This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.asianstar
If you're craving lobster, two metro Detroit communities are the place to be this week.Celebrating luxurious lobster, once considered low-quality or poor man's food because it was cheap and plentiful, are events in Royal Oak and downtown Trenton.Holiday Market, a long-standing family-owned store on Main Street in Royal Oak, is hosting its 20th annual "Lobsterfest" event with special pricing on lobster and other seafood Thursday through Saturday.
Last year's Holiday Market Lobsterfest drew orders for more than 2,000 lobsters and 300 pounds of shrimp.
Linda Johnson of Detroit, a Holiday Market shopper for 45 years, has been ordering lobster and shrimp every year since it started.
"It's the best deal," Johnson said. "I order two lobsters (cooked) and 2 pounds of shrimp for me and my husband and pick up the lobster hot. I have everything ready for when I get home."
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Once Johnson gets her cooked lobsters home, she completes the meal with corn-on the cob and boiled red-skinned potatoes.Buying the lobster and shrimp already cooked is easier for Johnson. She buys the regular boiled shrimp and the Motown spiced version.
"I really get my money's worth out of it," she said. "I put the shrimp in the refrigerator and usually make salads."
Special pricing for the market's three-day event offers lobsters at $12.99 per pound to take home and cook yourself. If you're not into cooking your own, the Holiday Market will do it for you and those lobsters are $17.99 each. At Holiday Market lobsters are $19.99 per pound.
You can also order boiled or sauteed large shrimp for $8.99 per pound or raw large shrimp for $7.99 per pound. Jumbo snow crab clusters, mussels and littleneck clams are also offered at special prices.
You can order items online or call the market. When you order, especially if ordering cooked items, you will need to choose a pickup day and time.
Uncooked items are picked up at the market's seafood department.
All the cooked items are hot out of the pot and packaged for customers when they arrive. For cooked orders, park in the market's back lot and head to the seafood department where you will get a payment tag to pay for your order.
Holiday Market cooks the lobsters in a seafood boil of fresh lemons, sea salt and the market's spices. Its cooked shrimp are boiled or sauteed in the market's Motown spice.
Pick up live lobsters on 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and cooked lobsters and shrimp 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 1-7 p.m. Saturday.To pre-order, go to holiday-market.com. Payment is made at the time of pick-up.
Lobstoberfest in downtown Trenton
Downtown Trenton's annual "Lobstoberfest " is from 4-11 p.m. Friday, along with a Fall Bash and the lobster party 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday. Hosted by downtown Trenton businesses, Truago restaurant, the Vintage Market Mercantile, Roundhouse BBQ and Freckles & Grit, the event, now in its fourth year and features plenty of lobster dishes, merchandise vendors, a beer tent, live music and other entertainment.
Kicking off on Friday is a tent party at Truago restaurant. Under the tent is a lobster buffet displaying more than two dozen dishes featuring lobster as the main ingredient. The buffet features dishes such as lobster mac and cheese, lobster ravioli and lobster bisque. Lobster is also in dishes like quesadillas, lasagna and scampi.
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Truago restaurant owner Jeremy Syrocki, who originated the first lobster fest three years ago, expects to go through at least 1,000 pounds of lobster meat plus more than 500 whole lobsters.
The all-you-can-eat lobster buffet, which also features side dishes, is $39.99 per person. You can add a whole, cooked Maine lobster to the buffet for $24.99 each or hot or cold lobster rolls for $24.99 each. Truago will be open with a limited menu and will not offer brunch this weekend.
Roundhouse BBQ restaurant in downtown Trenton will also feature a special menu at the restaurant and under a tent along the street.The lobster buffet continues on Saturday for downtown Trenton's "Fall Bash," featuring food trucks, strolling adult beverages, live music all day, shopping from a variety of vendors, dancing witches, face painting and the Jurassic Park Motor Pool.
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This two-day event draws thousands strolling along West Jefferson which will be closed to vehicle traffic during the event.
Saturday's lineup of bands features:
ABC Sisters featuring the Big Band Theory: Noon-2 p.m.Barelyon: 2:30-5:30 p.m.Wisteria: 6-8 pm.Phoenix Theory: 8-11 p.m.For information, go to truago.com, thevintagemarketmi.com, roundhousebbq.com or Freckles & Grit.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: [email protected]. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.asianstar