The geeky travel book I brought along on a recent visit suggested Neptune has the best lobster roll in town. I ordered a hot one, and have to say my guidebook was right on the money. The sandwich included very little, if any, filler or celery or even mayonnaise--just the hot, succulent meat of a single lobster, drenched in butter and was simply the most delicious thing I've eaten in a long time. Oysters were also worth sampling and I was pleased with the extensive wine list. Neptune's oyster crackers, which appear to be locally baked, were impossible to resist, and should make the plastic-packaged ones weep for the shame of their inferiority.

I spent considerable time searching for a location to have a lobsterfest with a friend in advance of a conference we attended in Boston. We hail from SE Wyoming, where the closest thing to seafood one can get is, ah, the Rocky Mountain Oyster. While Boston seems to teem with places to eat lobsters, Oceanaire stands apart. We were seated in one of the flanking rooms, which, while the Boston Globe reviewer complained was equivalent to being booked in steerage, is actually the best part of the restaurant if one actually wants to have a conversation without bellowing like a distressed farm animal at one's fellow diners. We enjoyed attentive but not annoying service and everything we that passed our lips was delicious. I was pleased not to be presented with a plastic bib, and was instead given a proper napkin with the same sort of clasp they use at the dentist. [perhaps this is not a good image to summon in a dining review, but how much classier than a plastic bib!] My local oysters were tangy and fresh, the lobster bisque approached perfection, and the side orders were generous and tasty. The only touch of complaint I would offer is that on that particular night (Friday!) Oceanaire did not seem to have many larger weight critters in the kitchen tank; this obliged us to order three smaller lobsters and split the third between us. I can think of more unpleasant dining dilemmas. We were more than pleased with our experience and I would most certainly return.