Best of Boston

1999 Best Lobster

James Hook & Co.

With more than 250 bubbling tanks of ocean water, and a staff that knows everything there is to know about lobsters, Hook is the oldest lobster dealer in the country (dating back to 1925). The staff will retrieve any size lobster you want—even a 15 pounder—and provide instructions on how to cook ’em perfectly. Hell, they’ll even cook ’em for you. And if you have a landlocked friend in, say, Wisconsin, James Hook will ship them right out. At about seven bucks a succulent pound, how could you go anywhere else?

15-17 Northern Ave., Boston, 617-423-5500,