Dining Out: Our Lobsterfest Family Time

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If you’ve followed my blog, you’d know that the past year has been a really tough one for my family. I had some personal health scares last summer, my dad’s health declined rapidly and he passed away in October, and there have been many other bumps along the way. But there are great things, too. My sister got a new job about an hour away, so she moved in with us temporarily until she gets a new place. My mom has a nice group of girlfriends to support her during this difficult time. And Richard, the kids, and I are doing awesome! Even when tragedy hits, after some time has passed, you must find the simple moments in life to celebrate. That’s what we did this past weekend.

My mom, my sister, the kids, and I all headed to Red Lobster {Richard is out of town for work} for a delicious dinner together. And of course, we came for the new, limited-time Lobsterfest menu! We began our meal with an appetizer, the NEW! Chilled Lobster and Shrimp Cocktail. We are a sharing type of family, which made this a great appetizer. We each got to try a piece of chilled lobster tail and shrimp. It comes with a side of cocktail sauce for dipping.

Visiting Red Lobster reminds me of my 19th birthday because that’s where I celebrated with friends back in my college town of Gainesville. We enjoyed the Cheddar Bay Biscuits back then, and I was able to share them with my kids now. So tasty! It’s fun when restaurants maintain some of their signature dishes for years while switching things up with featured dishes, like our new Lobsterfest favorites.

Our entrees were brought out next. My mom, sister Jamie, and I ordered two of the Lobsterfest entrees so we can try a few different things. Jamie selected the NEW! Lobsterfest Surf & Turf. But this isn’t your regular steak and seafood. This Surf & Turf consists of a split Maine lobster tail baked with Red Lobster’s signature seafood stuffing and a wood-grilled sirloin topped with shrimp in a lobster cream sauce. Jamie likes her steak medium, and it came out exactly how she wanted it!

My mom and I chose the NEW! Lobster Mix and Match. We got two grilled lobster tails and one of the stuffed lobster tails. Entrees come with your choice of a garden or caesar salad and two sides. The green beans and mashed potatoes were definitely tasty. The grilled lemon was a great touch, and the drawn butter was perfect, especially for the grilled lobster tails.

The kids decided to share the Hand-Battered Fish and Chips from the adult menu. Apparently this was a utensil-free meal for these two. Kids deserve to have a little fun with their food, right?

In addition to our entrees, I ordered a cocktail with dinner. It’s the NEW! Island Lobster Punch, a rum-based strawberry cocktail. You know what’s really awesome about this drink? You get to keep this collectible Lobsterfest glass with the purchase of either of the two Lobsterfest drinks {while supplies last}.

And after a delicious seafood meal, you must leave a little room for dessert, right? We tried the NEW! Bananas Foster Cheesecake. This was perfect because Lydia loves cheesecake and caramel, Bryce loves bananas, and we all love ice cream. The kids pretty much did a divide-and-conquer and the adults stole a few bites, too.

Head to Red Lobster to enjoy Lobsterfest with your family. We went to the Coral Springs, Florida location, less than 15 minutes from our house. We were seated in about 10 minutes near a window as requested, our food was brought to the table perfectly-prepared, and the bartender did a great job mixing my cocktail!

How do you celebrate special times with your family?