Red Lobster Surf & Turf





Prior review here.








As you see to the left, my blog has been sponsored by Red Lobster this year. I am thankful for them helping me to go to the International Food Bloggers Conference last August and hope that we can continue to work together through 2011. I'm obligated to disclose this due to FCC rules. But just because they sponsor my blog doesn't necessarily mean that they tell me what to write. Luckily, I am happy to share positive comments about them because they do their job well in the first place.


Take a recent visit, for example. I decided to go to the Howe Avenue Red Lobster for dinner and took a seat at the bar. I have no problem going out to eat or going to a movie alone. Sometimes the solitude is nice and sometimes you just want to use your discounts by yourself.

Katrina was the bartender and she was very cheerful and quickly asked what she could get me to drink. I asked for a raspberry lemonade and the menu. Currently RL is doing their Surf & Turf with choice of steak with shrimp, crab legs, or lobster tail. I opted for the lobster and asked for my steak medium rare.

I received a salad and the cheddar biscuits first. The salad was simple iceberg lettuce with a couple of slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons. I liked that they automatically served the dressing on the side. I would suggest they slice the cucumbers thinner as they came as big thick slabs that I had to cut up.

My entree came out with a petite lobster tail, steak, roasted potatoes, and broccoli. My dad would have loved the potatoes because they were beautifully crispy. The steak was a big disappointment though. Instead of medium rare it came out medium well. I'm not one for sending stuff back unless it is really bad, so I was eating it anyway. I had started with the lobster, which was wonderful. I was not paying too much attention to the steak after that - I just ate it. Halfway through, Katrina asked me how my meal was and I told her my steak was overcooked. She said she could get me another steak if I wanted. I told her it was pretty pointless because I had already eaten half of this one anyway. We left it at that.

A few minutes she returned and said she had talked to her manager about what had happened. She handed me a coupon for a free appetizer or dessert and apologized about the bad steak. This was unexpected, but appreciated. I smiled, thanked her and then told her I had planned on dessert. I ordered the lava chocolate chip cookie (see last review).

Red Lobster Lava Chocolate Chip Cookie

When the dessert came out I thanked Katrina for paying attention to my welfare, explaining to her that I was a blogger sponsored by RL and that I was going to be writing on my dinner. She had done everything right by taking responsibility for the meal and seeking to make me, the customer, happy. She had also been a friendly and attentive server. She was thrilled since she said the bar staff never get as much appreciation as the dining room servers.

I was impressed by the service she provided and the steps taken to ensure my satisfaction with my meal. Such great service only makes me feel that much better of working with such a great restaurant chain.

It turns out they have again added some new menu items, so I'll need to go back again soon. They are inspired by the flavors of America, and they are all under $20. The new items include: Maple-Glazed Salmon and Shrimp, Pecan-Crusted Jumbo Shrimp, Cedar Plank Salmon, Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia, New England Lobster Rolls, and Shrimp Flatbread and Grilled Shrimp Salad.