Drunken Lobster is the brainchild of Brian Langevin, a longtime Bay Area chef who for the last several years has "been going around opening restaurants for other people," he said in an interview Friday. He opened BUILD Pizzeria and Artichoke Basille's Pizza in Berkeley as well as Pizza Rock in Sacramento.
But when he recently got the opportunity to open his own restaurant in Mountain View, he jumped at it.
"Downtown Mountain View is just booming right now," he said.
Drunken Lobster will serve all-things seafood, from fresh Maine lobsters flown in live every day to local rock cod fish and chips, West Coast oysters and mussels and chorizo served in a white wine sauce with fresh bread from Berkeley's Acme Bread Company. Everything will be made from scratch and will be locally sourced as much as possible, Langevin said. A basic lobster roll will go for $20; get the "ultimate" with hollandaise sauce, shredded lettuce, tomato, fresh shaved black truffles, cole slaw and housemade fries for $30. There's also clam chowder, salads, lobster mac and cheese plus a burger, hot dog, grilled cheese and basic mac and cheese for non-fish lovers.
It's a "real simple menu, but everything is really good quality," he added.
Drunken Lobster will serve beer and wine only, with six beers on tap and about 15 in bottles that will be rotated. Langevin is starting with only two or three Napa Valley wines by the glass, but will expand if he sees a demand for it.
The space itself, formerly the home of Pita Bite and Gyros House, has been redone to look like an "East Coast lobster shack" with reclaimed wood and other rustic touches, said Langevin, who did all the construction himself.
Drunken Lobster will soft open on Tuesday, Sept. 22, around 3 p.m. Normal hours will be 11 a.m. until 9:30 p.m., with the likelihood of staying open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
