Age has not been kind to the interior of The Lobster Trap. There is no paint falling off the walls and there is certainly nothing dirty anywhere. It's the ambience. If you remember shag carpets and split levels, you will immediately recognize the interior of this seafood eatery. Yes, it's a Toronto icon and as a matter of fact any restaurant that is still serving meals after 30 years can be called an icon and obviously is filling a need in the community.

If you are craving a piece of lobster plated on a square dish with three different sauces carefully surrounding the succulent crustacean, don't go to the Lobster Trap. If you want a lobster split in half and served either steamed or broiled with nutcrackers and long thin forks next to the candle warmed butter, this is the place for you.

We started with a salad. Remember the kind mom made with iceberg lettuce, some quartered tomatoes, a few slices of cucumber and radish for colour? You will flash back to mom's kitchen when the salad arrives. We do order blue cheese dressing which mom didn't serve back then. It's the thickest, cheesy-est blue cheese dressing I have ever had. The hostess/waitress provides us with a little olive oil because as she says, the dressing is very thick. It's almost like eating a piece of blue cheese with a crudités. But, while it's not radicchio and wilted winter greens, it is a salad and it is in keeping with the style of the restaurant.

Garlic bread by Pittaya Sroilong

While I urge you to pass on the garlic bread which I think is really a hamburger bun toasted and lathered with melted butter and some garlic, I do suggest you save room if you order 2 pounds or more. Side dishes are not necessary. The broiled lobster arrives split in half. The cavity is filled with bread crumbs, butter and a hint of garlic. Exactly the way it was 30 years ago. The tail is big, thick and juicy. The claws do require some elbow grease to crack, but that's part of the fun. The lobster is fresh. We know this because the same tank where the famous crustaceans swam 30 years ago is still in the front of the restaurant moving just enough to let us know they are alive. We assume that they are plucked from the water and prepared upon order. Again, just as they were 30 years ago.

We are more than satisfied with the meal. We have been thrust back in time and our tummies are just as full as they were back then. We don't need those myriad of sauces and all the food perfectly plated every time we go out. Sometimes we need a honkin' piece of meat or lobster and that's exactly what we had. The only thing that has changed from back then is the price. A two pounder goes for around $50.

When you want value for your "buck" and memories of a time past, check out the Lobster Trap. If it's your first time and you LOVE lobster and are not looking for a foodie experience, you too will enjoy.

Three out of five stars...

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