The Ultimate Feast

      Hello! I hope you guys are doing well and had a fantastic week. Welcome back to my blog. I was a bit adventurous for this post, and tried two cuisines way out of my comfort zone: Greek and seafood. I’m not a particular fan of seafood or lobster as such, but my experience at Red Lobster completely changed the way I felt about it. 

My father took me out for lunch to Red Lobster right before my driver’s permit test at the DMV. I had a midterm that morning so I didn’t have enough time to prepare for the test. I was anxious and nervous, and spent half the time at the restaurant flipping though the pages of the handout. My father picked me up from school on a Tuesday morning, and drove eleven miles to Red Lobster. He was more anxious than I was, and kept explaining random rules on our way to the restaurant. “You’re nineteen years old, Nithya… and you still don’t know how to drive”, said my father. Well, it was more of a remark than a question. I was supposed to learn how to drive over my winter break back in India, but I felt it would be pointless and confusing to relearn new rules, and moreover, drive on the different side of the road! I still go on to the wrong side of the car whenever I call for shotgun. With all that stress and anxiety in the atmosphere, a fresh platter of seafood helped me calm a muscle. 

As I walked in the restaurant with my handout, the waitress seated us in our comfortable booth. “Oh! Are you giving the test today, honey?” she asked. I replied saying I was, and sincerely hoped I pass it. She chuckled and wished me luck, and handed out the menu. We were seated next to an aquarium filled with different kinds of sea animals. My father suggested we share The Ultimate Feast, but I hesitated and wasn’t too comfortable eating too much seafood. Looking at the 1000+ calories written in small font next to The Ultimate Feast, I further argued about health with my dad. He somehow managed to persuade me, and I was convinced to try something new, and I am glad I did!

The Ultimate Feast

My father and I ordered and shared Ultimate Feast with a side of Caesar salad. According to the menu, the feast has tender marine lobster tail, steamed North American snow crab legs, with their signature garlic shrimp scampi and Walt’s favorite Shrimp served with wild rice pilaf. I used a crab cracker to break the shell of the crab legs, and tender, juicy, white meat gently rested inside. I put my handout aside and dig into the seafood! The garlic shrimp scampi was my favorite. The texture of the meat was different and chewy, but in a good way of course. The shrimp scampi was served in a blue bowl surrounded by crab legs and dominated majorly by the marine lobster tail. The Walt’s favorite shrimp was rather sweet and crispy balanced with the side of two sauces. Overall, I enjoyed my delicious meal, and although I am not a big fan of seafood, I loved the lobster and the shrimp. Infact, I’m craving for some right now. Overall it cost us thirty dollars, and although the dish was expensive, it was worth it! After the yummy meal, I went and gave my permit test with low preparation, and ended up failing my exam. I will hopefully take it the on the next Saturday, and prepare beforehand.

When I further researched about Red Lobster, I found a scandal that took place in recent years. According to an article published in wjla.com, “The owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants is putting more workers on part-time status in a test aimed at limiting costs from President Barack Obama's health care law”. It was further mentioned “under the new health care law, companies with 50 or more workers could be hit with fines if they do not provide basic coverage for full-time workers and their dependents. Starting Jan. 1, 2014, those penalties and requirements could significantly boost labor costs for some companies, particularly in low-wage industries such as retail and hospitality, where most jobs don't come with health benefits. Servers at Red Lobster now handle four tables at a time, instead of three. And last year, the company also put workers on a "tip sharing" program, meaning waiters and waitresses share their tips with other employees such as busboys and bartenders. That allows Darden to pay more workers a far lower "tip credit wage" of $2.13, rather than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour”

I was shocked when I read the article. 

Overall, I rate the food 10/10, as I loved each and every bite of the dish. The ambience: 7/10 since there was nothing exciting about the place other than the aquarium.  Service: 10/10, Value for money- depends on what you order (yes for this particular dish), Convenience: not convenient to travel that far. Anyway, that was my experience at Red Lobster; post yours in the comment section below if you’ve had any. See you next week!

UPDATE: I might have gotten the pink eye, and therefore, I won’t be able to take my permit test this Saturday! :( I shall pass that test one fine day though…one fine day!