Lobster & Lefse as far East (in North Dakota) as you can go, Landlubber!

Ok Lobster? From Maine?…in Fargo? Who woulda thunk it.

Turned out purty darn good and tasty for $20 bucks!  Well, a little more if you count the $3 half order of sweet potato puffs they sold with the dinner of 1 1/4 pound lobster, corn on the cob, butter and two pieces of soft buttered Norwegian potato lefse.  Home of the Redhawks at NEWMAN OUTDOOR FIELD is where I headed at lunch yesterday for this first Maine lobster event ever paired with Norwegian Lefse. This charity event is being put on by the Rotarians to benefit the Fargo Rape and Abuse Crisis Center, Cass county YWCA  and some other rotary projects. Thanks to the morning news I found out it started on Friday instead of Saturday, since I WAS headed out there Sunday originally. The $3 admission was waived at lunch, to boot according to WDAY. “Hot dam! Can’t miss this!” said the little penny pincher in my brain. Got out there about 1pm and were told by folks leaving that it was an hour and a half wait. Egads! We questioned whether we should stay. We checked it out and..

The lines were a bit long:

An hour and a half long Line for Lobster - Fargo, ND

We figured we could wait a little, since the line seemed to be moving. It further helped us to stay when the volunteers plied us with nibbles of clam strips, potato puffs and coupons for a free beer. Someone had their marketing cap on…There were directions on how to eat your lobster since we don’t get to really do this every day!

Lobster eating directions posted on pillars at Newman’s Outdoor Field, NDSU.

And, the lines continued, but Jhelsi and I spied a supper as it walked by and was set down near us, so we stayed and were servede close to 2pm.

 And we were finally rewarded!:

An hour and a half long Line for Lobster – Fargo, ND

 Juicy, rich, succulent, messy LOBSTER! Nom,nom.

Quite a deal, I got a 2nd lobster for the hubby for $18 to help him not feel left out since he couldn’t get away, and it proved difficult to transport what with the juices and all. It smelled in the car on the way home, so divinely– I wanted to gobble it up too. But it’s some work to eat it too since you have to have practically a queen size sheet, I swear, to clean up afterward!  ..Wasn’t going there, purloining the 2nd for myself I mean–but I was tempted. I’d already spilled lobster juice all over me as it was, in transporting it. Nice. Luckily, the clothes were dark and I was headed straight home from this spontaneous eating adventure…but the cost to benefit ratio was tipping in favor of eating it once that had happened, I’ll admit it. I am a foodie after all! But control reigned and the convo pre-lunch about ‘food as fuel’ echoed in my head!  (Smile)

Only complaint I have is no salmon or crab cakes were in evidence as touted on their site, but they weren’t missed. The star meal was the lobster.  The shrimp and clam strips were a close second. I would have liked wet nappies, for my face, arms, table and floor, steering wheel, purse handles…I caution you wear comfortable clothing and bring a roll of paper towels or something.

So messy, delicious, and affordable for my budget was my lobster lunch that I’ll definitely attend this eating event again next year. Since, this is the 1st annual Lobster and Lefse Festival they have held, I hope it will be back.  By all indications, it was a successful fundraiser. Who ever thunk it up surely knows that lutesfik and lefse would not have drawn the crowd gathered there yesterday, so this is a great variation. And Uffda! I have respect for tradition but, lutefisk is for me, and I’m sure many others, an acquired taste, dontcha know? Lutefisk is for the church hall dinners and Christmas since it represents the hardiness that the Scandinavians had to have to emigrate and settle in the Dakota territories. Lobster & Lefse represents the convenience of things like Allegiant Air taking you to LA or Vegas or Phoenix for $69 bucks in the 21st century Fargo, but also enjoying the bounty we have right here as represented by the potato lefse pairing!

The clam strips we tasted in line, were crisply fried and quite good. They also gave us shrimp and it was delicious. The potato puffs were made of a shredded sweet potato, then fried. [I'm seeing this root vegetable offered more and more and liking it.] They were really scrumptious and light. And a lot like a tater tot, I heard a few people commenting.

In conclusion, hey, Fargoans like the finer stuff in life too, just as much as the rest of the country. We’re no different, but much smaller by big city standards. This festival proves Fargo can have what big city folks enjoy in Chicago, St. Paul, Boston, D.C. and Atlanta, for example. Lobster is that much more of a treat when you’re land-locked on the eastern border of North Dakota!

The lobster & lefse festival costs a  twenty spot plus a few extra dollars for the tots, like I said. It was about right for value because the small slipper rock lobsters are $10-$12 each and the larger cold water east coast lobs are between $16.97-$25.00 per pound at the grocery store. And they are tanked lobsters or frozen of course, while I read on the event’s website (below) that these crustaceans were flown in fresh! You could taste the freshness and it came through in the firm texture too.

And the atmosphere? A lobster lunch, eaten in open air, before a Redhawks game on a sunny summer afternoon? Couldn’t beat it with a stick.

 Beats Red Lobber err, Red Lobster all to hell for the trifecta of price, taste and atmosphere. My friend Jhelsi (pictured) agreed, she et it all up!  And she looked gorgeous, doing it too. Damn, you have great genes, girl. Thanks Jhels, for coming with! (Smile)

Here’s their website if you want to go today: http://lobsterandlefse.com/

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