Returning To Port

We don't really need an excuse to drive down to Redwood City, where our gustatorial Mecca is located. Behind a defunct Baker's Square and sandwiched in next to a nail salon, the Old Port Lobster Shack exists in humble surroundings for such a rich eating experience.

We've eaten there before and it is always wonderful. This time, we met new friends Laura and Doug there to laugh and chat our way through lobster rolls and my latest addiction from there, lobster bisque.

We love the ambiance of the Lobster Shack, very casual and homey. Picnic tables are covered with red checked cloths and supplied with galvanized buckets containing plenty of Westminster oyster crackers (the best!). The specials are chalked on a blackboard and you order at the counter before taking a seat. We sat next to the lobster tank this time and I suppose I should have felt sorry for the captive denizens, but all I could think about was how good the poor dears were going to taste.

Served in a huge mug (this is the Lobster Shack's idea of a "cup" of soup), the lobster bisque was simply Out Of This World. The soup base was as tasty and full of lobster flavor as the nice chunks of lobster held suspended in its creamy, pale orange depths. All four of us tasted it and all four rolled our eyes in appreciation. From the first sip to the last scraping of the bottom of the cup, it sang of the sea.

One of my life's greatest pleasures is finding other couples with whom we have lots in common and with whom we have a marvelous time. This lunch was one of those. We laughed a lot, we recounted fun stories, we shared pictures of our obviously spoiled dogs - kindred spirits! We don't need any reason other than the food to sail back to the Old Port but these new buddies add to the incentive.