If ever one was thinking of getting into the festival-throwin' business -- and the idea of working full-time with a concept that typically revolves around fried food and clowns and pie definitely appeals -- we'd have one recommendation.
Don't throw the festival itself; host something similar to the festival immediately following the festival. That's when people want more. That's when people truly begin clamoring. That's when the people who couldn't make the big weekend event are looking for a taste.
The Whale & Ale in San Pedro is doing just that courtesy of its Lobster Fest. Lobster Fest opened several days before the mondo Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival (which ran Sept. 17-19) and it is running for a few days after, through Thursday, Sept. 23. On the menu: well, lobster. Red potatoes. And hot, hot butter. Anything else, really, would be gilding the lily (or buttering the claw, perhaps).
The pub, of course, was one of the participants in the Port of Los Angeles party, so eating lobster there will be almost like enjoying the weekend festival. It's running Tuesday through Thursday through the 23rd, and the price is $24.
Oh, and lobster ravioli is a choice. For $16. Cream sauce. It's nearly fall. Cream sauce is practically mandatory.
