Luke's Lobster San Francisco

Well, here we go again. I mean that in terms of another Bay Area lockdown and my continuing food journey of pre-COVID indoor dining. Who thought we would reminisce fondly about that of all things? Maybe going forward we won’t take eating inside restaurants or even restaurants themselves for granted anymore! Okay, probably a pipe dream, but when they give us so much pleasure (usually), we can always hope and hope springs eternal and all that nonsense. In these times of trying to still treat oneself to something special then why not go full shellfish and get some lobster!

Let me take you on a little trip down memory as we drift back to childhood wishes in the 70’s when a young husky (that’s Southern for fat) kid looked forward to their birthday when they would get, because the asked (berated, whined) constantly for cake, of course, homemade pineapple ice cream (yes kids, there was a time I was kind of into it but it had to have cake with it) and lobster tails! That’s right, for some unknown reason I really had a thing for lobster tails. Not the whole thing, just the tails where all that luscious, sweet tasty meat was located in one giant lump.

To be honest, I really am not sure where my youthful fascination with lobster came from, though it is possible it might have had something to do with both with Red Lobster (that was fine dining in the South!) and copious amounts of butter. For whatever reason, I think I just began to equate lobster as being something special and highfalutin that makes a special occasion even more special. Of course it could also have just been a line my parents gave me because they didn’t want to spend the money on it more than once a year since I was the only one in the family who seemed be down for the red shellfish. I remember my parents would actually start buying frozen lobster tails a couple months before my birthday, or possibly when they were on sale at the Winn-Dixie and have about 6 decent sized ones they could boil up and serve as my special birthday treat. Along with an entire stick of yummy, salty, melted butter. Then cake and ice cream for dessert. I’m sure there were other things too, but really I was kid and didn’t care about vegetables. Just some salty sweet, which I guess kind of still goes with my current taste profile—minus the ice cream.

Getting back to the lobster, anytime I come across something lobster in the area I’m usually down to butter up and slap on the bib and try it. With some good like this one and definitely this one. Though not all are winners. Thus when Luke’s Lobster opened up at 2nd and Mission I was anxious to try it out. They are now a chain of sorts serving “traceable, sustainable seafood” direct from the Eastern shores. You know, lobster country. The stars seemed to be aligning as I called up my friend Ms. Laura and said, “hey, wanna eat some shellfish.” And she was like, “yah!” And I was like, “okay!” And we made our way to Luke’s where I must admit, I should have read their menu descriptions a little closer when checking out their website. Let me explain.

I had already made my mind up going in to get the Luke’s trio as it offered up the chance to try half size versions of their lobster, shrimp and crab sandwiches with a side of slaw for $20. A price which is pretty much in line with what the lobster trucks are doing for a full sandwich, so not out of the ordinary. Where my failing came in is that the sandwiches are served cold or at least the seafood part is. More exactly, it is cooked and served chilled on a toasted, buttered bun with mayo, lemon butter and their special seasoning sprinkled on top. While we all know I am no fan of the raw fish sushi thing, cooked seafood that is then chilled isn’t exactly high on my list either. This is where I should have read the menu description more carefully since I went in blissfully thinking they would all be warm like the others I’d had. Oh, silly me!

Right off when I got my order and saw it was cold I was disappointed without even taking a bite and we all know something like that can affect both taste and dining experience. Kind a pre-clouded judgement as it were. Yes, I know, I need to get the f**k over it but my day in general to that point had been underwhelming and this only added to further disillusionment. Yeah, yeah, yeah, one shouldn’t let things like this come between them and a new food experience but I didn’t want cold seafood. I wanted my sweet, warm, tender lobster meat smothered in salty butter on a toasted bun. I wanted to eat my childhood and have a small flashing moment of fond memories. Alas, this was not to be it.

Don’t get me wrong, I still tried them because I paid for them and I wasn’t going to completely waste food. In essence they were all fine. Nothing was overcooked or smelled exceptionally fishy. They weren’t overly smothered in the mayo either but the buns could have used more butter (duh). Instead of being sprinkled with Old Bay Seasoning like so many, they have Luke’s special seasoning which really seems to be a mix of celery salt, thyme, oregano and black pepper. It was…..interesting but not particularly something I might have chosen. Sometimes I think just the butter, mayo and lemon is enough when dealing with crab, shrimp and lobster which are somewhat delicate and can be overwhelmed by seasonings. I could take it or leave it.

The cole slaw was pretty good. Two kinds of cabbage, carrots, poppy seeds, kind of tangy vinegar based, though, oddly, not as chilled as the seafood, go figure.

Of course in the need for something warm Ms. Laura said we should get some fries which were chunky, crisp and fortunately served warm, though needed salt or maybe some of that seafood seasoning? Or Old Bay seasoning? Seemed kind of plain if they were going for a theme with the food and the shanty shack vibe of the restaurant decorations. Possible missed opportunity or kitchen mix-up, not sure, doesn’t matter.

I guess if cold seafood is your bag, Luke’s Lobster is an option and the prices are comparable to the other lobster things you can get around the Bay Area. And looks like during lockdown you can get it on take-out or delivery through Postmates. Think it is kind of obvious I won’t be heading back out of personal tastes as opposed to any kind of bad food. That’s on me though, I should know better and read menu descriptions more closely. But that is what happens when memories are involved. You see something and just rush in without all the details to recapture something you miss and want to relive. Sometimes the past is the past and you won’t necessarily be able to recreate some fondness for what once was. This won’t keep me from continuing to try, it just won’t be at Luke’s.