MSG 4 21+: From Sea To Table- Making Memories At Red Lobster's Summer Crabfest®

The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CrabfestSummer #Crabfest #CollectiveBias

A few months back I shared a personal story of my own family traditions in relation to one very special (to me) seafood dining chain. While Red Lobster's Lobsterfest® is over, a new reason to stop in and celebrate has begun, this time all about crab. Whether you're an avid enthusiast of Snow, Kind, Dungeness, Alaska King, or Blue; or know so little about crab you think those could be Game of Thrones characters, you're sure to find an excuse to stop by and explore this specially crafted seafood menu. For a limited time Red Lobster visitors will be treated to 5 all NEW Crab-centric entrees, the brand NEW Three-Cheese Crab Dip appetizer, and a special NEW Crabfest Cooler® (21+). All of these NEW menu features grace the Summer Crabfest® menu alongside tempting add-on options such as Shtimp-Topped Crab Cakes and delicious sea-to-table crab leg selections.

My father and I have a long running tradition of making time for monthly (at least) meals at Red Lobster. It's a father/daughter tradition that began in high school and is going strong some 15 years later. In fact, we have been patronizing our local Red Lobster for over 15 years. It's gotten to the point that the general manager knows our faces and names, and the servers light up (and maybe even fight over the chance) to serve our table. It's kind of like enjoying a great family seafood meal at home, except I am terrible at preparing seafood and have no idea how to properly cook crab.

With Red Lobster's Crabfest® calling us my father managed to pencil in a father/daughter meal despite a recent surge in workload and overtime at his job. We often cross paths here and there between these dinner dates, but these meals are particularly special because I get to enjoy one-on-one time really reconnecting over a topic we both hold so dear; food.

The Crabfest® menu is huge- we had such a hard time deciding on what to order for our entrees that our drinks and appetizer actually arrived before we'd finished ordering our meal. The fact that those fresh, warm, Cheddar Bay biscuits hit the table minutes after we'd sat down didn't help the issue either. I know I suddenly became ravenous and abandoned my mission of decision when our server sat that basket of heaven on the table between us.

 What did we get to drink? As it turns out there's a brand new draft beer on the menu just in time for Crabfest® and it pairs perfectly with sweet juicy crab offerings; Stella. Not only is Stella one of my father's preferred beers but it was so new to our location that they hadn't even gotten their glasses in yet. Now that's a fresh draft! Even I was tempted to indulge a little and sipped happily on the duo-toned, colorful, NEW Crabfest® Cooler. With strong tropical vibes of Malibu, Sour Mix, Midori, Pineapple, and Blue Curacao I was easily sailing away to a distant shore. I especially loved that the flavors lent to an easy to drink adult beverage experience, along with a Crabfest® commemorative glass to take home (while supplies last).

No sooner had we finished the last few pieces of crisp lettuce in our dinner salad did our server bring by our chosen appetizer. Tradition mandates that we typically order the Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms but the NEW Three-Cheese Crab Dip was calling our name so we made an exception. Paired with artisan bread the ooey-gooey blend of Cream Cheese, Mozzarella, and Monterey Jack cheeses, paired with generous chunks of real crab meat made a real treat for any crab or seafood (or heck, cheese) lover.

Remember how I said the servers sometime fought over our table, since we've been visiting our local Red Lobster for 15 years? Well on our most recent visit, for Crabfest®, we had the pleasure of being served by one of the newest team members. It's always a true joy to be served by a new server because they bring such a wonderful enthusiasm to their table and service, Diana was no exception. It turns out she'd also head about us from the vets (all praise, of course) and even seen some of my previous social shares from that location. While she'd never met us before, and was newer to the chain, she was all smiles and truly got us excited about our entree choices. I'll admit, I wanted to ask her to sit and have a bite with us at one point!

Sadly Diana was in truth pretty busy, as it was heading into the dinner service, so we really had our hands (and mouths) full with quite the selection of amazing Crabfest® creations. My personal piece de resistance was the side of Dungeness Crab legs I'd added onto my meal. It's one of two (the other being Southern King) wild-caught crab varieties guests will find on the Crabfest® menu this year.

