Silly Question...Lobster pound?

First trip to Maine coming up...looking forward to a 2 pound steamed lobster right out of the ocean will all the fixings! %26#39;

I notice that a lot of the restaurants have ';and Lobster Pound'; in their name. Is this the kind of place I%26#39;m looking for? Does the ';and Lobster Pound'; designation mean that they serve whole cooked Lobsters by the pound as entrees?

Thanks so much.

Silly Question...Lobster pound?

Not really. In earlier days, a lobster pound was any enclosed area in which trapped lobsters were held until they could be sold at market.. Nowadays, the term usually refers to an establishment that has the ability to hold fairly large numbers of lobsters for cooking.

Definitely, you will pay a by-the-pound (weight) price for your lobster. The price quoted on signs, etc., is usually for an approximate 1.25 pound lobster---the most common size harvested. As the weight goes up, so does the price.

Bon apetit.

Silly Question...Lobster pound?

There is a page on lobster history which you might find helpful at gma.org/lobsters/…lobsterhistory.html See also http://lobster-s.com/lobster_history.htm

As I understand it, lobster pound has two commonly used definitions. One is a restaurant where lobster is the primary (or many even the only) item on the menu. The second is a holding pond for lobster.

In the restaurant context, lobster pounds are typically informal, self-service affairs. Many are located at the shore, they might have picnic tables set up outside (with a killer view), and you might walk up to a counter/window, point to the exact lobster you want from a tank , then the lobster is weighed and you are charged by the weight. The lobster is then cooked, often at outoor, wood-fired boilers, while you wait. When it is done, your number is announced over the load speaker and you go back and pick up your dinner.

In some pounds the lobster is sold a la carte and the only thing that is included is drawn butter. You often can get sides (boiled corn and potatoes, cole slaw, fries, etc.) at an extra charge.

Some pounds also have inside seating, more extensive menus, wait staff and table service.

On your trip to Maine you might see the other lobster pound, the holding pond where lobsters are impounded until they are sold. (Lobsters are traditionally sold live.) That definion is discussed in the referenced article. Go to this page for an aerial view of a pound and very good explanation: http://www.rismithlobster.com/html/faq.html Also look at this photo: gnb.ca/0177/Images/F%20%20LobsterPound1.jpg

I%26#39;m guessing that the first lobster pound restaurants were built alongside the water pounds by enterprising lobstermen who thought they could add to their profits by selling cooked lobster, and thats why the same name applies to both.