Everything Ship Shape at Boston Lobster Feast

BOSTON LOBSTER FEAST
8304 Crystal Clear Lane
Orlando, FL USA 32809

www.bostonlobsterfeast.com

Where is it?

It's about as far back in the restaurant as you can go.

From the main entrance, head left, past the hostess table and enter into the dining room. Once there, go past the many sections of the buffet. When you hit the wall of windows that faces Sand Lake Road, turn right. You'll enter a hallway then that runs behind the kitchen then. Head to the back of that hallway and you'll find the bathrooms.

What's it like?

This seafood buffet prides itself on its freshly cooked shellfish, and for the price (about $40 per person, as of this writing), it's not a bad deal, considering you'll get plenty of lobster, crab and other sea-faring dishes (prepared in a variety of ways, not just steaming), as well standard buffet items like roast beef, veggie sides, salad, soup and the like. It's decent quality food, though this is certainly not one of the better seafood places in town.

Given the somewhat fishy smell found in the dining room (which you kind of expect), one would anticipate finding a bathroom steeped in strong oceanic odors, both fair and foul. Surprisingly, that's not the case.

The place has very little, if any, noticeable fishy smell. Nor will you find bits of fish and shellfish parts around the sinks or on the floor -- also a surprise, considering the food here is hands-on and messy to eat. (That's a considerable improvement over restaurants in similar scenarios, like Ozzie's Crabhouse in Grant, which offers better food but a less-sanitary toilet-going experience).

On the flip-side, the place offers little surprises design-wise: Off-white drywall walls, black tile floors, white sinks and toilets and off-white divider walls. The walls come decorated with bits of faux-seaside decor, like cute signs that say things like "Captain's Quarters" (get it?) and tacky painting of lighthouses and such. Still, the fact that it's clean, near-odor-free and well-maintained makes up for those misgivings.

Marks out of 10:

8. Would be a 7, but it's cleanliness and odor-free environment raised it up a notch. A considerable success for a mass-market seafood restaurant, if you think about it. Many of the Red Lobster's I've been to haven't come close to this.

Comments to the Management:

I would like to see a little more imagination put into the bathroom decor, though really that's only nitpicking. You've done a fine job with this place, considering the odds against you. Kudos.