Every year during Lent, we survey the most distinctive part of the New Orleans menu: seafood. Our search is for the most creative, great seafood dishes on restaurants' menus. All of these are not just good, but unique or nearly so. So don't look for oysters Rockefeller, shrimp remoulade, or trout meuniere. It's a countdown of thirty-three seafood dishes, one for each of the weekday in Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday.
Lobster Empire @ Drago's
For my money, the only way you can find a better lobster than those at Drago's is to travel to Maine or Canada. They sell so many lobsters at Drago's that they're always still fat and meaty by the time they get to your table. This variation starts with a pound-and-a-half lobster, which is steamed and then cut open end to end. The tail and head contents are pulled off to one side, allowing pockets for the creamy sauce with oysters and mushrooms. The plate is finished off with a terrific seafood pasta in a cream sauce. Very rich.
