(Photo: Daniel Maurer)
Lobstah season is upon us, and our pot runneth over. The morsel of news: Luke’s Lobster is opening near Union Square on June 1. Take a look at the storefront at 124 University Place, above, and you’ll notice it’s painted red, unlike the 11 other Luke’s locations around town. That’s because Luke’s has teamed up with (RED) for a promotion aimed at fighting AIDS. Donate $1 to the organization when you buy a lobster roll during the month of June, and not only will Luke’s match it, but so will The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Seamore’s, the Nolita seafood spot from Michael Chernow of the Meatball Shop, is also expanding. On the menu at the new Chelsea location is a lobster roll made with crème fraiche, dill, and toasted brioche. The outpost at 161 8th Avenue, at 18th Street, has plenty of sidewalk seating, plus a takeout window offering pink-lemonade soft serve from Williamsburg and East Village ice cream joint OddFellows. A few weeks from now, the restaurant will get a basement cocktail bar, Fishbone, focused on “bespoke rum cocktails.”
Finally, the folks at Hester Street Fair just announced the details of their Lobster and Beer blowout, happening this Saturday, May 27. For the occasion, beers will be $3 and Burger and Lobster, the UK-based chain that opened in the Flatiron a couple of years ago, will be serving up lobster rolls. The Lower East Side’s own Claw Daddy will dish out its Louisiana-style lobster boil, and its neighbor Tijuana Picnic will do lobster tacos at $8 apiece. Plus, there’ll be music from Ary Warnaar, a member of chiptunes outfit Anamanaguchi, and all the usual vendors, starting with one that has the best name for a food startup we’ve seen in a while: Knot of This World Pretzels.