Twins

     One of my favorite summer vacation destinations is coastal Maine.  We enjoyed breathing in the fresh salt air as we sat having dinner at one of the many lobster pounds that hugged the coastline.  The Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound near Acadia National Park always had a special that I looked forward to each season.  Two "twin" lobsters with corn on the cob and fries with applesauce on the side.  It was a maritime feast!  As my younger daughter watched me down the luscious crustaceans she looked up at me and asked, "Dad, how do they know they're twins?"

     The Twin Lobster tradition is once again alive and well in Philadelphia, sort of.  For the month of August on Wednesday nights The Oyster House is offering 2 lobsters for $26.  The restaurant located on Sansom Street is listing on their menu a "Twin Lobster Dinner" that includes 2 one pound lobsters, an ear of corn and drawn butter.  All that is true.



     But what they didn't say was that the ear of corn was stone cold and almost inedible, looking more like one of those wax imitations that decorates store fronts.  And sadly the lobsters were disappointingly soggy and at the same time undercooked.  I must admit it wasn't the meal I was anticipating.  There were no rolls or pats of butter, no applesauce either.  In hopes of reliving those glory days in Maine I ordered some hand cut fries for an additional $7.  They came to the table hot and tasty with several kinds of dipping sauces that included an Old Bay aioli and a Cajun caper remoulade.  I tried to eat them as quickly as possible while they were still warm.  But when I had extracted all the limp lobster meat I could from the "twins" and consumed the fries I was still hungry.  I didn't even attempt more than a solitary bite of the corn.  Looking over the dessert menu I settled on a peach and berry slab pie with brown butter ice cream which sounded good.  But what came to the table resembled a galette that had been steam rolled.  Instead of juicy slices of fresh peaches there were flattened dried out miniature door stops.  And for the life of me I couldn't identify a single berry anywhere on the plate.  While the ice cream was good it wasn't enough to redeem the rest of the dessert.

     I realize that I wasn't sitting at a picnic table overlooking Southwest Harbor.  But maybe if I want the real thing, a bonafide Twin Lobster Dinner, that's where I will need to go.

Editor's note:  I will be on the road for the next few days doing extensive culinary research on the food on a stick being offered at the Minnesota State Fair.  Look for my commentary on my findings sometime next week.
                                                                                                       Vinny Garette