The Argonaut - Lots to Celebrate: The Lobster invites the public to its party
By Jessica Koslow, Argonaut Contributing Writer Oct 10, 2024
Source: The Argonaut
The Lobster is doing something special.
In honor of its 25th anniversary at its second-story location and October’s National Seafood Month, The Lobster offers a special $25 anniversary menu with four of its signature dishes for $25 each.
Located at the top of the Santa Monica Pier, The Lobster has been open for 25 years under its current ownership, but some incarnation, beginning with the Seafood Shack, has been in operation in its current location since 1923.
“Working at the beach and overlooking the Pacific Ocean is not a bad office,” stated Govind Armstrong, The Lobster’s executive chef. Armstrong is going on seven and a half years, following in the “claw steps” of Collin Crannell and Allyson Thurber.
“Time has been flying,” he said. “It’s been quite the journey. We’ve been through a lot, highs and lows. What matters is that we keep moving forward and keep guests as happy as we possibly can every day.”
Customers are equal part locals and tourists. Some folks once dined with their parents and return for bites and birthdays, others proposed at The Lobster and come back every year to celebrate. Some guests drop by six days a week for happy hour.
“Where everybody knows your name,” Armstrong said with a laughed. “It’s sort of like ‘Cheers.’”
Then, especially during the summer months, tourists flock to the beach and the pier to experience Santa Monica. Armstrong’s job is to create a menu that caters to these diverse palates.
“How do we keep the menu fresh and make people happy and have a hook to keep them coming back?” he said. “It’s fun and challenging and a little tricky, but I’m up for it.”
Armstrong described the $25 anniversary menu as a sort of greatest hits of its dishes; menu items that have come and gone but are still requested.
“The spicy crab toast was on the happy hour menu and then a la carte, and then I took it off and people told me it was their favorite thing,” he explained. “I’m going to tease people until it’s gone again.”
Like a true foodie, Armstrong enjoys talking about his craft as much as he loves preparing it.
“The tagliatelle is a simple pasta dish with oven-roasted tomatoes, basil, parsley leaves, a touch of garlic, and bright lemony breadcrumbs that we make,” he detailed. “We’ve offered several versions: We started with live Dungeness crab from Morro Bay, and when the season ended we started using live Alaskan King Crab. For this menu, we’re using lobster. The lobster coral (roe) is incorporated into the pasta dough so it takes up that orangey red hue and flavor.”
The lobster roll is a top seller during the day, and now fans can order it at night, which Armstrong revealed has been a thorn in the side for some lobster roll-lovin’ guests.
“We’re putting it on the menu all day and night at $25,” he exclaimed. “It is a smaller version with truffle fries. It is hands down one of the best lobster rolls: clarified butter, sea salt, a few drops of lemon on a potato roll toasted golden brown, and a touch of Japanese aioli.”
The lobster is flown in from Maine six days a week with no middle man or time spent living in a tank. The first week of October ushers in the spiny lobster season, and Armstrong assured that he is going to work on getting it incorporated onto the 25-year menu, possibly raw in the form of sashimi or carpaccio.
On Sept. 25, The Lobster hosted a 25th anniversary birthday party on National Lobster Day that was open to the public.
The Lobster will offer a special anniversary menu throughout October with four of the restaurant’s signature dishes for $25 each.
“The food was flowing, everybody was in a good mood, and the energy was off the charts,” Armstrong stated. “I walked out at 10 p.m., and there were still people having a good time: controlled chaos. We’re hoping for another great 25 years.”
Under Armstrong’s leadership, The Lobster earned the prestigious Michelin Plate award in 2019 and is currently listed in the Michelin Guide. The Inglewood native has also written a cookbook and been featured on “Top Chef” and “Iron Chef America.”
Reflecting on his career path, Armstrong expressed how fortunate he felt about the where’s and who’s of his journey: Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s City and Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton’s Campanile.
“I got an early start at a very young age,” he said. “I was lucky to work with incredible chefs.”
Before assuming the role of executive chef and director of operations at The Lobster, Armstrong was a longtime fan. He appreciated the service, atmosphere, energy and cool, unique vibe of the iconic seafood destination. He did not even blink when asked to join the team, believing he was a good fit for the position. Armstrong enjoys wearing the many hats needed to be a seasoned leader.
“You need to think on your feet, be resourceful, patient and a mentor,” he said. “Every day is different, and you don’t know what to expect. I enjoy working with a good crew and knowing that they are growing and learning.”
Working with the best and freshest product is beautiful for Armstrong.
“It is inspiring to work with farmers’ market products,” he said. “I love working with seafood. It’s a diverse product with hundreds of species available, edible, delicious and nutritious. It is a precision and technical type of product to work with, and you have to pay attention to detail.”
Armstrong has always loved and appreciated seafood. His mother is from Costa Rica and his grandfather was born and raised in India and Sri Lanka, so these influences pop up in his recipes and have contributed to his culinary philosophy:
“It is ingredient-driven, focused on what we are putting on the plate,” Armstrong explained. “Not too many components; I like to bring the best out of every product that we are utilizing.”
The Lobster
1602 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica
310-458-9294
The Lobster is also introducing an all-day happy hour on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to close, with $7 craft beers, $12 specialty cocktails, and $3.50 oysters.
