[Food:2.5/5]

Just a week or two after Ed’s opened, we showed up with a party of six for dinner. One look inside revealed this was not the place for larger party dining. We left, vowing to return. Months passed, lawsuits were filed, and the notion of copyrighting recipes became a topic of conversation. And then finally, we had our meal at Ed’s. The restaurant is tiny and the majority of the seating resides at the long bar that takes up three-quarters of the narrow space (hence the name of the restaurant). Sitting at the bar would be ideal, but there were four of us and we found ourselves tucked into a table in the back. It was late on a Tuesday night and the diners thinned out as our meal progressed, but it was still a very, very tight fit. The restaurant is brightly lit and crisp. The paper placemat that doubles as the menu and the small packet of oyster crackers at every place setting are reminiscent of Cape Cod.

We ordered a sampling of oysters for the table along with the special appetizer of the day, a hot dip of crab, spinach, and artichoke. We had asked our server about the oysters and were a bit disappointed in his lack of knowledge, or maybe just an inability to truly articulate the differences between the few types they were offering that night. The oysters took an incredibly long time to arrive at the table. It was far from a busy night, and having not received any bread for the table (apparently you have to ask for it specifically), we hungrily nibbled on our crackers. The oysters finally arrived; their taste of ocean refreshing. The dip arrived shortly after and was a definite crowd pleaser. We all commented at the tremendous amount of crab, the large portion, and the pleasing consistency. More often than not, the artichoke and spinach play larger roles and the crab becomes an afterthought. The dip was served with toast points; a nice and subtle touch.

For our main dishes, none of us ventured out of the lobster section of the menu. We ended up with two lobster rolls, a lobster pot pie, and the lobster salad. Despite an excellent piece of lobster, the salad was ordinary. I’ve had many a delicious lobster salad, and this is not one worth remembering. The lobster rolls were excellent. A hefty pile of succulent and sweet lobster was full of flavor. The lobster stands on its’ own and Ed is wise not to over-dress it. Ed’s pickles were outstanding and I have since thought about returning to buy a jar or two. The French fries were good, but there are far better in this city.  The lobster pot pie had all the makings of star dish, but fell short. The bisque had a great balance of tastes: seafood, salt and cream. The vegetables, mushrooms, string beans, and potatoes were tender, but not mushy. When the dish was placed in front of me I thought the puff pastry looked a bit small, but it ended up being just the right size; I never added a single oyster cracker. The problem lay in the lobster. The pieces were a bit over-cooked, making me think that the temperature of the bisque was not accounted for in the cooking process. In addition, the lobster pieces were a bit too large, making it very difficult to eat the dish with a spoon. I ended up having to take out the pieces of lobster, cut them, and place them back in the bisque. The flavors were great, but the execution and presentation had some flaws.

With Rich to Riches around the corner, it was too easy to turn down the blueberry crumble.

If you’re ever craving a lobster roll, and a trip to Cape Cod is not in the near future, Ed’s is a solid choice. 

Ed’s Lobster Bar

www.lobsterbarnyc.com

222 Lafayette Street

New York, NY 10012

(212) 343-3236