Lobster, how I love thee. Who doesn’t? It’s New England’s culinary calling card, the bright red enigma that draws folk to our northern region just to have a snap at, but there are times a lack of attention and poor preparation pinches the divine dining experience and disappoints, turning it overseasoned or overcooked, rubbery and flabby. There are times I rued my choice and wished I had spent my dollars and calories elsewhere. (The lobster roll at The Boiling Crab in Cambridge’s Harvard Square has been a sad abomination, just criminal.) Give me tender nuggets steamed with care and diligence, or poached in butter, to bring out the natural sweetness and succulence, and I’m all in. Lobster is delicate and best left pretty much on its tasty own – go light on the mayo, use just drawn butter, etc.
Trying to get fancy by mixing it up into a lobster grilled cheese or putting it atop a poutine also usually kills the delectability of the meat. Tuck it an omelette, or a soup that’s not a bisque? When I see such concoctions listed, I get skeptical fast.
I’ve started to reconsider, and Geppetto, Will Gilson’s fine Italian concept in Cambridge Crossing, has played a role. It serves lobster with a kick in a spicy spaghetti, and the lobster in my dish was tender and moist and not overpowered by the sauce – for all intents and purposes, a thick fra diavolo – or overwhelmed in its use of chili flake heat. The pasta came al dente and made for a nice companion for the generous, prime chunks of meat.
To lay off the lobster briefly, at the time of my visit Geppetto was finishing up a farm-to-table corn and tomato menu, and with my pasta I had a wonderful corn and tomato gazpacho purée with a nice clump of fresh crab meat in the middle, a great way to close out the last hot days of summer.
A must-have that continues at Geppetto is the fried mozzarella “cacio e pepe,” with its charred tomatoes and crispy basil. The menu has a strong pescatarian lean, with a fritto misto (fried calamari, shrimp and peppers), grilled shrimp, clams linguini and pan roasted black bass. On the pasta slate there’s a Bolognese and a vegetarian cappelletti with artichokes, brown butter and thyme. A strip steak is offered for the carnivores.
Geppetto doesn’t have a bar, but is part of Gilson’s three-restaurant concept in the Cambridge Crossing in North Point that includes The Lexington and Cafe Beatrice. Geppetto has something of a casual, white-tablecloth vibe and a tranquil outdoor patio that overlooks a grassy common. The upstairs Lexington serves more nouvelle cuisine and has a bar and killer roof deck; Beatrice serves breakfast and lunch fare. (Gilson and his Cambridge Street Hospitality Group also own and run Puritan & Co. in Cambridge’s Inman Square and Amba in East Cambridge’s First Street Market.)
It wasn’t just Geppetto changing my mind about lobster. I recently did a quick train trip to Rockport, eating it in various forms for pretty much every meals. For lunch by the sea at Fleur Cuisine Harborside, I had a Lobster Overboard burger, with butter-poached lobster and American cheese over Impossible meat on a brioche bun (yum!). Dinner brought a warm, puréed corn chowder with lobster at Feather & Wedge. Off the train the next day and transferring to the red line, I seized the opportunity to finally indulge in the lobster pizza at Scampo. My expectations in all three cases was low, and I kept thinking I would rue the choice, but in all servings, the meat was tender and expertly prepared and accented with subtle deference.
I also learned there is now a seasonal lobster wrap (a lightly fried lobster sushi roll) at Suguidama in Somerville’s Davis Square that I now have on my must try list.
Geppetto, 100 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge
Cambridge writer Tom Meek’s reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in WBUR’s The ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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