The Lobster Place

New England and Manhattan aren't the only chowders to choose from.

At such a well-stocked seafood market, I was a little disheartened to discover that the Cajun crab and corn chowder (small; $3.50) relies on imitation crabmeat. (The seafood chowder, by contrast, claims salmon, pollack, clams, shrimp, and scallops among the ingredients.) Though not a patch on a good maque choux, it was well furnished with potato, pepper, onion, celery, and carrot as well as corn.

My most recent lobster roll (which I haven't priced lately, but the market price is falling) was overfilled with housemade lobster salad that sported loads of rich, chunky meat. I enjoyed my soup and my lobster roll at the counter, in the passageway outside, which might also be a great spot for an oyster taste-off; about a dozen varieties are on display, complete with tasting notes.

The Lobster Place
75 Ninth Ave. (15th-16th Sts.)
(inside Chelsea Market)
212-255-5672
Also 252 Bleecker St. (Cornelia-Leroy Sts.)
212-352-8063
www.LobsterPlace.com