When my father and I visit Red Lobster we always 1.) order large amounts of food, especially with limited time items such as the Crabfest® menu in front of us, and 2.) spend hours talking while slowly enjoying every last bite. Sharing dishes is as mandatory as gushing and arguing over who's plate is better. One of the things that makes our Red Lobster location so special to us is the staff's consistent patience with our slow eating, and extended reminiscing, and the commitment to make sure we have everything we desire so long as we are seated in their restaurant at a table. That's especially important because you really should feel free to take your time and enjoy amazing seafood such as this.

So what did we finally decide on ordering from the plethora of Crabfest® entree options? Well my dad chose to enjoy the NEW Crab Cakes and Crab-Oscar Salmon, which just happens to have his favorite seafood, shrimp smothered in a white wine butter sauce. I would have gone this route, too, but I was thrilled to see the NEW Shrimp-Topped Crab Cakes appeared in several Crabfest® entrees, as well as the option to add-on to any meal. I won't lie, though, I was awfully jealous of that crab-hollandaise topped salmon after sneaking a bite- it was so buttery, tender, and flaky I almost forgot we were there celebrating crab!

Because I am a sucker for a good surf n' turf, I ultimately chose to order the NEW Crabfest® Ultimate Surf And Turf entree. Honestly, it was only intended to be an encore to the true star, my Dungeness Crab legs but I was blown away by the rich flavors and generous portion of steak. Once again the crab hollandaise topping made a special appearance and offered a true surf n' turf dining experience that needed no steak sauce. Of course my meal wouldn't be 'ultimate' without 2 large Crab Cakes topped with Shrimp covered in a white wine butter sauce. With just the essence of crab, having been baked atop the juicy crab cakes, those shrimp were sweet and tender and possibly a new menu favorite.

My father comes from several generations of New Englanders- I was raised around fresh caught seafood, and I'll admit I was never a fan as a child. Any proper New England seafood lover will tell you you have to be willing to put on a bib and get a little messy to enjoy some of the ocean's best treats- Well, Red Lobster, the nest time Crabfest® rolls around I'm going to need a bib. I'm not afraid to admit, though I enjoy seafood and crab, this was my first time doing the handy work of actually shelling my own legs! I dare-say my father had a chuckle as I desperately googled how to properly tackle the task at hand.

Thankfully this was one of those cases where my grumbling, and maybe even shrieking at a few points, paid off big. There's no substitution for fresh crab legs- not only is the meat wonderfully tender by the flavor needs no enhancing outside of a daub of melted butter. I daresay I might even prefer crab legs to lobster tales after having enjoyed my Dungeness crab- and I'll definitely be making a return trip to Crabfest® (which is only around for a limited time) to try one of the other amazing crab varieties on the menu.

While there is, sadly, no official Crabfest® dessert this time around, it's also tradition to complete our meal with something sweet. Our server, Diana, spoke highly of the Chocolate Wave cake but it, and my favorite Brownie Overboard, had sold out just tables before ours. Must've been all that time chatting over delicious crab, haha! So, instead, we tried something new to us, the Warm Chocolate Chip Lava Cookie, as we chatted just a little more with our server about her passion for her job, and our previous Red Lobster exploits. In what I think is a first, we actually had cleaned all our plates and had no Crabfest® leftovers to take home- but we were sent home with some of the famous Cheddar Bay biscuits none-the-less.

We've been dining at Red Lobster since I was in a booster seat, it's family tradition. Now Red Lobster wants to share some of their traditions with guests such as you and I. To learn more about the fascinating sea-to-table journey of Red Lobster's Alsaka Crab with Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch's Wild Bill, crabbing expert, click here. Hurry into Red Lobster for Crabfest® now, it won't be around for long, and join the Fresh Catch Club for a FREE appetizer or dessert, as well as a heads up on special deals!

The Meaning of Lobster- And My Lobsterfest® Story

The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CelebrateLobster #CollectiveBias

My father and I have a thing. It's called lobster.

