Earl & "Turkey" Binge at Red Lobsterfest

We like Red Lobster. As "Turkey" (a.k.a. my wife) commented "we have never had a bad meal here"! It is also the most expensive place we eat. We have celebrated anniversaries, birthdays and now medical procedures at Red Lobster. You see "Turkey" has to fast for a couple of days, so this was a final meal of sorts...until her next meal in at least 40 hours. I was worried. I know she eats to live, and I don't want her to suffer the pangs of hunger without the ability to eat, but fast she must, so I said "let's go to Red Lobster" to which she said "grand" (or something affirmative like that). My reason for wanting to go there was "LOBSTERFEST"! What I didn't know was how much "festing" we would do. It was very nice. Starting with the hostess who ask me my wife's name (we arrived separately) and who called my wife by her name to take her to the table I had already secured. Our server was equally good and the food was more than ample and much more than scrumptious.

We tried something we had never tried and rather than order a large, pre-assembled dish we ordered everything à la carte. You see I was just going to eat light, since I didn't have to skip and meals...boy did that not happen! I wanted to try their Lobster Roll. I have heard a bunch lately about lobster rolls and how people love them and can't live without them. Having never had one, that was my starter. Of course, they brought out their famous, delicious, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, which was my REAL starter. "Turkey" started off with fried clam strips and lobster & seafood stuffed mushrooms. The lobster roll was good, but the mushrooms and fried clams were GREAT. "Turkey" has loved fried clams since she traveled to the east coast in high school. For me it was their dipping sauce, oh, and they're FRIED! Next came the soup course. "Turkey" ordered New England Clam Chowder. I wanted the Lobster Bisque. The biscuits dipped in the bisque was SOUPER! Next up for "Turkey" was Wood-Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Creamy Langostino Lobster Mashed Potatoes. She ate the lobster, then had me eat the potatoes. I guess the shrimp was good, it was the only thing she didn't try to share with me! For my final course, Loaded Seaside Fries. This was the bargain of the night. An order of french fries topped with clam chowder, topped with fried clam strips! It was the least expensive thing on their new Tasting Plates menu and was a great way to finish my courses. Take that poutine! We probably spent too much and it was worth every penny!

By the numbers
Food ✰✰✰✰½
Service ✰✰✰✰½
Price 💲💲💲💲½

Earl Eats All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp at Red Lobster

When I was younger...a lot younger, I considered all-you-can-eat as a challenge. Now it is more of a punishment. I force myself to eat more than I should to get the value that really isn't there. But every year, Red Lobster offers their "All-You-Can-Eat" shrimp special, tempting me to punish myself...again! But it was my wife "Turkey's" birthday and I knew she looks forward to it, even though she eats like a bird (get it? Turkey=bird😏).
They did have a couple of new offerings and of course, they forced me to eat the delicious cheddar biscuits so I wouldn't have room for too much shrimp...oh and a salad. So when my food gets there I have eaten 3 biscuits, a fair sized salad, and almost an entire glass of water. Where would I put the shrimp?

 I started with 2 new flavors, Mediterranean and Nashville Hot Shrimp. Of course, I also had a side dish and the Mediterranean comes with a pilaf. Again, where do I put the shrimp? Turkey had her standbys, hand breaded and scampi.

While I liked the Nashville Hot, it was a bit inconsistent. The Mediterranean was very good. Grilled on skewers with a nice sprinkle of scallions on top. I found the space and reordered. They only allow 1 at a time but they give you plenty of time to get it going. I went for the scampi, then the linguine. Made room for everything except some of the pilaf. So I ate 4 servings of shrimp and was miserably full for the rest of the night. But I think I got my money's worth, and "Turkey" got her birthday dinner. Challenge WON! And I just saw an ad for all-you-can-eat wings at my favorite wing place!(What am I saying?)

Earl Cooks Shrimp, Sausage & New Potatoes

To start this adventure, I bought RAW shrimp. You may be saying, "so? I always buy raw shrimp!", but I don't. I bought frozen, COLOSSAL, raw shrimp, shelled and deveined, with the tail ON. I wasn't quite ready to try deveining (clean out the intestinal tract, i.e. POOP) and removing the shell. Baby steps. I thawed according to package instructions and dried them thoroughly. I left the tail in tact because I know how my wife likes to eat her shrimp!


I then took 3 McCormick Smoky Applewood & Cheddar Smoked sausages and sliced them to match the shrimp in length. So that's a pound of shrimp and half a pound of smoked sausage, for those keeping score.

Now, for something you may have never tried. Because my wife has a sensitivity to the deep red color of new potato's skins, but loves new potatoes, they have to be peeled. I, however, am allergic to peeling small potatoes, so to accommodate both, I used a 15 oz. can of sliced new potatoes, water packed. I rinsed them thoroughly in cold water and dried them with a paper towel. 

Next, I took my Calphalon Grill Pan, a gift a few years ago from my daughter for my birthday, and heated it to smokin' hot, put in some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and tossed in the smoked sausage. It is fully cooked, but needs grill marks and heating up. Next the potatoes, seasoned with seasoning salt and seasoned pepper. (note: don't use too much season salt)

Now the shrimp. Season the shrimp with the same seasonings after coating with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil. Thanks Rachel Ray), and add to hot pan. According to Rachel Ray, raw shrimp is done when it is pink throughout, a couple of minutes on each side, just long enough to get grill marks. I adjusted the temp down to medium high, and moved the sausage and potatoes to the cooler side so they wouldn't burn. All done in in our bellies!

I almost forgot to mention that I grilled lemon halves, first with the cut side down then flipped them over. The juice really runs well when heated, if you like your shrimp with lemon!