Don't go to Bob Lobster if you're hungry now. Don't go if service with a smile is essential to your sense of well being. Don't go for the fries, as they are not fried in separate oil.
You should go to Bob Lobster if you like lobster, steamed, with butter. Steamed clams, with butter. Richardson's ice cream for dessert. No beer, no wine.
You might also like to try the gluten free Lobster Corn chowder that was listed as such on the menu.
Better yet, in the freezer, pick up a gluten-free Lobster Bake, Stuffed Haddock, Stuffed Scallops... you get the picture. These are made with Glutino Crackers, heaps of yummy seafood, and a bit of cream to moisten it enough without drowning the sweet lobster, of which there was plenty.
Now let me back up. It was one of those odd spring days in Boston where the mercury rises 40 degrees higher than the day before and you have to remember which box your shorts are stored in. It was the perfect day to go to Plum Island for biking, birdwatching and the beach. For $5 a car, we could park in one of two areas and enjoy one beach as the others were closed due to the nesting of the endangered piping plover. There are no food facilities at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge , where we decided to decamp. The only beach open was at Parking Lot 1, but the open toilet was not nearby - a warning to those of you with small bladders. I biked to Parking Lot 4, where the toilets were open and the observation tower overlooks a tidal pool off the Plum Island Sound. This is about 6 miles round trip starting from the gate. My husband and son turned back a mile before me because the beach couldn't wait any longer. Impatient beach! I enjoyed some lovely white species of crane without the whining of a wave-happy 7 year old before heading back. This is New England, where the water isn't warm even in August. I did walk into the ocean up to my ankles, and I may not go in to the Atlantic again this far north, ever.
We waited until dusk to leave, as that is when the park closes, and ours was the last vehicle in the parking lot. What can I say, I am always the last one to leave a good party, too! The first food choice coming back is the Plum Island Grille. At 8:00 pm, with more than an hour wait and no blatantly GF options, we decided to go back up the Plum Island Turnpike to Bob's. Their wait was 45 minutes, and they were already open past their posted hours. After a prematurely hot day (though not steamy), with a healthy bike ride and some daydreaming on the beach as the sky darkened, we felt like a trip to the salad bar at Stop & Shop would be a buzzkill. I had no idea that we would discover a place that had even heard the word gluten before. Oh, lowered expectations. Oh, faith in humanity, restored!
I will be back. I will try the soup next time, and the frozen GF bakes, and any GF shellfish that doesn't bite me back.
Bob Lobster is located at 45 Plum Island Turnpike in Newbury, MA 01951. Their phone is 978-465-7100. They also take major credit cards, which was a lucky thing as it turned out. We are considering calling for take out next time and bringing it to the beach for a kick-off lunch, but we'll have to return on the way back to pick up a few more lobster bakes.
Can't get there? They ship!
On a scale of 1-10:
Attitude to GF Patrons: 8 - no hostility, but you night get ignored they're so busy
Variety of GF Foods: 5
Quality of GF Foods: 10
Kid-Friendly Food: 10 (not GF stuff though)
Kid-Friendly Attitude: 10 - they just clean up the mess, no questions, no dirty looks
Overall grade: B+
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