Revisiting Red Lobster: It's still all about the biscuits

The best item at Red Lobster is the one you don't have to pay for. This isn't an insult, it's a reference to the Cheddar Bay biscuits that come with each meal and are, in fact, pretty awesome.

Founded in Florida in 1968, Red Lobster may be single-handedly responsible for popularizing seafood across the United States. But if you're from Long Island or any other major city, this probably doesn't mean much. Long Island is a place where lobster rolls were cool before lobster rolls were cool.

We have moderately priced clam shacks, expensive seafood towers, Mediterranean raw bars and everything in between. Eating at a Red Lobster here is like eating Taco Bell in New Mexico or Texas Road House in Texas. You can do it, but why? 

Red Lobster is riding high after a tumultuous couple of years that saw the chain closing its Stony Brook location and being ditched by its latest owners, the seafood conglomerate Thai Union. This month, the brand was picked up by Fortress Investment Group, and exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy. If a Manhattan investment firm is willing to pour $375 million into the business, per the New York Times, then it must have something going for it, right?

It had been more than a decade since I'd been to a Red Lobster, but now seemed the time to check it out ... and get some of those biscuits. I hit up the Hicksville location (one of six on Long Island) tucked back in a large shopping center across the street from Ikea. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

With its metal roof and stately New England architectural style, the place looked like it's only ever been a Red Lobster. The darkly lit dining room, with a half-empty lobster up front, felt a little dated. Dark wood paneling and the fabric on the booths looked like they hadn't been changed since the '90s.

I brought along a seafood-loving friend who grew up in China and had never been to a Red Lobster. Not swayed by nostalgia, she was able to accurately assess the food quality.

To no surprise, she liked the Cheddar biscuits best. They were warm to the touch and steamy when you ripped into them, leading to a savory, soft bite of seasoned dough. A strange thing at Red Lobster: they always give you one extra biscuit.

DINING AT RED LOBSTER

The menu here is dominated by entrée platters, and while you can technically order a single plate of salmon New Orleans, stuffed flounder or Cajun snow crab, it feels limited. The server suggested the Ultimate Feast, which for $46.99 came with four seafood choices and two sides. We also got a $24 lobster and shrimp scampi combo, the Thursday special.

Had it been Monday, we could have ordered the Ultimate Endless Shrimp deal that reportedly drove Red Lobster to the brink of failure (the all-you-can-eat special has been hiked to $27 and is now only available Mondays).

No matter, because when the dishes came out, there was entirely too much food: Shrimp scampi, shrimp linguine and coconut shrimp were all expertly cooked but still tasted like the run-of-the-mill shrimp from the grocery store freezer aisle. There was a creamy lobster baked potato (ill-advised) and two lobster tails that were butterflied with the tender meat draped over the shell.

DOES RED LOBSTER HOLD UP?

This was not the finest lobster I've had, but it wasn't bad either. It was tasty, especially when dipped in melted butter. And I could imagine having lobster here for the first time and getting interested in it, a gateway crustacean. 

My friend seemed to moderately enjoy the whole feast, and ended up taking a lot of it home. When I asked later if she'd return, she responded: "Red Lobster? Probably no ... unless it's for free." 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.