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PJ Lobster House is a casual, local seafood joint located out in Port Jefferson. Adjoined to their fresh fish market, this establishment has been serving the community since 1995, specializing in live lobsters and stock sizes up to three pounds.
Overall
the atmosphere is extremely family friendly. The nicely sized dining area seats up
to 100 people and is nautically themed with sea related art displayed throughout.
Two replica fishing boats are displayed on the wall in cases, immediately catching
your eye upon entering. Two big screen TV’s sit on each side of the dining room
for patrons interested in watching their favorite sporting events as they dine. Owner
James Luciano has been working at PJ Lobster House for 10 years. He began working
here as a dishwasher when he was in high school and worked his way to the top as
owner of the business roughly five years ago. Once he acquired the restaurant he
began to make the necessary improvements to better enhance the environment and
recently renovated the dining room just a few months ago. As
we perused the menu we noticed how extensive it is, overflowing with an abundance of
seafood choices, along with some non-seafood items as well. We also noticed a
listing of their daily specials which are as follows: Sunday – enjoy a $24.95
three course price fixed menu all day, Monday – all you can eat mussels, Tuesday
– all you can eat crab legs, Wednesday – all you can eat shrimp, Thursday –
lobster fest for $18.99 and Friday – get crabmeat stuffed lobster tails for just
$29.99. Upon being seated our server Taylor presented us with an assortment of hot, fresh mini rolls (below left). She also explained their most popular menu items in great detail, answering any and all questions we had regarding the menu. She was extremely personable, friendly and pleasantly accommodating.
Taylor
suggested we begin with the Mini Chowder Bar, a four-ounce sampling of lobster
bisque, Manhattan clam chowder and New England clam chowder (above right). It is a
unique spin on eating soup as it eliminates the hassle of having to choose between
three delicious soups, allowing you to sample a little bit of each. The three
offerings were tasty, traditional and offered an abundance of seafood. The Firecracker Calamari features crispy calamari dusted with Peppadew seasoning and teamed with roasted corn, avocado and a scallion cream dipping sauce (below left). The nicely prepared calamari offered a nice crunch, a hint of heat and combined with the sauce was a real treat.
Another
unique offering on the menu are the Crispy Fish Taco-Dillas (above right). These
spicy tempura battered tilapia (fresh from their fish market) are wrapped with a
cool cilantro lime slaw by a cheese quesadilla. The presentation was very enticing
and we could not wait to dig in. The fish was clearly fresh and the flavors were
different and delightful. You also have the option of ordering it with chicken for
those who do not prefer seafood. Our final appetizer was the Grilled Oysters (below left). This offering presents six oysters grilled over an open flame then topped with fresh tarragon, butter and Frank’s red hot sauce. The oysters were extremely fresh and offered a minute spicy kick.
The
Angus Beef Burger Platter was the first entrée presented to our table (above right). PJ
Lobster House offers a variety of fresh salads, but we suggest you go with the Sea
Scallop Salad (below). This bountifully portioned dish features incredibly tender
scallops, perfectly encrusted and pan seared with a special chickpea, cumin and
Cajun panko breading. The scallops are served over a bed of baby greens with red
onion, tomato, cucumber, kalamara olives and feta cheese tossed in a champagne
vinaigrette.
Next we sampled the Blackened Chilean Sea Bass coated with their homemade Cajun spice blend and then pan seared in an iron skillet (below left). Served with a side of broccoli and roasted red potatoes, the fish flakes with just the light touch of a fork and we were pleasantly surprised to find that the Cajun seasoning was not too overpowering.
The
Lobster Fra Diavolo presents a plethora of seafood – 1 1/4lb. lobster, shrimp,
scallops, mussels and clams in a spicy marinara sauce atop linguini (above right).
All the seafood was cooked properly and both the lobster tail and claw really stood
out. They were both tender and nicely spiced. Everything on the menu is cooked to
order and you have the option of adjusting the amount of spicy heat added to your
entrées. Our final entrée is a popular menu item, the Honey Mustard Salmon (below left). This pan-seared filet is topped with a sweet and spicy honey mustard horseradish sauce and was served with creamed spinach and saffron rice. The salmon was another fresh catch and the honey mustard twist creates a tasteful way to enjoy this popular seafood item.
For
dessert we sampled their homemade Fudge Brownie Sundae (above right). It was a dense
and delectable dessert that presented a rush of chocolate flavor compliments of the
brownie and the chocolate chips. For roughly 16 years PJ Lobster House and Fish Market has been a well-respected establishment in the Port Jefferson community. Their extensive menu features something for everyone to enjoy and they even offer both on and off premise catering, including backyard clam bars, for your special events.
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