Red Lobster

The first time I visited Red Lobster it looked fancy and I grew to love the fish and chips, trout, and Walt’s Favorite shrimp.  That was back in high school.

I visited lots of times for my birthday.  Took the girl I liked in college.  I thought Red Lobster would always be there and delicious.

I visited the Red Lobster Sports Arena before they closed.

It was pretty busy as there was an announcement about lots of Red Lobsters closing due to financial problems.

I ordered the grilled trout.  Fries were crispy and a bit saltier than I’d prefer.  Ok.  Trout had crispy skin.  While there was that distinctive trout flavor missing was the freshness I loved.  Ok.

This was a long lunch as there was a wait for the food to come out and more waiting to settle the bill.

Last visit I tried the lunch special, fish and chips.  Fried cod was tender and had a mild cod flavor.

Batter was crunchy and had a nice fried flavor.  Fries were crispy and a bit saltier than I’d like.

I added Walt’s Favorite shrimp as an add on for $6.99.  Shrimp was tender while the batter was crunchy.  Seasoning was saltier than I’d liked.

Server was nice but overworked when the lunch crowd showed up.  Took a while to settle the bill as it appeared he had to cover the entire restaurant.  Not good if you have less than an hour for lunch.

Getting the cheddar cheese biscuits to go for Maggie was the highlight of my visits.  I prefer the grilled trout at King’s Fish House which has fresher tasting trout.  I prefer the fish and chips at Point Loma Seafood which has more fish options.  Lastly I prefer the shrimp tempura at Marugame Udon where they season more lightly so you can taste the shrimp.

I miss Red Lobster from back in the old days when the trout was fresh and full of flavor.  Now there are better choices.