Now, before you jump to any conclusions, let me elaborate by telling you that lobster is more than a sea creature, a food dish, or even a memory. If you asked my father he'd tell you it's my thing- 'Jenna loves lobsters'. And, while I may have taken the image of a lobster and made it something special to myself it is undoubtedly a direct result of the special relationship my father and I have forged from the early days of my childhood. You see my personal celebration of lobster goes back to a single event, at age 5, but has continued through the creation of countless memories with my dad ever since.

Through the past few years my family has faced some trying times. It also happened that, during these trials, my father met and began dating a woman very special to him. After having my father to myself for over a decade, this daddy's girl had a bit of adjusting to do. I'll admit, I was a bit sad to see him lean on another for support, but equally happy for him to embrace someone who felt he was just as special as I do. While things have settled down in our family, we haven't been able to carry on one of our most treasured traditions quite as often as I'd like. So, for so very many reasons, I used one of our favorite restaurants, Red Lobster, and it's Lobsterfest® event as an excuse to steal a little time with my father.

My dad and I are no strangers to the seafood dining chain- even more importantly, to the staff at our local Red Lobster. As customers we have known the general manager for many years. Any staff who has been employed there for even a short length of time recognizes us, and those who do not often know of us (or are filled in by others working.)

We're not celebrities. We're not related to anyone at the chain, or restaurant location. We don't go in every week and order the same thing. (Though there are a few special events, such as Lobsterfest®, we can be counted on to stop in for.) But year after year we visit to celebrate special occasions, or even long over-due father-daughter dates, and the staff continually makes us feel ever so valued and special.

So, on one unusually overcast Southern California day I met my father, after work, at our Oxnard, CA Red Lobster for a special dinner with just the two of us. I'll admit I was just as excited about getting some alone time with my pop as I was about the 2017 Lobsterfest® menu. For lobster enthusiasts, such as myself, this is the best time of year to visit and truly taste some amazing lobster inclusive dishes and inspired drinks. Of course, when the waiter brings those delicious buttery Red Lobster signature Cheddar Bay Biscuits to the table before you can even order, you know you're in for a treat!

My father insisted we order the Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms as an appetizer, while I knew we had to try the New Chilled Shrimp and Lobster Cocktail. Shrimp cocktail is one of our favorite dishes, and this new lobster twist promised to be a real treat with the addition of sweet, chilled, lobster.

As a collector of all things lobster, I simply had to order one of the special Lobsterfest® 2017 fruit-based cocktails, New Island Lobster Punch or New Lobsterfest® Fizz, which is served in a collectible Coastal glass that guest get to keep (while supplies last)! I may or may not (I do) have a collection of glassware from previous Red Lobster events, but the tropical inspired Lobsterfest® Fizz cocktail made the perfect compliment to our appetizers. With Absolut vodka, mango and passion fruit juices, Sprite, Sour Mix and a Grand Marnier float this sunrise colored cocktail was sweet and tangy in all the right ways.

Our server was kind enough to time our appetizers, drinks, and salads perfectly after learning my father and I hadn't had a chance to catch up in a while. As we dined on the in-house poached Chilled Lobster and Shrimp Cocktail I reminisced about the start of our lobster traditions.

When I was a young girl my mother couldn't fly due to health complications so I'd visit my father's family, cross-country in New England, with my dad. It was a family tradition when we'd come into town for everyone to head on over to a local seafood hall for a grand feast- in particular an all-you-can-eat lobster feast. At the end of each brunch there would be a drawing where each participant would have a chance to have their ticket drawn for a basket of fresh live lobster to take home.

Around the age of 5-6 I drew my table's number. Then, on the next visit a year later, drew my table's number again. As you can imagine, being a New England family, this was widely celebrated both times, and well documented in family photos. That is the beginning of everything lobster for me (and my dad, even if he wont' admit it).

