Bait and Switch

Yesterday I met some friends for lunch at Capitol Grill. I'm not fancy, but every now and then it's good to be a little over the top.

The waiter described a special that sounded pretty tasty: a pound of baby lobster meat on a roll. Simple and delicious. I ordered that sandwich without a second thought.

When my "sandwich" arrived, I almost gasped. The lovely sandwich I pictured in my head, with lobster meat falling out of the sides, was in reality, a mushy bun with 3 (yes, 3!!) little pieces of lobster inside. There was no way this was even close to a pound of lobster meat. This was more like 2 ounces. Now, I'm not fussy when I eat out. In fact, I am anti-fussy. But this was just stupid. It made me think of the lovely looking sandwiches you see on TV in advertisements for fast-food restaurants. In the ads the sandwiches look fantastic and you wonder who they can only charge a dollar for one. When you actually get one of the sandwiches is when you see their trick.

Well, I was tricked at Capitol Grill yesterday. I didn't even look at the price of the sandwich, but I'm certain it was north of $20. So, a word to the wise:

* Inspect your sandwiches, especially if they are supposed to have something yummy in them, like lobster.

* Speak up! I didn't say anything. (because the 4 of us had 2 bottles of wine with lunch). It's OK to send things back - you're paying for it. You should be happy (this part is really for my benefit, but you can read it too).

I couldn't find an appropriate picture of a soggy sandwich, but I think you know what I'm talking about.