No crustaceans were harmed at this year's Jersey shore Lobster Run and after-party

Nature lovers and others waiting this morning on the boardwalk in Asbury Park for the start of the 2nd annual Lobster Run, a 5K run/walk to benefit the American Littoral Society, a New Jersey-based non-profit that has been protecting and restoring the coast since 1961.

The event started and ended near the Langosta Lounge, a beachfront restaurant that ran out of buffet food before everyone who paid could enjoy their brunch.

-- ASBURY PARK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

As longtime members of the American Littoral Society, we love our visits to the Jersey shore to take part in events that support the work of saving the coast.

Today was no exception -- our first Lobster Run, a fund-raising run/walk that started under an overcast sky on the boardwalk in Asbury Park.

Me and my wife walked the 3 miles to and from Bradley Beach, then joined an after-party in the Langosta Lounge, a beachfront restaurant at 1000 Ocean Ave.

The Jersey shore is a treasure, and I came to love it during the many years in the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies we drove from Brooklyn to our summer home on Third Avenue in Bradley Beach.

My brunch platter of what a harried Langosta Lounge server described as "Lobster Eggs," front, plus Greek yogurt, fruit, home-fried potatoes and an egg-vegetable wrap. Juice and alcoholic drinks weren't included in the price. Do you see any lobster in the egg dish?

Me and my wife were disappointed by the variety in the brunch buffet, and as someone who tries to eat heart-healthy food, I was surprised and shocked to see how much bacon and other cured meat runners and others were wolfing down.

There is nothing like the Jersey shore, above and below.

Langosta Lounge

Walkers like me and my wife were not only left behind by runners during the event, but we were also the last to join the line to the buffet at the so-called after-party.

We waited 20 minutes or more on line before we got to the buffet table, and found that the main egg dish, fruit and Greek yogurt were almost gone.

By a little after 11 a.m., servers announced no more buffet food would be put out, and my wife heard one of them telling late-comers the kitchen would have to prepare something for them.

Two women at the next table said that last year, after the first Lobster Run, participants were served lobsters and crab claws, in addition to other food.

This year, the only dish that supposedly contained lobster was what a server called "Lobster Eggs." 

When I got home, I looked at the Langosta Lounge's brunch menu online, and could not find any such thing listed.

The brunch didn't include juice or alcoholic beverages.

Details

American Littoral Society, 18 Hartshorne Drive, Highlands, N.J.

Website: Caring for the Coast