The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
With quality seafood and nice vibe, Lobster Pot takes you back
Enjoyalbe visit to seafood restaurant stirs thoughts of old Mayfield Road spot
When I was a kid growing up in South Euclid, there was always The Lobster Pot.
It was opened in 1972 by Ross Haffey, and when I left the area in 1990, it was still there. It was a fixture on Mayfield Road, near the intersection of South Green. I could walk there as a child, though I can’t remember ever going. I recall it as a kind of nicer neighborhood hangout, a bar, perhaps, that served well-regarded seafood.
I first cooked my own seafood a stone’s throw away, just across the street, at another wellknown place, when, at 15, I dropped a batch of Filet O’ Fish into some hot oil. I’m guessing the fare on the other side of Mayfield was a bit higher-end.
After a 13-year hiatus, the restaurant was reopened in Willoughby Hills by Ross Haffey’s son, Christian Haffey, in August of last year. The last time I had even thought about the place, Marc’s stores were still Bernie Shulman’s, and one was practically next door to The Lobster Pot. It’s not the first place from my Cuyahoga County youth that has followed me to Lake County, but my nostalgic curiosity was uniquely piqued when I heard about it. Still, it was only recently that my wife and I made our way there, stopping in for dinner after work.
As you might expect from an establishment with “lobster” in its name, the place has a significant nautical theme. The L-shaped space, angled around a good-sized bar, is dotted with oars on its walls, sea-inspired prints and even a small boat suspended from the ceiling over the back dining area. It has hardwood floors, wooden wainscoting, and white tablecloths and linen napkins. It feels upscale but not stuffy.
With some prior knowledge of the place from back in the day, I was tempted by the lobster bisque ($7 for a cup), which I seemed to remember a buzz about — it had a bit of a cult following, I believe. But it being a warm summer evening, I couldn’t bring myself to order soup.
Instead, from the appetizer menu, we went first with the calamari ($10), which was served with a garlic aioli that was superb. Actually, the entire dish, exactly the right size for two to share, was terrific. It was crispy and flavorful, with a nicely seasoned batter, and cooked perfectly. One of the grossest foods in the world is super-chewy calamari, but this was exactly the kind of dish you’d expect from a seafood place that’s trying to be a bit upscale.
The lobster pizza ($18) wasn’t quite as spectacular. The lobster meat was plentiful, but overall the pizza was pretty bland and drier than you might guess even a dry-cheese dusted dish would be. The white sauce atop the 10- or 12-inch pie was solid, but it was rather sparse.
My wife ordered the garlic shrimp saute ($24) from the entrée menu but neglected to mention she wanted the half-portion ($14). The result, of course, was a dish that she’d in no way be able to finish on her own. It was a generous helping of both pasta and shrimp, and — this is a bit nit-picky, but my wife weighs slightly more than the dish itself — I wished our server would have asked whether she wanted the full- or half-dish. That would be my only (slight) gripe about the service at The Lobster Pot, which was otherwise outstanding.
On the dish itself, I thought the garlic was a touch overpowering. And not only do I like garlic a lot, I had been impressed by the understated garlic flavor in the aioli that accompanied the calamari, so the heavy-handed garlic on the pasta was a bit of a surprise.
I so enjoyed that aioli, in fact, that I used it in place of the tartar that came with my haddock sandwich ($12). The homemade tartar wasn’t bad by any means, but my substitution was preferable.
I don’t believe, however, that substitution made the sandwich, which I’m inclined to say was the best fish sandwich I’ve had in my life. It was breaded, not just battered, and the crispy, flavorful breading surrounded a tender inside. It was magnificent and huge. I couldn’t finish it and might not have even had I not eaten so much of the calamari. This giant piece of fish on a nice brioche bun came with fries, which, for a fish dish, were also above-average.
Drinks-wise, the wine list is solid, and the beer selection is really good compared to places that might be considered competitors. If the recollection from my childhood of the place as a nicer neighborhood bar is accurate, the new iteration keeps up the tradition of being pretty great on the bar side.
I’ll admit, when I first got the check, my reaction was, “This is a lot for an after-work, midweek meal for two.” But I quickly did some math and figured out that we could have substantially cut our bill had my wife had one of her excellent Prosecco sparkling splits ($9 each), rather than two, and had gotten the half-order of pasta and skipped the lobster pizza. That would have shaved $37 off our check.
To the same point on value, there’s something to be said for a place that offers the kind of upscale ambience and service The Lobster Pot does. There are times I’d rather visit a nice seafood place rather than a “fish house,” and this was definitely more of the former. Putting my personal nostalgia aside, I’d call it a true Lake County dining success, even if I’d do things a bit differently the next time I go there. Reviews are based on one anonymous visit to the restaurant.