Often times I feel like I bring up lobster, the food, and people react as though it's something reserved for a special occasion. Whether it's here in sunny SoCal, or back East where I imagine lobsters fall out of the sky and people enjoy fresh lobster for breakfast daily. (Or so I used to think as a kid living a SoCal live and visiting the strange and magical East Coast.) Truth is, lobster is something to be celebrated, but there is a way around it. Find more reasons to celebrate.

It's taken me 30 years and only now am I realizing that we, as humans, need to celebrate more. There are never too many excuses to enjoy a delicious meal, namely lobster, with friends or family. Lobsterworthy moments happen every day. I know my life is certainly the richer for moments such as this amazing meal with my father.

And, speaking of amazing meals- you're probably wondering what exactly did I celebrate by ordering? Well, yours truly enjoyed the new Lobsterfest® Surf and Turf featuring a split Maine lobster tail baked with a signature seafood stuffing, alongside a wood-grilled sirloin topped with shrimp in a decadent lobster cream sauce. I'd contemplated upgrading my steak to a N.Y. strip, but talked it over with our server, who told us that the sirloin was in fact her personal favorite, and went that direction instead. Let me tell you- the sauce my sirloin was drowned in was a heavenly buttery, cheddary, seafoody (I'm making it a word) mix that paired with my butter-soft steak in the best of ways. I dare say it threatened to outshine my lobster- until I actually had my lobster, perfection.

My father, notorious for devouring shrimp, is seen above in a rare snapshot (the last one I took of him was over a year ago!) insisting I put down the camera and let him eat. Who can blame him with the Ultimate Feast- a plate full of shrimp 2 ways, and a juicy Maine lobster tail. What's that? There are 2 lobster tails on his plate? Of course, because we do Lobsterfest® right! He traded in the crab legs traditionally featured on this dish for an upgrade of a seafood stuffed lobster tail, at an additional charge. Now that's a plate with everything a man could want!

As we ate I was further reminded of the importance of lobster in our relationship. Sure, I'd won hundreds of dollars worth of lobster as a young girl- but it was the image of the lobster which I so tied to my exclusive father-daughter time with my dad. It was also the image that came to mind when I, as a SoCal girl, thought of my father's little New England home town because the airport we always flew into in Providence had a massive store full of lobster tourist paraphernalia.

This was something that stuck out in my head so much that, as I grew up and was unable to fly back East for family visits with my father, I'd request he bring me back a 'lobster' as a memento of his trip. It didn't mean much in the beginning, really. But here, some 15 years later my father brings me back a lobster from every trip. And, it's so notorious of a request that when either of us vacation, regardless of the destination, we hunt out the 'lobster' of that region and bring back a memento as a gift. Sometimes my father gets pretty creative- he brought back a plush scorpion from Arizona once.

So, these memories, and traditions, coupled with the fact that him and I (and sometimes our family, but usually him and I) have been meeting up for special meals at our local red lobster for over a decade truly bring the meaning of lobster to a full image. Events such as Lobsterfest® are more than special limited time dishes and drinks, they're a reason to celebrate. Lobster brings us in, but the amazing staff and countless memories in those booths really hold a special place in my heart. And, thanks to the great flavors I have just another sensory element to really bring those memories to life.

My dad and I are both talkers- we're notorious for sitting in the booth at our local Red Lobster for hours even after the main course has been served. Those who know of us understand the food was simply a means for bringing us together. They never rush us. And those who don't try their best to enhance our visit every way possible- from offering post dinner Cheddar Bay Biscuits, to asking if we want to place an order to bring home to those who didn't come in with us.

So, as I sat there milking the last few bites of our Lobsterfest® Bananas Foster Cheesecake, feeling a bit sad that I would soon have to hug my father and head home I also felt a bit of a warmth in my heart. As the server picked up the signed credit card statement, telling us to come back again soon I couldn't help but smile. Of course we'll be back. Lobster is kind of our thing.

Want to experience Lobsterfest® for yourself? Everyday is filled with lobsterworthy moments so choose one and head to your local Red Lobster soon, this event is for a limited time! Learn more and stay up to date with the chain on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have a #Lobsterworthy moment? Share your story on social media with the hashtag #Lobsterworthy.