certainly were among the best we had ever eaten - in fact, we objectively established from  the data a clear correlation between the sweetness of lobster meat and the geographical location in which the lobsters resided, corroborating the hypothesis that lobsters from colder, more northern waters, i.e., Maine are sweeter than their southern relatives residing off the coast of Massachusetts (on that note it would be interesting to know where the recent competitors were from).  We also noted that the meat of larger lobsters is just as (or even more) tender and sweet than their younger counterparts, dispelling the fallacy that big lobsters are more tough and chewy. So during this intense, ten day lobster-fest the Crusty for Best Lobster Dinner was awarded to a roadside joint in Maine where the traps were unloaded by the local fisherman and the lobsters crawled out of their traps directly into the steamer pot and were served on your plate within 15 min. or you got your money back.  This roadside joint took home multiple honors:  Since these babies weighed in at 2 lbs. a piece and were reasonably priced at something like 3 for $10,it took home the Best Inexpensive Lobster Dinner honors (perhaps the price is somewhat exaggerated after all these years, but certainly well affordable to even those of us with a combined annual income of $12,000).  It was literally the only time in my life where I can truly say, I had All You Can Eat Lobster.

As an aside, the winner of the  Most Romantic Lobster Dinner was the meal we cooked at home in celebration of the first night both of our kids were away at summer camp for the first time.  Caesar salad, fresh home cooked lobsters, local corn, and plenty of wine… I digress.          

So with all of this legitimate competition, you can see my reluctance at having to rename the Best Inexpensive Lobster Dinner and drive all the way up to Maine to retrieve the Crusty from the roadside joint where it has been gathering dust for 35 years.  However, in the spirit of Hollywood's expansion of the Oscars to the point that they cannot even give them all out during the interminably long 3 hour broadcast because they now give out awards for such esoteric categories as Best Scenic Design for a Foreign Documentary Film with Subtitles, I propose we lobby the ASSAS to add a new category: Best Inexpensive Lobster in a Restaurant with Live Music, No Cover Charge and Free Parking.  In this case, our end of summer lobster feast would definitely win the Crusty hands down!