Old Original Bookbinder's has been a Philadelphia institution for over 140 years.
It's been in the family of current owner John Taxin since his grandfather raised the money to buy it from it's founders. According to Taxin, his grandpa worked at the grocer across the street and ate lobster at Bookbinder's every day, breakfast and lunch.
This, of course, was before lobster became considered a specialty.
Now, lobster is a luxury and Bookbinder's still serves it - deliciously, with prices to match.
The first thing that meets the eye upon walking into Bookbinder's is the lobster tank. The tank is divided into four sections for lobsters ranging in size from large to enormous.
Next is the old-fashioned dining room style and then the large open kitchen, visible from the main dining room.
We started our meal with a round of appetizers - simmered Prince Edward Island mussels in a tomato-garlic sauce. They came in a bucket filled with broth and mussels that had us scraping our forks along the bottom for every last one.
Among the soups, I recommend the Bookbinder's Snapper Soup, a specialty dish for which they are famous across the country. It comes with a side of sherry, which, when added, makes the soup truly come alive.
For my main course, the waiter led me over to the lobster tank and let me pick out one I liked. Watching the spiny crustaceans crawl over each other, I had the definite feeling of playing God, looking each lobster in its eyes, thinking, "Soon, you will be bright red and on my plate."
The waiter recommended I cook the lobster "half and half," in which the crustacean is boiled until half done, split open, brushed with butter and then broiled until done.
The lobster, weighing in at three and a half pounds, was truly gigantic and minimal effort was required to get at the meat. It came out of the tail and claws in large intact pieces.
But the lobster, while delicious and enormous, was also incredibly expensive, at $101.
According to one of my dinner companions, the Ahi Tuna was particularly good as well.
Despite how stuffed we were after our entrees, the dessert menu sounded so enticing that we just had to order.
I had Bookie's Famous Strawberry Shortcake, but it was the tallest shortcake I have ever had. The strawberries were fresh and the cake delicious.
While the meal was delicious all around, and the service warm, the final bill was enough to make me save Bookbinder's for a special occasion or when the parents come to town.
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