On the one hand, lobster is wicked cheap. On the other hand, if you eat it wrong, you will die. The FDA has found massive levels of the toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in the tomalley of Atlantic coast lobster. Tomalley is the nasty green goo in the lobster's body cavity. High levels of PSP toxins can cause death; lower levels cause all manner of unpleasantness, from nausea to diarrhea, slurred or confused......

Homemade Lobster Roll Somerville $6.32 per roll (w/ chips) There's no reason to pay big money for a good lobster roll. With a little effort, the yumminess-to-dollar ratio can be high. Part of a lobster roll's beauty is that you simply eat it without getting your hands dirty. Just like other aspects of life, there can also be quite a bit of satisfaction in self-service. Getting your lobster at a supermarket is fine, but......

Belle Isle Seafood 1267 Saratoga St. East Boston $16.99 Perched next to the bridge to Winthrop, at the very edge of East Boston, Belle Isle Seafood has a strong claim on the title of best lobster roll in the city. The first thing anybody mentions about the place is that it's a shack. In fact, the word "shack" hardly does it justice. It's more like an outpost. The building is directly on the water,......

Neptune Oyster North End Boston $25.00 The lobster roll, a ubiquitous New England summer treat, is great if you love mayonnaise, but if you can't stand the stuff, like this Bostonist, you're usually SOL. Probably 99.9% of lobster rolls in Massachusetts are filled with lobster salad - lobster and other fillings tossed with mayo. But that other 0.1%? That's where Neptune Oyster's hot lobster roll comes in. Neptune offers two types of lobster roll......

Stop & Shop Malden and everywhere $12.00/3 rolls A few weeks ago, Bostonist's mom called to announce that the Red Tide was upon us. It was officially Lobster Roll Season. "AND," she added, "did you know that Stop and Shop has fantastic lobster rolls? They make them right in the store out of real lobster meat. I just got a 3-pack and they're so good that I ate two of them at once. I'll save......

Legal Sea Foods Long Wharf Boston $22.95 When Bostonist proposed a series of mid-summer lobster roll reviews, we came up with a handful of local favorites: seafood shacks, sandwich shops, and bistros. But most people who pass through the city never see these places; tourists get their lobster rolls at Boston Harbor. So we resigned ourselves to review the lobster roll that is definitive for many visitors. We went to Legal Sea Foods. Naturally,......

Champlin's Seafood 256 Great Island Road Galilee, RI $14.99 What says summer better than lobster rolls? Denizens of the lesser states may disagree, but here in New England, we know the truth. Bostonist kicks off its Lobster Rollover with a trip out of town, out of state even, but one well worth the drive. Champlin's Seafood is located in Galilee, RI, at the tip of Naragansett Bay and right next to the dock where ferries......

Bostonist visited what's left of James Hook & Co. yesterday as firefighters hosed down the wreckage. The scene attracted a steady stream of visitors who stood silently, paying their respects to the Boston landmark. See our earlier post about the fire for a photo of James Hook & Co. in better days.......

Fort Point landmark and Boston institution James Hook & Co., a lobster wholesaler, burned to the ground this morning in a seven alarm fire, the Globe reports. The fire closed the Moakley bridge, which connects South Boston to the Financial District, to vehicular traffic, causing a jumbled commute for beleaguered workers going to or from Southie. The blaze was said to have destroyed more than 60,000 pounds of lobster, valued at $9 a pound,......

--Are too many activities hurting the condition of the Common? The folks at Parks and Recreation think so. But what's the point of having a Common if people can't go there? [WBZ] --The fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq caused a local contrast. Local National Guard soldiers came home. [WHDH] --Meanwhile, five people in Boston and eight people in Chicopee were arrested for protesting the war, and about 100 people were at the......

--St. Patrick's Day, of course! Platinum Elite has wonderful photos and commentary from the parade. We were particularly enamored of the Elvis sighting. [Platinum Elite] --Other kudos to Pax Arcana's fond memories of the holiday. Bring the Pepto to the Purple Shamrock, folks! [Pax Arcana] --While it's cool that governor Deval Patrick is heading over to New York state to attend the swearing-in of the state's new governor, David Paterson, we're not quite sure......

As Bostonians we pride ourselves on our history as a city steeped in sea-faring tradition. Whether it be our statuesque U.S.S. Constitution, the ubiquitous story of the Boston Tea Party, or the ever-present duck boats, Boston and the ocean will be forever intertwined. As such, Bostonist presents some last-minute gift ideas that pay homage to our salty roots. Looking for the perfect gift for the animal lover in your life? Consider giving a "Proud Parent......